PROGRAM OF STUDY

The MPA curriculum consists of 39 credits including 24 hours of core courses and 15 credits of elective courses. Core courses are designed to develop comprehensive administrative, managerial, quantitative, financial and analytical skills with an understanding of their applications in different sectors. Elective courses provide opportunity to develop skills in more specialized areas, supplementing the core courses and facilitating the achievement of professional and career objectives. One of the four electives is a required internship in the public arena for pre-service students and can be replaced with an additional elective if the MPA Director approves a waiver. Students may complete the degree within 2 years full-time or approximately 3-4 years part-time.

The MPA Program at the University of Wyoming has formulated a set of learning
objectives anchored to these domains:

Lead and Manage in the Public Interest
MPA Learning Objective: Acquire the knowledge, skills, and competencies of
management in the public sector, including the organization, management,
assessment, and oversight of human and financial resources.

Participate in, and Contribute to, the Policy Process
MPA Learning Objective: Understand the influence of politics on policy choices
and the practices of policy analysis.

Analyze, Think Critically, and Make Evidence-Informed Decisions in a
Complex and Dynamic Environment
MPA Learning Objective: Demonstrate reading, writing, and analytical skills
necessary for decision making.

Apply and Advance a Public Service Perspective
MPA Learning Objective: Understand how the values of integrity, ethical conduct, and professionalism shape the implementation of public
policy.

Communicate Productively and in Culturally Responsive Ways with a Changing Workforce and Society at Large
MPA Learning Objective: Organize and communicate information by means of oral presentations, written documents, and digital media, taking into account the particularities/needs of a given audience. 

Interested in our Interdisciplinary Programs? Click the links below to learn more:

MPA + CRMJ  MPA + JD  MPA + NPO  MPA + ENR

group of students walking as seen from above

REQUIRED COURSES

 

24 Hours of Required Core Courses

PBAD 5000 Survey of Public Administration
PBAD 5400 Public Personnel Management
PBAD 5410 Administrative Behavior & Theory of Organizations
PBAD 5440 Principles & Processes of Government Budgeting
PBAD 5480 Ethics in Government
PBAD 5510 Public Policy and Program Management
PBAD 5684 Empirical Analysis for Public Administration
PBAD 5690 Capstone in Public Management

Click here for next semester's course schedule.

 

ELECTIVES

 

15 Hours of Approved Elective Credits

Approved Electives

The following is a list of electives that have been approved for MPA students in recent semesters in order to provide examples of the kind of coursework that applies in fulfillment of the elective requirement. It does not include all classes that may qualify as electives. All electives, regardless of whether they appear on this sheet or not, MUST BE APPROVED BY THE MPA DIRECTOR.


Some possible courses to complement your MPA studies:
 
Subject Number Title
     
CNSL 5060 Counseling Ethics and Professional Issues
CRMJ 5130 Criminal Justice Management
MGT 5450 Selection, Training, and Development
PBAD 5420 Seminar in Public Administration
PBAD 5460 Public Administration and Law
PBAD 5465 Survey of Non-Profit Sector
PBAD 5500 Internship in Public Administration
POLS 5051 Environmental Politics Administration
POLS 5052 Federal Land Politics
POLS 5530 Legislatures & Legislation
POLS 5600 Political Violence
POLS 5710 Topics: Local Government Management
POLS 5710 Topics: Non-Profit Management
POLS 5710 Topics: Rural Governance
POLS 5710 Topics: Technology and Public Administration
POLS 5710 Topics: Women in Public Policy
POLS 5710 Topics: Wyoming Futures
POLS 5810 Seminar in Political Philosophy
RNEW 5810 Forest Management
STAT 5220 Statistical Methods

(Students are also allowed to take electives offered outside of the MPA program. Consult the program director for additional opportunities.)

 

SAMPLE 2-YEAR PLAN

MPA Sample Schedule - Spring 2023

 

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