Graduate Bulletin - Academic Programs and Courses

Master of Public Administration Program

The Master of Public Administration prepares students from a variety of academic and professional backgrounds to excel in careers with a public policy, public management, or nonprofit management orientation. The MPA provides students with an academic credential appropriate for employment in the public, nonprofit, and private sectors.

The MPA program has two key objectives. First, through a set of core courses, the program provides a strong foundation of practical and theoretical training for professional work in public service. Second, through free electives or the selection of a concentration, the MPA program offers students the opportunity to fashion a curriculum linked directly to their individual career and academic interests.

The Baruch MPA is fully accredited by the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration (NASPAA). Baruch’s School of Public Affairs is the only nonprivate school of public affairs in New York City.

All students in the MPA program complete seven required courses and are required to earn a minimum grade point average of 3.0. This ensures that all students achieve a basic understanding of fundamental public administration principles and practices together with a foundation in communication skills, economic analysis, and statistical analysis. In addition to the required courses, students complete six elective courses chosen in consultation with a faculty advisor. Students without prior professional experience will also complete an internship in a public, nonprofit, or private-sector organization. In their final semester, all students take the Capstone Seminar, which emphasizes the application of students’ knowledge and skills to specific professional situations.

Full-time and part-time MPA students (but not students in the NUF or Executive MPA programs) may choose to focus 12 of their 18 credits of elective course work in one of the four specializations: nonprofit administration, public management, policy analysis and evaluation, and health care policy. All four specializations participate in the shared MPA core, which does not vary from specialization to specialization. Specializations must be chosen in consultation with a School of Public Affairs advisor.

Selection of a specialization is not required. Students who choose not to take a specialization must structure their 18 elective credits in consultation with an advisor.

Preliminary Workshop (0 credits) All entering students are required to either take the School of Public Affairs noncredit computer workshop or pass the School’s computer skills examination. Core (21 credits)
PAF 9100	Introduction to Public Affairs	3 credits
PAF 9103	Communication in Public Settings	3 credits
PAF 9120	Managing Organizations in the Public and Not-for-Profits Sectors	3 credits
PAF 9130	Economic Analysis and Public Policy	3 credits
PAF 9140	Budgeting, Accounting, and Financial Analysis	3 credits
PAF 9170	Applying Research and Analysis I	3 credits
PAF 9172	Applying Research and Analysis II	3 credits
Specialization and Elective Courses (18 credits) Students are required to complete 18 credits toward electives. Students may choose to specialize in one of four specific specializations Nonprofit Administration Public Management Health Care Policy Policy Analysis and Evaluation or may choose, in consultation with a faculty advisor, a group of six electives without regard to any specialization. The specific requirements of each specialization vary. Please consult the list below for exact course requirements. Specialization in Nonprofit Administration Students who wish to concentrate their MPA studies in nonprofit administration must take 12 credits (four courses), 6 of which (two courses) are required. Mandatory Courses in Nonprofit Administration (6 credits)
PAF 9151	Administration of Not-For- Profits and Voluntary Organizations	3 credits
PAF 9153	Budgeting and Finance for Nonprofits	3 credits
Elective Courses in Nonprofit Administration (6 credits) select two courses from the following
PAF 9010	Ethics and Public Decision Making *	3 credits
PAF 9108	Communication and Information Technologies	3 credits
PAF 9109	Government Contracting	3 credits
PAF 9123	Program Evaluation *	3 credits
PAF 9136	Urban Economic Development	3 credits
PAF 9139	Communication Strategy	3 credits
PAF 9150	The Social Context of the Nonprofit Sector	3 credits
PAF 9152	Fund Raising and Grants Administration in Not-for-Profits and Voluntary Organizations	3 credits
PAF 9156	Emergency Preparedness, Response and Recovery *	3 credits
PAF 9160	Public and Nonprofit Management II *	3 credits
PAF 9171	Human Services Administration	3 credits
PAF 9299	Selected Topics in Nonprofit Management *	3 credits
PAF 9710	Health Care Delivery in the United States	3 credits
Changes were published in November 2007 University Chancellor's Report. Effective Fall 2008. Free Electives* Students must complete 6 additional elective credits of their choice. These may be any two electives consistent with a student’s academic program for which the student has satisfied pre requisites. All courses must be selected in consultation with a faculty advisor. Specialization in Public Management Students who wish to concentrate their MPA studies in public management must take 12 credits (four courses), 6 of which (two courses) are required. Mandatory Courses in Public Management (6 credits)
PAF 9117	Public Personnel and Human Resources Management	3 credits
PAF 9160	Public and Nonprofit Management II	3 credits
Elective Courses in Public Management (6 credits) select two courses from the following
PAF 9010	Ethics and Public Decision Making	3 credits
PAF 9108	Communication and Information Technologies	3 credits
PAF 9109	Government Contracting	3 credits
PAF 9112	Administrative Law and Regulation	3 credits
PAF 9116	Intergovernmental Relations	3 credits
PAF 9118	Labor Relations in the Public Sector	3 credits
PAF 9123	Program Evaluation	3 credits
PAF 9138	Urban Services Delivery	3 credits
PAF 9139	Communication Strategy	3 credits
PAF 9159	Privatization	3 credits
PAF 9171	Human Services Administration	3 credits
PAF 9173	Program Auditing and Performance Measurement	3 credits
Free Electives Students must complete 6 additional elective credits of their choice. These may be any two electives consistent with a student’s academic program for which the student has satisfied prerequisites. All courses must be selected in consultation with a faculty advisor. Specialization in Health Care Policy Students who wish to concentrate their MPA studies in health care policy must take 12 credits (four courses). The required courses are: Mandatory Courses in Health Care Policy (12 credits)
PAF 9710	Health Care Delivery in the United States*	3 credits
PAF 9720	Population-Based Health Planning	3 credits
PAF 9725	Health Program, Policy, and Performance Evaluation	3 credits
PAF 9799	Selected Topics in Health Policy	3 credits
PAF 9710 must be taken prior to taking additional courses in this specialization. Free Electives* Students must complete 6 additional elective credits of their choice. These may be any two electives consistent with a student’s academic program for which the student has satisfied pre requisites. All courses must be selected in consultation with a faculty advisor. Specialization in Policy Analysis and Evaluation Students who wish to concentrate their MPA studies in policy analysis and evaluation must take 12 credits (four courses), 6 of which (two courses) are required. Mandatory Courses in Policy Analysis and Evaluation (6 credits)
PAF 9123	Program Evaluation	3 credits
PAF 9133	Economics of the Public Sector and Public Finance	3 credits
Elective Courses in Policy Analysis and Evaluation (6 credits) select two courses from the following
PAF 9102	Selected Topics in Advanced Analytical Methods	3 credits
PAF 9137	Telecommunications Policy	3 credits
PAF 9145	Social Welfare Policy	3 credits
PAF 9161	Business and Public Policy	3 credits
PAF 9173	Program Auditing and Performance Measurement	3 credits
PAF 9175	Human Resources Policy	3 credits
PAF 9180	Political Analysis of Public Policy	3 credits
PAF 9318	Education Policy	3 credits
PAF 9610	Environmental Policy	3 credits
PAF 9699	Selected Topics in Public Policy	3 credits
Free Electives Students must complete 6 additional elective credits of their choice. These may be any two electives consistent with a student’s academic program for which the student has satisfied pre requisites. All courses must be selected in consultation with a faculty advisor. Internship (3 credits)
PAF 9195	Internship in Public Affairs (required of students without prior professional experience)	3 credits
Capstone (3 credits)
PAF 9190	Capstone Seminar (Prerequisite: Completion of the MPA core plus 15 additional credit hours or permission from the Office of Graduate Admissions and Student Services)	3 credits
National Urban/Rural Fellowship In addition to its traditional MPA and Executive MPA tracks, Baruch also awards an MPA in conjunction with the National Urban/Rural Fellowship, the premier program in the country for preparing women and minorities for careers in public and nonprofit administration. Admission to this program is through a special process coordinated through the National Urban Fellows, Inc. (212-349-6200; www.nuf.org)

The program information above is from the Graduate Bulletin 2005 - 2008
View the entire Bulletin or previous Bulletins