The MPA @ UNT

General Information about MPA Degree at UNT Degree Title: Master of Public Administration (MPA).

Organization: The MPA is offered by the Department of Public Administration, which is a part of the College of Health and Public Services (HPS).

Mode of Delivery: The program is delivered primarily face-to-face on UNT’s main campus located in Denton, Texas. Electives are occasionally offered online, and classes are sometimes offered in additional, alternate locations, including Dallas City Hall.

Number of Credit Hours Required: The number of credit hours required depends upon a student’s prior management experience to working in the public or nonprofit sectors.

42 credit hours required - for students who have no prior work experience in the public sector.

39 credit hours required – for students who have up to three years of public sector management experience.

36 credit hours required – for students who have more than three years of public sector management experience.

Length of Degree: The degree is designed to be completed in two years, assuming a student is enrolled full-time (9 hours) in each long semesters (i.e., Fall and Spring).

Specializations Available: Local Government Management Financial Management Nonprofit Management Public-Nonprofit Analytics Human Resource Management Emergency Management

Number of Students: 142 students are currently enrolled full-time or part-time.

Mission of the Program The mission of the Master of Public Administration program is to prepare leaders for public and nonprofit organizations through an innovative curriculum and dedicated teaching; creating and disseminating knowledge to the field of public administration through interdisciplinary research and professional development activities; and serving the profession and the community in order to promote democratic governance and enhance quality of life.

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MPA Program Faculty There are currently 13 full-time faculty who teach in the UNT MPA Program.

Nucleus Faculty: Simon A. Andrew PhD, Florida State University Abraham D. Benavides PhD, Cleveland State University Robert L. Bland PhD, University of Pittsburgh Brian K. Collins PhD, Indiana University Lisa A. Dicke PhD, University of Utah Hee Soun Jang PhD, Florida State University Skip Krueger PhD, University of North Texas Yu “Kelly” Shi PhD, University of Illinois at Chicago Jennifer Evans-Cowley PhD, Texas A&M University Lauren A. Fischer Columbia University Nathan Hutson PhD, University of Southern California Laura Keyes PhD, University of North Texas Leslie R. Roberts JD, University of Tula College of Law

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Cost of Degree Tuition The amount students pay on tuition depends on their residency status. Assuming a full-time student enrolls for the first time in Fall 2019, the expected total, non-discounted costs for the UNT MPA are the following. Please note that this is just an estimate and may be impacted by a variety of factors, including the specific courses selected (some electives may have higher fees due to computer usage, for example), number of semesters enrolled, or possible tuition increases in the future.

In-State Students: $19,316.91 Out-of-State Students: $37,040.91

Financial Aid and Scholarships The Department of Public Administration offers various forms of financial assistance to MPA students. It is recommended that students interested in financial aid investigate available options at the time they apply to the program since a number of scholarship opportunities are offered to beginning students only. However, some sources of financial assistance are available to students who have already begun their program.

A sample list of financial award opportunities is provided below. More information on the scholarship opportunities are available in the latest MPA Student Handbook or on the UNT MPA website (https://hps.unt.edu/master-publicadministration-mpa#mpascholarships). Forms for financial awards are available from the departmental office in Chilton Hall 204 or on the website at http://financialaid.unt.edu/scholarships.

Some of the scholarships available to MPA students include (through the university or other organizations): Wib and Nancy Horton Kamp MPA Scholarship E. Ray Griffin Scholarship The Charldean Newell Graduate Public Administration Scholarship Debra Brooks Feazelle Internship Award Charldean Newell Award Clarence E. Ridley Scholarship Lynn F. Anderson Fellowship William J. Pitstick Public Management Scholarship

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Admissions Criteria The MPA program attracts capable and diverse students committed to a professional career in public service. Admission to the MPA program is based on an assessment of the applicant's academic ability and potential to meet the demands of a rigorous graduate program. Each application is considered using multiple criteria, including the student’s academic performance and potential, and other materials that may be requested by the department.

Students must apply through Apply Texas (https://www.applytexas.org) for admission to the MPA Program. All students must meet the Toulouse Graduate School (TGS) (https://tgs.unt.edu/future-students/graduate-admissions) admission requirements.

Academic prerequisites for full admission to the MPA program are: 

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A bachelor's degree or its equivalent from an accredited college or university that includes at least 15 semester hours in such areas as public administration, emergency administration and planning, political science, management, economics, sociology, analytical techniques, or other social sciences. Consult with the MPA program coordinator for applicable course work.

Admission to UNT's Toulouse Graduate School (consult the Graduate Catalog or TGS website for details).

A grade point average (GPA) on the last 60 hours of college work of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale.

As part of the department’s holistic review process, applicants may be asked to submit these additional materials:     

Letters of recommendation attesting to intellectual and leadership abilities.

A written essay by the applicant describing career objectives and explaining how an MPA degree will help meet those objectives.

A current resume showing all work experience.

Other evidence that demonstrates the applicant’s ability to perform satisfactory work at the graduate level.

The department may also request an interview with the admissions committee.

Program Completion Rate

Initially Enrolled Students in 20142015 MPA Cohort

43

Graduated within 2 years

Graduated within 3 year

18

27

4

Graduated within 4 years 30

Total # Graduated Students and Persisting to Graduation 30

Career Services Placement of Graduates Students who graduated from the UNT MPA program in Academic Year 2018-19 found employment in the public, nonprofit, and private sectors.

Below is a list of the categories of employers of the 35 alumni who graduated that year:

Placement

Total Number of Graduates

National or central government in the same country as the program State, provincial or regional government in the same country as the program City, County, or other local government in the same country as the program Government (all levels) or international quasi-governmental Nonprofit domestic-oriented Nonprofit/NGOs internationally-oriented Private Sector - Research/Consulting Private Sector but not research/ consulting Obtaining further education Military Service Unemployed (not seeking employment) Unemployed (seeking employment) Status Unknown Total

3 3 21 1 2 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 2 35

Current Internships In the last year, MPA students completed internships in local government, state government, higher education institutions, nonprofit organizations, and private organizations.

The following list provides a sample of the organizations in which students completed their internships: Bob Jones Nature Center City of Arlington City of Colleyville City of Denison City of Lake Worth City of Mesquite City of Saginaw Dallas County Emergency Management Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas Tarrant County College Town of Flower Mound

Children's Advocacy Center of Denton County City of Carrollton City of Coppell City of Justin City of Lewisville City of North Richland Hills City of Southlake Denton County Transit Authority Feed the Children Texas Parks and Wildlife University of North Texas

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