Public Administration

Welcome

Welcome to the Master of Public Administration Program (MPA) in the College of Business, Education and Professional Studies at Albany State University. The program offers a professional degree that prepares students for managerial and leadership positions in public agencies, non-profit organizations and the private sector.

Founded in 1987, the program was initially accredited by, Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration (NASPAA), in 2004 and re-affirmed for the 2012-2018 cycle. The program is currently accredited by NASPAA through the 2018-2025 accreditation cycle.

Earning the Master of Public Administration degree requires the successful completion of 36 credit hours of course work, with a minimum of 27 hours of core course work (including the Capstone report and Professional Internship/Project for pre-service students), and nine hours of course work in an area of concentration. There is also a portfolio requirement as part of the exit process. The curriculum combines both theory and practice, as it stresses the ideals of performance, accountability, professionalism and ethics. It also affords students the opportunity to strengthen their abilities to think critically, enhance both written and oral communication skills, utilize analytical techniques, draw on information technology and develop an awareness of professional ethics.

There are currently four areas of concentration offered in the program: Criminal Justice Administration, Health Administration & Policy, Human Resources Management and Public Management. The MPA program collaborates with Albany State University’s Master of Business Administration (MBA) and the graduate Criminal Justice programs to deliver its educational services.

We welcome your interest in the program and will be delighted to talk with you. We encourage all qualified prospective students to apply for admission to the program.

Go Rams!

Peter Ajongwa Ngwafu, PhD
Dean, College of Business, Education, & Professional Studies
Interim Chair/Director, Department of Public Administration/Master of Public Administration Program

NASPAA Standard 7.0 Information

Degree Title

  •    Master of Public Administration (MPA)

Organizational Relationship Between Program and University

  •    The MPA program is currently housed in the Department of Public Administration in the College of Business, Education and Professional Studies (CoBEPS)

Modes of Program Delivery

  •    The MPA program currently offers two modalities for program delivery: A traditional model which combines face-to-face classes and an online model that began in August 2020, which allows students to take courses online without the classroom, face-to-face requirement.

Number of Credit Hours

  • Program completion requires the successful completion of 36 hours of academic credit, unless a student decides to pursue a double concentration which will require the completion of three additional hours in the second area of concentration.
  • Graduation requirements include completion of an internship and an exit process including a portfolio and Capstone report.

Length of Degree

  • Full time students can generally complete the degree within two years
  • Part time students can generally complete the degree within three years

List of Dual Degrees

  • The program does not offer dual degrees

List of Specializations (Areas of concentration)*

The program currently includes the following concentrations

  • Criminal Justice Administration
  • Health Administration &Policy
  • Human Resources Management
  • Public Management

.Fast Track Information

  • A fast track Option is not currently available

Number of Students

  • As of Fall 2023 there are 48 students in the program

Mission Statement

Provide a professional master’s level education for students aspiring to management positions in government, nonprofit organizations, and the private sector.

  • Provide professional assistance to the public, governments, and nonprofit organizations in Southwest Georgia, Dougherty County, and the surrounding communities through public service of the faculty and students.
  • Increase the number of qualified graduates from underrepresented groups with professional public administration skills, training, and education for leadership positions.
  • Increase the number of qualified graduates from underrepresented groups with professional public administration skills, training, and education for leadership positions.

The current mission was adopted in the fall of 2002 and was revised in the fall of 2010 and spring 2011 semesters. As a result of the consolidation of the former Darton State College and Albany State University, the mission statement of the MPA program was further revised in the fall of 2016, spring 2017 and summer 2017 by all stakeholders of the program. The summer 2017 mission statement revision was done in preparation for the program’s re-affirmation which was completed successfully in 2018.

An applicant for the Master of Public Administration degree must meet the following admission requirements:

  1. A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university.
  2. A minimum 3.0 cumulative grade-point average (on a 4.0 point scale) for course work completed at the undergraduate level is required for regular admission. A cumulative grade-point average of 2.5 is required for provisional admission.
  3. The MPA program at Albany State University does not require GRE or MAT scores for admission purposes.
  4. Two official transcripts sent from all colleges and universities attended.
  5. Two current letters of recommendation from individuals familiar with the applicant’s ability to successfully complete the graduate program.
  6. In addition to the graduate school requirements prospective students will be required to submit a written statement of career goals.
  7. Submission of a completed graduate admissions application with its $25 processing fee.
  8. International students take the TOEFL per country requirement and meet other criteria established by the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia (The minimum score is 60 and the average score is 88).

All documents, including test scores, must be received in the Graduate Admissions Office at least 45 days prior to the desired semester of enrollment. Prospective applicants should contact the graduate recruitment and admissions officer in the Graduate School for more information.

Number of faculty teaching in the program

  •    There are currently five faculty members with terminal degrees who comprise the regular faculty. Criminal justice courses are taught by faculty members in the graduate Criminal Justice Program.

Faculty Identified within the Unit including rank

  • Peter Ngwafu, Ph.D., Tenured Professor
  • Veronica Adams-Cooper, Ph.D., Tenured Professor, Nucleus
  • Bruce Neubauer, Ph.D., Tenured Associate Professor, Nucleus
  • Ambrus Price, Jr., Ph.D., Tenure Track Associate Professor, Nucleus
  • Ismail Soujaa, Ph.D., Tenure Track Assistant Professor, Nucleus

Tuition Cost
Tuition rates for fall of 2023 are as follows:

Click here to View In State Tuition and Fees for 2023-2024

Click here to View Out of State Tuition and Fees for 2023-2024

Click here to View Online Tuition and Fees for 2022-2023

ASU’s MPA Tuition And Financial Aid Information for 2023-2024

The listed tuition and fees for the 2023-2024 academic year for graduate education are as follows:

  • In-state full-time (12 semester hours): $ 2,997.00 per semester
  • In -state full time ( 9 hours): $2,429.00 per semester
  • In-state part-time (6 semester hours): $1,856.00 per semester
  • Out-of-state (12 semester hours): $9,854.00 per semester
  • Out-of-State (9 hours ) $7,568.00
  • Out-of-state part-time (6 semester hours): $5,282.00 per semester
  • Online 100% ($300 per credit hour) + $65.00 Tech Fee

Description of Financial Aid Including Assistantships

  • Eligible graduate students can receive up to $20,500 in student loans for the fall, spring, and summer, of which $8,500 can be made up subsidized loans and $12,000 can be unsubsidized loans. Students must be accepted to the graduate school as either provisional or regular graduate students in order to eligible for financial aid. Students who are classified as non-degree students are unable to receive financial aid. Students must be seeking a degree or working on a teaching certification in order to receive financial aid.
  • The graduate school offers research assistantships. Click here to view more information on Graduate Assistantships/Fellowships.

Internship Placement List

Since 2022-2023, one or more students were placed for internship experiences in each of the following: 

Advanced Health and Rehab of Twiggs County

Albany State University, Facilities Management

Albany State University, Lois B. Hollis Center for Social Equity (MPA Program)

Albany State University, OPA Grant Project - Stronger Together (Department of Public Administration)

City of Albany, Police Department (Georgia)

City of Albany, Recreation & Parks Department (Georgia)

Dougherty County School System, Human Resources Department

Enterprise Rental Car

Family Wellness Outreach Center of Georgia

GA Dept of Public Health East Central Health District 6, Project Impact

J.R. Homecare

Men Leaning Forward, Inc,

Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital, Infection Prevention


Student Completion Rates for the 2017-2018 Cohort

For the 2017-2018 Cohort (ARY-5) 24 students were initially enrolled, 11 students graduated within two years, 15 (an addition of 4 students) graduated within three years, and 17 students (an addition of 2 students) graduated within four years and 1 persisted towards graduation. A total of 18 students graduated within four years or persisted towards graduation and six did not graduate or persist towards graduation.

Sectoral Distribution of Employment Rates for students who graduated in the year prior to the 2022-2023 academic year

National or Central government in the same country as the program—1

State, provincial or regional government in the same country as program—2

City, County or other local government in the same country as program—3

Government not in the same country as the program (all levels) or quasi-government—0

Nonprofit domestic-oriented—1

Nonprofit/NGOs internationally oriented—0

Private Sector-Research/Consulting—0

Private Sector but not Research/Consulting—2

Obtaining further education—0

Military Service—0

Unemployed (not seeking employment)—0

Unemployed (seeking employment)—0

Status Unknown—1

TOTAL—10

MPA Degree Requirements 

required Credit Hours

  • Program completion requires successful completion of 36 semester-hours of academic credit.
  • Graduation requirements include completion of an internship and completion of an exit process including a portfolio and Capstone report (project report in the case of the Water Resources Management concentration).

Length of Degree

  • Full-time students can generally complete the degree within two years.

MPA Degree Requirements 

Required Credit Hours 

  • Program completion requires successful completion of 36 semester-hours of academic credit.
  • Graduation requirements include completion of an internship and completion of an exit process including a portfolio and Capstone report (project report in the case of the Water Resources Management concentration).

Length of degree

  • Full-time students can generally complete the degree within two years.
  • Part-time students can generally complete the degree within three years.

Fast track 

At the present time there is no fast track option for degree completion.
Dual Degrees - At the present time there is no dual degree option.

MPA Admission Criteria 

To be admitted to the MPA program an applicant must be admitted to the ASU Graduate School, and must also meet the following conditions, established by the program for regular, provisional, and non-degree admission.

Regular Admission

  • Hold an undergraduate degree from a regionally accredited institution with an undergraduate grade point average of 3.00 or better.
  • The MPA program at ASU does not require GRE or MAT scores for admission purposes.
  • Two official transcripts sent from all colleges and universities attended.
  • Two current letters of recommendation from individuals familiar with the applicant’s ability to successfully complete the graduate program.
  • In addition to the graduate school requirements prospective students will be required to submit a written statement of career goals.
  • Submission of a completed graduate admissions application with its $25 processing fee.
  • International students take the TOEFL per country requirement and meet other criteria established by the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia (The minimum score is 60 and the average score is 88).
  • All documents, including test scores, must be received in the Graduate Admissions Office at least 45 days prior to the desired semester of enrollment. Prospective applicants should contact the graduate recruitment and admissions officer in the Graduate School for more information.

Provisional Admission

    • An undergraduate degree from a regionally accredited college or university with an undergraduate grade point average of at least 2.5 or better
    • The MPA program at ASU does not require GRE or MAT scores for admission purposes.
    • Two official transcripts sent from all colleges and universities attended.
    • Two current letters of recommendation from individuals familiar with the applicant’s ability to successfully complete the graduate program.
    • In addition to the graduate school requirements prospective students will be required to submit a written statement of career goals.
    • Submission of a completed graduate admissions application with its $25 processing fee.
    • International students take the TOEFL per country requirement and meet other criteria established by the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia (The minimum score is 60 and the average score is 88).
    • All documents, including test scores, must be received in the Graduate Admissions Office at least 45 days prior to the desired semester of enrollment. Prospective applicants should contact the graduate recruitment and admissions officer in the Graduate School for more information.

Non-Degree Admission

  • Submission of a completed graduate admissions application with its $25 processing fee.

The MPA program only accepts non-degree admissions for qualified applicants who already hold a master’s degree who may be interested in taking MPA courses for their personal enrichment. No student will be allowed to take more than nine (9) hours in a non-degree status.