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Public Administration

Program	Faculty
Admission Requirements	Degree Requirements

The Program

Well-trained public administrators are needed today at all levels of government. Fiscal constraints and public demands for responsive government make effective management a necessity. MPA graduates hold policy-making positions with the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of the national and state government. Graduates of the Shippensburg University program also use their managerial skills working for local government, not-for-profit agencies, and in the private sector.

Admission Requirements

For almost 35 years, Shippensburg University has offered a graduate degree in public administration. To be eligible for admission to the master’s program, a student must:

• Have a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university.
• Present an official transcript showing at least a 2.75 cumulative grade point average for his or her undergraduate studies (if the applicant’s undergraduate GPA is below the required level, the applicant must take the GRE general test); and
• Have taken at least 6 semester credits in political science or public administration at the undergraduate level (if the applicant has not completed the required 6 semester credits, he or she may be accepted on a provisional basis).

Degree Requirements

To qualify for a master’s degree, students must complete a minimum of 36 semester hour credits of graduate work. There are 18 credits of required courses. They will take 12 or more credits of public administration electives and a 6-credit internship or thesis.

Courses

• Required (18 s.h.)
• PLS 501     Organization Theory and Behavior
• PLS 502     Human Resources Management
• PLS 503     Foundations of Public Budgeting and Finance
• PLS 601     Research Methods
• PLS 603     Public Policy Analysis
• PLS 605     Applied Management Techniques in Public Administration

Experiential Requirements (6 s.h.)

• PLS 611      Internship I
• PLS 612      Internship II
• OR
• PLS 621     Thesis I
• PLS 622     Thesis II

Electives (12 s.h.)

• PLS 431     Pennsylvania Local Government
• PLS 491     Selected Topics
• PLS 504     Ethics for Public Service Managers
• PLS 511     State Government
• PLS 512     Intergovernmental Relations and Programs
• PLS 521     Collective Bargaining and Labor Relations in the Public Sector
• PLS 551     Planning and Public Policy
• PLS 552     Seminar in Urban-Rural Planning
• PLS 561     Administrative Law
• PLS 591     Selected Topics

Faculty

Throughout the program students work with faculty, many of whom are involved in local and state governments. Their names and areas of expertise are:

James H, Mike, Ph.D., dean, College of Arts and Sciences.

Sara A. Grove, J.D., Ph.D., Chair, The University of North Carolina (Health and Aging Policy; Research Methodology)

Curtis R. Berry, Ph.D., Syracuse University (Human Resource Management; State and Local Government; Labor Relations)

C. Nielsen Brasher, Ph.D., chair, American University (Research Methodology; Public Policy Analysis)

Cynthia A. Botteron, Ph.D., University of Texas at Austin (Public Policy Analysis; Non-Profit Management)

Alison D. Dagnes, Ph.D., University of Massachusetts at Amherst (American Government; Political Institutions; Political Behavior)

Kim E. Fox, Ph.D., Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Public Budgeting; Financial Administration)

Donald K. Frazier, Ph.D., Southern Illinois University,(Organization Theory; Public Policy Analysis; Urban Politics)

Michael Greenberg, Ph.D., University of Texas at Austin, (Research Methodology; Intergovernmental Relations)

Steven Lichtman, J.D., Ph.D., Brandeis University (American Government; Political Institutions; Political Behavior)

Mark Sachleben, Ph.D., Miami University at Miami, Ohio (International Organizations; International Law; Human Rights)

Ronnie B. Tucker Sr., Ph.D., Mississippi State University(Public Service Ethics; Applied Management)