Public Administration

Students are required to complete a minimum of four 500-600 level graduate courses (a total of 12 credit hours) in Public Administration. The PAC allows students opportunities to take graduate courses that will hone their disciplinary knowledge (i.e. public budgeting, human resource management, leadership, organizational theory and administrative law). All students in the PAC program will be required to take PUA 500 (Introduction to Public Administration). 

All applicants must meet the following requirements...

• Have an earned baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution;
• Have a 2.5 undergraduate GPA on a 4.00 scale and a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution;
• Have completed two semesters of Statistics/Quantitative Methods.

Applicants who do not satisfy the minimum GPA requirement, may be admitted to matriculated status, if they have substantial relevant professional experience and approved by the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences.

All courses must be completed at the University of the Virgins Islands. All students are required to complete the following course (3 credit hours) listed below:

 The MPA program seeks to provide high-quality distance-learning, professional development and applied research opportunities that emphasize sound administrative and analytical skills, as well as sensitivity to moral, ethical and value concerns that are central to the spirit of Public Administration.

Brochure (PDF)

Applicants for graduate programs must:

Complete the graduate application, by clicking here. $45.00 Application Fee (paid via application portal)

Master of Public Administration Requirements:

• Students applying to the MPA program are required to have earned a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution with a GPA of at least a 2.5.
• In addition to meeting the general admission requirements, applicants seeking admission to the Master of Public Administration program must have successfully completed two semesters of Statistics, Quantitative Methods or Economics. Students lacking sufficient background in these areas will be required to complete the appropriate coursework or demonstrate competency within the first year of study after admission into the program

Course Descriptions (PDF)

MPA Graduation Requirements (updated 6/26/15)

Entry level courses can be completed of either campus and online. For students to graduate with an MPA degree, the following core requirement courses must be completed:

MPA Comprehensive Examination

All MPA candidates must take and pass the MPA comprehensive examination. The examination will be offered during the fall and spring semesters. Students should take the comprehensive examination as scheduled near the end of the semester when all core courses have been completed. 

MPA Thesis

The thesis will serve as an option to two elective courses, not as an option to the comprehensive examination. The thesis will afford those students who so wish an opportunity to explore and express their research and writing abilities.  Students are required to register for 6 credits of PUA 600.

Before signing up for thesis, students must: 

1. Have completed 15 graduate credits, including PUA 500, Introduction to Public Administration and Public Affairs, and PUA 526, Quantitative Methods for Public Administration.
2. Have been approved by the Coordinator of the MPA program as a potential candidate for thesis work through evaluation of graduate work, student workload, and other factors.
3. Have discussed a potential topic and received the support of a faculty member to be an advisor for the thesis.

Matching the standards of student learning set by the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration (NASPAA), students graduating from the MPA program will be competent in the following domains (taken from NAASPA accreditations standards):

• to lead and mange in public governance;
• to participate in and contribute to the policy process;
• to analyze, synthesize, think critically, solve problems and make decisions;
• to articulate and apply public service perspective;
• to communicate and interact productively with a diverse and changing workforce and citizenry.