Grade Point Average Requirements

All graduate degrees in the School of Public Administration require a grade point average of 3.0 (B). A minimum grade of 2.0 (C) is required in a course to receive graduate credit.

 

Master of Public Administration

Admission

The Master of Public Administration programs are under the jurisdiction of the School of Public Administration. All admissions decisions are made by the school, following guidelines set by the university. See theAdmission section of this catalogue.

With the exceptions noted below all questions about the programs and all materials required for admission should be submitted to: M.P.A. Programs, Admissions Office, VKC 232, University Park, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0041.

Exceptions to this procedure are those candidates applying for admission to the M.P.A. programs in Sacramento and Washington, D.C.

Admission to each of these programs is determined by the faculty and admissions committees connected with those areas. Application packages should be sent directly to the program office. For applicants to the programs in Sacramento: Master of Public Administration Programs, Sacramento Center, 1201 J Street, Sacramento, CA 95814; For applicants to programs in Washington, D.C.: Master of Public Administration Programs, Washington Center, 512 Tenth Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20004.

Applications

The admission decision is made using criteria which include verification that the applicant has completed a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college, has maintained a B average in undergraduate course work and has earned an acceptable score on the verbal and quantitative portions of the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) or the Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT). Other elements of the applicant’s educational and experiential background are also evaluated. International students whose national language is not English must also submit a Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) score.

Each candidate should submit the following to the school: (1) official transcripts of all previous college and university work, showing an awarded degree where appropriate; (2) copies of GRE or GMAT scores; (3) an essay answering questions on the admission questionnaire provided by the school; (4) an up-to-date resume which includes academic and professional accomplishments; (5) three or more letters of evaluation from previous instructors and from professional associates who can attest to the applicant’s potential; (6) completed USC Graduate Admission Application, along with the nonrefundable processing fee; and (7) completed School of Public Administration Supplemental Graduate Application.

International applicants may be asked to supply additional information. See the Admission section of this catalogue.

Deadlines

Applications for admission are evaluated monthly. Those students who are also applying for financial aid, or who must meet other deadlines for admission, should submit application materials early enough to allow the admissions decision to be made in advance of those other deadlines.

The admissions process generally takes about four to six weeks after all necessary materials have been submitted.

Prerequisites

Social Science

Any undergraduate major is acceptable as preprofessional background, provided the applicant has had at least 12 semester units (16 quarter units) of undergraduate course work in cultural anthropology, economics, ethnic studies, social and human geography, political science, sociology or related social science area courses; no more than two of these courses may be in the same field.

Deficiencies in the social science prerequisite may be met while in residence by taking appropriate courses in other departments, but such course work may not be counted toward the course requirements for the master’s degree.

Statistics

A basic competence in descriptive and inferential statistics is also required for the M.P.A. programs. This prerequisite may be fulfilled by successfully completing the school’s Statistics Competence Examination, or by successfully completing PPMT 404 with a grade of B or higher (A = 4.0), which may not be used for graduate credit.
All prerequisites must be fulfilled within the first 12 units of graduate course work. The statistics prerequisite must also be met before enrolling in PUAD 506, PUAD 514, PUAD 525, PUAD 558 or PUAD 591.

Transfer Credit

The Degree Progress Department determines whether work done elsewhere is available for consideration for credit toward the USC degree. That office requires official transcripts of all course work done before entering USC. A Transfer Credit Statement of these official transcripts, done after a student has been admitted to regular status at USC, will indicate which units are available for transfer. These courses do not apply toward the degree unless, and until, the student’s major department submits a memo assigning transfer credit to the Degree Progress Department in the Office of Academic Records and Registrar.

Upon approval by the director of the degree program, a candidate for the M.P.A. who has done graduate work at a recognized institution prior to admission to USC or holds a master’s degree from a recognized institution may receive transfer credit for a maximum of eight semester units.

Application of any available transfer credits toward a graduate degree will be determined by the director of the particular degree program, based on the semester units available for transfer as shown on the Transfer Credit Statement.

These general guidelines are followed by the admissions evaluator and by faculty members: (1) the work must be completed at an accredited graduate school; (2) the grade must be B or better; (3) the work must be a fair and reasonable equivalent to current USC course work at the graduate level which fits into the logical program for the degree; (4) the units are not more than seven years old at the time of petition for transfer; (5) the units must reflect current knowledge in the field; and (6) the work must be completed prior to admission to the USC program.

USC does not give transfer credit for life experience, credit by examination, noncredit extension courses or thesis course supervision.

Waiver of Course Content

The school recognizes that some applicants may have covered the material contained in core courses or courses required for a particular specialization. Under these circumstances, one particular course requirement may be waived, allowing the student to complete a more advanced course in the same area. Students who have a background in a particular area of study may be allowed to substitute other courses. In these situations students do not receive unit credit but are permitted to take course work which does not repeat earlier academic experiences.

Waiver of content is usually given only in the case of previous academic study of the subject, not in the case of experiential background in the area.

Students who believe they are eligible for content waiver decisions must petition the faculty of the school, providing evidence of the previous work through transcripts, syllabi and other pertinent material. Contact the school’s Student Affairs Office for information.

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.

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 Office of Recruitment and Student Affairs.

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 8 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.

To be considered for limited status enrollment, interested students need to complete the School of Public Administration Limited Student Application for Enrollment form and submit official or unofficial copies of their transcripts from their bachelor’s degree granting institution. Students with a 3.0 grade point average (A = 4.0) may enroll in up to eight units of graduate courses in the School of Public Administration.

School of Public Administration Limited Student Application for Enrollment forms may be obtained from the Admissions Office, School of Public Administration, University of Southern California, VKC 232, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0041; telephone (213) 740-6842. Limited students may only enroll during the in-person registration period (the week before classes begin).

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 the M.P.A. course requirements or their equivalent during their course work 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 Sector 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		Units
Analytic Methods		4
PUAD 506*	Administrative Research and Analysis, or	4
PUAD 525*	Program and Policy Evaluation, or	4
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*	Public 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 B 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
information systems
intergovernmental management
international policy and management
international and comparative administration
judicial administration
local government
nonprofit management
policy management
population statistics
regulatory policy and management

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.

Specialization in Intergovernmental Management

In addition to the substantive area cluster, M.P.A. students may choose the specialization in intergovernmental management.

Students in this specialization enroll in courses and serve internships at each of three sites — studying local government issues in Los Angeles, state government issues in Sacramento and federal government issues in Washington, D.C., — offering participants an opportunity to study and understand the complex interrelationships among the three levels of government.

In addition to completing M.P.A. core requirements, students enroll in PUAD 552, 553 and 554. PUAD 564 may be substituted for PUAD 554.

Certificate Programs

Certificate Programs in Public Financial Management

Students enrolled in the public financial management certificate program are required to take 52 graduate units of course work (53 for pre-service students). Sixteen of these units are M.P.A. core courses (PUAD 500, 512, 595 and 597); and 12 units of management competencies (PUAD 514, 506 or 525 or 558, and 585). In addition, students must take 16 units of course work in finance and related subjects (PUAD 513, 551, 552 or 553 or 564, and 527 or 528). Eight units of approved electives will be selected from among: PUAD 521, 531b, 550, 552, 553, 564, 583, 525 or 529, and 557. Pre-service students must also serve an internship and be enrolled in PUAD 544.

Students may receive this certificate with a specialization in intergovernmental management provided they complete the three course sequence (PUAD 552, 553 and 564). Students may satisfy this requirement if they apply two of these courses toward the eight-unit elective requirement and apply the third course toward the 16-unit finance and related subjects requirement.

Certificate Program in Public Policy Analysis and Management

Students enrolled in the public policy analysis and management certificate program are required to take 52 graduate units of course work leading to the M.P.A. and the certificate (53 for pre-service students). Sixteen of these units are M.P.A. core courses (PUAD 500, 512, 595 and 597); 12 units are from management competencies (PUAD 514, 558 and 585). In addition, students must take 16 units of course work in policy analysis (PUAD 527 or 528, 572, 529 or 525 or 559, and 589). Eight units of approved electives are required. Pre-service students must also serve an internship and be enrolled in PUAD 544.

Students may receive this certificate with a specialization in intergovernmental management provided they complete the three course sequence (PUAD 552, 553 and 564). Students may satisfy this requirement if they apply two of these courses toward the eight-unit elective requirement and apply the third course to the four-unit policy analysis requirement.

 

Certificate Programs in Health Services Administration

The Health Services Administration Program of the School of Public Administration offers three certificate programs in specialized areas of health care administration. The certificates are designed to provide practitioners with means for improving or updating their knowledge and experience in a challenging and professionally relevant course of study. Certificates are offered in Administration of Long Term Care Programs, Executive Administration of Mental Health Programs and Management of Ambulatory Care Systems. Applicants for the Health Services Administration certificate programs must make formal application for admission to the certificate program, provide transcripts of all college work, supplemented by three letters of recommendation, including one from a former instructor, a resume and a personal statement describing their career goals and the relationship of the certificate to those ends.

It is expected that applicants to the certificate programs should have graduated from a recognized college with an approximate grade point average of B in the last 60 units of college work. Non-graduates may be admitted if the director believes that there is evidence to suggest that the applicant is capable of graduate level work.

Successful completion of the certificate will not be a deciding factor in the admission decision for the degrees offered by the Health Services Administration Program or the School of Public Administration.

Each program requires 20 units of graduate credit including a 16-unit core and a four-unit specialized seminar in the area of the certificate concentration. Core courses (16 units) are: PUAD 530, 558 or 585, 531a or 551; one elective. One specialized seminar as follows (four units): PUAD 569, 508, 509 or GERO 550.

Completing a certificate program does not constitute completion of or admission to the Master of Health Administration (M.H.A.) degree program nor will it be a deciding factor in the admission decision to the M.H.A. degree program. Students in the M.H.A. program, however, may qualify for award of these certificates if they complete the applicable course requirements.

Certificate in Training and Human Resources Development

Students enrolled in the Certificate Program in Training and Human Resources Development are required to take 52 graduate units of course work (53 for pre-service students). Sixteen of these units are M.P.A. core courses (PUAD 500, 512, 595 and 597); 12 units are management competencies (PUAD 514, 506 or 525 or 558, and 585). In addition, students must take 16 units of human resources development courses (PUAD 416, 516, 517 and 586) and eight units of approved electives.

Students may also choose to complete the seven-week International Training of Trainers (ITOT) program. They will be given credit for three courses (PUAD 517, 522 and 586). These students will be able to complete the human resources management and elective requirements by taking PUAD 416, 516 and one four-unit elective. Pre-service students must also serve an internship and be enrolled in PUAD 544.

Certificate in Public Management

This program provides students with a solid foundation of training and skills in management. Individuals who need training in public administration but who are unable to enroll for the Master of Public Administration (M.P.A.) degree may find this certificate program of particular interest. Key to the program’s success is the close integration of the academic curriculum and the application of skills and theory to managerial work assignments. Students may enroll at any time throughout the year. This certificate is available at the Washington Center.

The program consists of four courses: PUAD 500, 585, 526 or 591; and one elective selected from any 500-level offering in the PUAD curriculum.

Certificate in Regulatory Policy and Management

This program is designed to provide the depth and breadth of knowledge and skills needed by regulatory agency managers, analysts, scientists, and policy support personnel to augment their previous specialized training in a particular discipline such as engineering, law, medicine or science. The courses and the course content are designed to meet specific needs identified through initial and ongoing discussions with agency staff members, agency executives and other key stakeholders.

The program consists of four courses: PUAD 567 Decision Making in Regulatory Agencies and PUAD 527 Public Policy Formulation; and two of the following: PUAD 528 Public Policy Implementation, PUAD 529 Public Policy Evaluation, PUAD 557 Business and Public Policy, PUAD 566 Management of Intergovernmental Programs, PUAD 568 Presidency, Congress, and the Bureaucracy, and PUAD 591 Research and Evaluation in Public Administration. For this certificate, PUAD 567 Decision Making in Regulatory Agencies is available only at the Washington Center.

Non-Credit Programs Offered by the Center for International Training and Development

Management Effectiveness Program This is a four-week intensive training program in the art and science of management. The program is designed to enhance leadership effectiveness and the development of a management generalist perspective.

International Executive Development Laboratory This five-week laboratory focuses on issues in executive leadership, strategic management, environmental analysis, international finance and economics, computer-based project planning, and implementation of planned change strategies.