Concentrations in the Kent-Master of Public Administration Degree Program

The Kent-Master of Public Administration program offers prospective students the option of majoring in either of two concentrations: one in Public Management, the other in Public Policy. All students will receive the Master of Public Administration Degree by specializing in either of these concentrations. The concentration area appears on both their formal transcripts and upon matriculation, their diploma.

Which Concentration Is Right For Me?

The Kent-MPA program is dedicated to providing professional level education and intellectual development towards serving the public interest to persons currently working in the public or non profit sector and seeking advancement in their careers, or persons seeking entry into these sectors. Students come from literally every occupational classification and or previous undergraduate area of study.

The selection of a concentration in the Kent-MPA program is a serious decision and depends primarily on your: (1) intellectual interests; (2) your career objectives and (3) and which aspects of our curriculum options better support your interests and career objectives. The information provided below outlines in succinct terms the differences and commonalities in the curriculum structure of each concentration and hopefully will assist you in your decision

Curriculum Structure

The Public Management Concentration is a degree focused towards the education and employment of managers and future executives for government and or nonprofit agencies. The curriculum for persons electing the public management concentration consists of education in core management courses supplemented by coursework in a management specialization area

 Examples of required core management courses are personnel relations, budgeting and financial management, strategic planning, program evaluation, administrative ethics, electronic government, and methods courses. These core management skills are supplemented by a management specialization area in one area such as: nonprofit management, human resource management, budgeting and financial management or management information systems. However, the public management specialization is open to the student in the public management concentration and may be developed in conjunction with her/his advisor.

By contrast, the Public Policy Concentration is a degree focused towards the education and employment of policy advisors and analysts either in government agencies, legislative committees or nonprofit economic and social policy research organizations. The curriculum for persons electing the public policy concentration is directed at education in core public policy courses supplemented by a coursework in one or more policy specialization areas.

 Examples of required core public policy courses include: microeconomics, policy formulation, policy evaluation, and quantitative and qualitative research methods. These core policy skills are supplemented with a policy specialization in one or more public policy areas such as income support, labor, human resources, local economic development and criminal justice. However, the choice of a policy specialization area is open to the student in the public policy concentration and may be developed in conjunction with her/his advisor.

Electives

There are fewer required core courses and more room for electives in the Public Policy concentration than in the Public Management concentration. The Public Management Concentration permits three electives to be taken in one management specialization. The Public Policy Concentration permits electives to be spread across one or two policy domains.

Internship and Capstone Course

Neither concentration requires a written thesis. However, each concentration does require a final Capstone Course in which the student writes a comprehensive paper evaluating a public management problem or public policy problem, contingent upon the student’s area of concentration.

Total Number of Hours Required to Graduate

The total number of semester hours required to graduate in either concentration, public management or public policy is the same and varies from 42-45. This translates into the equivalent of 14 or 15 courses, respectively. The 3 semester hour difference is attributable to whether or not a student will be required to take a 3 semester hour formal field placement or whether this requirement will be waived. Waivers are given for persons already working in a public or nonprofit organization, or who have previous administrative experience or have a personal hardship preventing them from doing a formal field placement. Normally, students without any pre-existing government or nonprofit experience should expect to do a formal field internship placement.

Method of Delivery & Universal Access

Both concentrations are offered in the traditional classroom setting. However, only the public management concentration offers a complete degree option online as well. Students considering electing the public management concentration should understand there is absolutely no distinction in content or expectations in student performance between the online and the traditional in class method of delivery.

The online degree option in the Public Management Concentration is a major initiative and unique option we provide our potential students. The online option is directed at persons who have difficulty attending classes on a remote campus for either: personal family constraints, physical limitations, or conflicting work arrangements. The decision to provide an online degree option issue was not one of convenience. It is in every respect driven by the objective of providing access to students who otherwise would be severely limited in their ability to attend university, or not attend at all.

The online program in the Kent-MPA program is unique in two respects. First, a major thrust of the Kent-MPA online program is to assure each course element in the program meets or exceeds the federal government’s requirements on web accessibility for persons with physical disabilities. The online program therefore constitutes a national benchmark defining access to public management education in the United States.

Second, unlike other distance programs, it is not solely a web based program. Rather in each course, we incorporate live interactive audio and (soon) live video class sessions from each student’s home to every other student’s home. Students can from the comfort of their homes or offices interact with their peers and the faculty member, though live voice, instantaneous electronic blackboards, synchronized web browsers and breakout small group sessions.

Table 1 below summarizes the comparison between the two concentrations:

Concentration Options:

Public Management Focus on education of public managers and executives Public Policy Focus on education of policy analysts

Specialization Areas:

Public Management: Flexible, but traditionally in nonprofit, budgeting and financial management, criminal justice, human resources, nursing Public Policy Flexible, but generally income support, labor, human resources, local economic development and criminal justice.

Number of Elective Courses

Public Management 3courses Public Policy 6 courses

Method of Delivery

Public Management Traditional in class and or online Public Policy Traditional in class only

Thesis Requirement

Public Management None Public Policy None

Internship Requirement

Public Management Not required if working full-time or has previous management experience Public Policy Not required if working full-time or has previous policy experience

Capstone Course

Public Management Required Public Policy Required

Total Number of Hours:

Public Management 42-45 Semester Hours Public Policy 42-45 Semester Hours

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