Master of Public Affairs
Local Government Management Concentration
This concentration combines the MPA core requirements with courses emphasizing the knowledge and skills to prepare students to work as local government managers. The prerequisite, comprehensive exam, and experiential component are the same as for the MPA.
Required Courses (29 hours)
Students must complete all of the MPA core courses including the required research tools course (23 hours). For the concentration, they must complete 6 hours of required course work related to government management skills and knowledge.
PSC 520 Urban Political Systems (3)
PSC 613 Local Government Administration (3)
Electives (11 hours)
Students complete an additional 11 hours of elective course work. Nine of these elective hours together with the 6 hours of required concentration courses listed above complete a 15 hour concentration in Local Government Management.
Recommended courses include:
PSC 560F Public Financial Management (2)
PSC 512 Federalism and Intergovernmental Relations (3)
PSC 530 Administrative and Elected Leadership (3)
PSC 510K Ethics in Public Policy (3)
With the approval of the Director of Graduate Study, students may select additional course work from political science or other departments, such as Geography, Sociology, Business Administration, or Economics.
Internship (3 hours)
An internship (PSC 695) is required for students not having prior experience in a professional or management position in a government agency.