THE MASTER OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

ACCREDITATION

The School of Public Administration has been a member of the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration (NASPAA) since 1973. NASPAA is an organization which sets national standards for the Master of Public Administration (MPA) degree program and the other master's-level degree programs in Public Administration. The following excerpt from the current NASPAA standards clearly states the purpose of a Master of Public Administration degree program.

The purpose of the professional master's degree program in public affairs and administration is to prepare individuals for positions of leadership in public service. A career of leadership may involve management and/or policy at several levels of government, in non profit agencies and in private sector areas where knowledge of government is important.

(NASPAA Standards, 1992)

The Master of Public Administration degree program at Kentucky State University was accredited by NASPAA in June 1997. The program is modeled after NASPAA's standards for such programs and shares its educational philosophy. The objectives of the MPA program include providing knowledge, skills, and experience that can be directly utilized by public and private sector professionals in their changing work environment. The program equips students with the technical skills and liberal arts values necessary for responsible administrative roles in state, local, federal, quasi governmental, non profit, and private sector systems. The program provides the interdisciplinary foundations of public administration, quantitative skills, sensitivity toward humanistic dimensions of public organizations, fiscal management, and computer utilization.

A majority of public administration courses are offered in the evening to accommodate students with full time jobs. By taking two courses each semester, such students can complete all degree requirements in three years. Many of KSU's MPA students work for government agencies and receive employer tuition assistance, but some full time students receive graduate assistantships in exchange for part time work. Full time students typically earn the Master of Public Administration degree in two years of study. Up to 12 semester credit hours of appropriate graduate level coursework may be transferred into the Master of Public Administration program from elsewhere.