Graduate Degrees, page 2
School of Public Administration
International Students
Students applying for graduate programs should send applications and appropriate documents to the M.P.A. Programs Admissions Office, which processes all such applications. Applicants should submit their applications by April 1 for the following fall semester, and by October 15 for the following spring semester and the summer session.
Admission
A student is accepted for admission only for the semester indicated on the letter of admission. If the student desires to enter at another time, or if the student cannot arrive on campus in time for the semester in which he or she was admitted, the student must contact the M.P.A. Programs Admissions Office in writing. That office will contact the Office of International Admissions.
Students who do not enroll for the semester indicated on the letter of admission cannot be guaranteed admission to a later session. They will need to work with the M.P.A. Programs Admissions Office to determine procedures to follow.
Official Document to Enter the United States
The M.P.A. Programs Admissions Office, working with the Office of International Admissions, will provide the official admission letter and the I-20 or the IAP-66 eligibility certificate, whichever is appropriate, for the student to enter the United States. Any student who enters the United States using these documents issued by USC must register for the semester to which he or she has been admitted. Failure to register disqualifies the student from reapplying for one year from that semester to which he or she had been admitted. Reacceptance is not guaranteed.
Registration Requirements
International students on student visas must be registered as full-time students as arranged by the International Public Administration Center and the Office of International Student Services. A full-time graduate load is eight units. Such students are not eligible to be considered students without formal registration and may be in violation of immigration laws when not properly registered.
International students who have questions about registration requirements should contact the International Public Administration Center.
Exceptions
In exceptional cases, falling outside the usual admissions rules and practices, graduates of nonaccredited institutions and applicants judged to have the equivalent of a standard bachelor's degree may be admitted to graduate studies after joint consideration by the director of admissions and the dean of the School of Public Administration.
Admission to Candidacy
Acceptance to graduate standing does not in itself imply that the student is admitted, or will be admitted, to candidacy for an advanced degree. Application for admission as a candidate for an advanced degree is a separate and subsequent step.
An application for M.P.A. candidacy is submitted by the student in his last semester of course work. This application is filed with the Student Services Office.
Admission Status
M.P.A. applicants may be permitted to take courses before the admission process is completed or they may be admitted before certain conditions have been met; each student must, however, attain regular status (standing) admission to the school prior to or upon completion of 12 graduate units.
Limited Status Students (Preadmission)
Students taking courses who have not been admitted to the school are designated limited status students. These students may be taking courses to meet prerequisites; they may be waiting for part of their application package materials to arrive; or they may be investigating whether an M.P.A. is the best choice for them.
Limited status students may apply only eight units of appropriate graduate work toward the M.P.A. after admission. Units beyond these first eight must be petitioned for through the school. Students on limited status are encouraged to complete the application and admission processes before completing those first eight units.
D.P.A. and Ph.D. Candidates
D.P.A. and Ph.D. students who pass the qualifying examinations and complete 40 units of graduate course work in public administration at USC may, with the recommendation of the coordinator of the M.P.A. program, apply for and receive the M.P.A. degree.
M.P.A. Curriculum
The M.P.A. course requirements are designed to address current and future professional competencies for accomplishment; to establish a sequence of basic required courses; and to maximize student choice and depth in specialized studies. The curriculum requires 40 units for completion (41 for pre-service students). Pre-service students, that is, those who have less than 25 months' employment experience in a professional level position, are also required to take an internship that includes a one-unit seminar.
Core Courses
The M.P.A. core consists of four, four-unit courses:
| PUAD 500 | Public Administration and Society |
| PUAD 512 | Public Managerial Economics |
| PUAD 595 | Public Organization and Management Theory |
| PUAD 597 | Professional Practice of Public Administration |
Three of the required core courses (PUAD 500, 512 and 595) provide the foundation to the field and the fourth (PUAD 597) serves as a capstone course. PUAD 500 must be taken in the first semester or within the first 12 units and PUAD 597 must be taken in the final semester or last 12 units of the student's program.
Management Competencies
M.P.A. students are expected to develop managerial competencies in three areas by taking at least one course in each of the following areas:
| Management Competencies |
| Analytic Methods |
| PUAD 506* | Administrative Research and Analysis, or |
| PUAD 525* | Program and Policy Evaluation, or |
| PUAD 558* | Quantitative Analysis I | 4 |
|
| Organizational Behavior |
| PUAD 585 | Human Behavior in Public Organizations | 4 |
(With the approval of the M.P.A. or center director, the student may choose a human resource management elective to fulfill this requirement.)
| Finance |
| PUAD 514* | Financial Management and Budgeting | 4 |
(With the approval of the M.P.A. or center director, the student may choose a financial management elective to fulfill this requirement.)
*The statistics requirement must be met before enrolling in PUAD 506, 514, 525 or 558. A student must pass the school's statistics competency examination or pass PPMT 404 with a grade of C or better. The examination is offered every semester.
Area Cluster Electives
Students may elect to devote their three elective courses to gain depth in a designated area cluster. These areas include the following: federal public management, financial management, human resource management, intergovernmental management, international and comparative administration, judicial administration, local government, nonprofit management, policy management, and regulatory policy and management. Or students may elect to follow a more generalist perspective and take their elective courses from the array of elective offerings.
Thesis Option
Thesis option, PUAD 594ab Master's Thesis (4 units), may be taken as part of the elective category. Information regarding the thesis contract is available from the M.P.A. director. All theses and dissertations submitted in fulfillment of requirements for graduate degrees must conform to university regulations with regard to form and method of preparation.
Internship and PUAD 544 Internship Seminar
Pre-service students are required to take the internship and PUAD Internship Seminar in the same semester. The student is placed in a supervised internship position, working a minimum of 16 hours for at least 10 weeks.
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Produced by the USC Division of Student Affairs, Office of University Publications, May 1, 1995
David Henriquez
univpub@stuaff.usc.edu