Focus of the MPA Program

The focus of our program is on management in the public and nonprofit sectors. We are committed to training our students to act as agents facilitating positive change in these sectors. In the public sector, our emphasis is on improving local government management, primarily for smaller municipalities and townships. In the nonprofit sector, our emphasis is on improving the management capacity of healthcare, arts and cultural, human service and faith-based organizations.

The Kent MPA is a career development program designed for two groups of people: those currently working in the public or non-profit sector and seeking professional advancement; and persons wishing to begin a career in either public and or nonprofit sector management, desirous of establishing themselves in a secure career as a public or nonprofit manager.

The curriculum provides a set of required core management courses, plus an elective area of specialization. The Kent MPA program offers elective areas of specialization in one of three areas: Budgeting and Financial Management, Municipal Management, Nonprofit Management, Justice Management and a dual degree in Nursing Management. Students wishing to select elective areas of specialization outside of the Kent MPA program may do so with the advice of their advisors .

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The Students We Want

Current Government and Nonprofit Sector Individuals
Personal Caregivers
Persons with Physical Disabilities

These three set of individuals should consider the new MPA OnLine Web
Degree Program.

Persons holding B.A.'s in Social Science or the Humanities

We have found that persons well educated in either the humanities or social sciences make excellent students. Students trained in these areas have the breadth of knowledge, ability to integrate concepts, sensitivity to ethical values and the ability to communicate, all of which provide an excellent foundation for careers as managers in the public and non-profit service.

While the Kent MPA is heavily oriented towards management education,
we assume students have no previous knowledge of these skills and begin management education from the bottom up.

Current Kent State Juniors

Kent State University offers a special benefit for Kent juniors and seniors with specific GPA's to credit hour ratios. This benefit permits you to double count your remaining undergraduate credits for BOTH your undergraduate degree and toward the MPA degree (as well as other degrees) up to 12 hours of credit. For you, this greatly shortens the time you need to spend in school to obtain a graduate degree. Plus this option can save you almost an academic year of graduate tuition. If you are interested in this new benefit, please contact Dr. Joseph Drew, the MPA Program Coordinator, for assistance in admission to this program.

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Admission to the Combined Baccalaureate and Master's Program :

Kent State University undergraduate students with outstanding records or individuals with exemplary professional credentials may be eligible for one of the following enrollments in a combined baccalaureate and master's program:

Combined Baccalaureate/Masters Degree Early in the Student's Kent Undergraduate Studies

  A student who has achieved a GPA of:
   3.5 after 60 semester hours,
   3.4 after 75 semester hours,
   3.3 after 90 semester hours,
   or
   3.2 after 105 semester hours

may apply for early admission to a master's degree program by:
  1. Completing the Application for Admission;

  2. Completing the Combined Baccalaureate and Master's Program form which includes:
  a.  Listing of courses at the undergraduate level which need to be taken for the baccalaureate degree.
  b.  The beginning date for graduate study.
  c.  Listing of graduate courses to be utilized in satisfying the undergraduate degree.

(In participating departments/schools, students may apply up to 12 of their accumulated graduate hours toward the completion of their undergraduate degree requirements as well.  The student's undergraduate department will determine the undergraduate coursework for which graduate credits may be substituted).  In some departments graduate coursework may be substituted only for elective undergraduate coursework and cannot be used as substitution within the major.  (Please check with the graduate coordinator in your individual department).  The selection of the graduate coursework and the number of credits to be applied toward an undergraduate degree requires the approval of the graduate chair in the student's academic department and the appropriate undergraduate and graduate deans.

 3. Providing three letters of recommendation from instructors who are familiar with the student's achievements and intended academic goals.

 4. Submitting any needed test scores from standardized examinations.

 TOPS Students

The Kent MPA program is a contractor with the State of Ohio Department of Human Services (ODHS) management development initiative for current ODHS employees. Posession of the MPA degree is probably one of the most relevant degrees career ODHS employees can possess and we welcome these students.

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Advantages of the Kent MPA Program

Evening Classes and Safety

To accommodate persons currently working, virtually all of our courses are offered in the evenings. A beautiful campus, well lit, patrolled and easily accessible parking lots reduce the concern often associated with evening classes. Prospective students should know that Kent State is nationally ranked as the safest university campus in Northeast Ohio.

Cutting Edge Technology

Courses are taught both in the traditional classroom setting, as well as, using the latest interactive computer and televideoconferencingtechnologies. With the exception of an occassional adjunct professor from the public or non-profit sector, all courses are taught by faculty who have both the Ph.D. and governmental experience, not the Ph.D. alone. The Kent MPA program is highly sensitive to the interaction between professional education and professional practice.

Community and Caring

The Kent MPA is a smaller program with about 50 students and will remain so. Kent MPA students receive highly individualized attention and access to faculty, something the Kent MPA faculty believe is critical in graduate level education. We stay in contact with our alumni/ae and find them to be the greatest supporters of our program.

Placement Rates

We keep in contact with our alumni. Virtually all KSU-MPA alumni/ae are working in their declared area of interest, whether this be in local government, the nonprofit sector or at the state level. While we cannot guarantee placement of our students, our record of an incredible 95% placement rate speaks for itself: the Kent MPA student is an educated and valued entity in the job market. We have purposefully structured our program and continually reevaluate the curriculum contents in relation to the external environment to assure this rate of placement continues.

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Costs and Financial Aid

Costs

The Kent MPA program tuition costs are commensurate with other public universities in Northeast Ohio. Our nonprofit management concentration in the MPA program is approximately 20 percent of the cost of an education in nonprofit management offered at some private universities.

The most current tuition costs may be found by visiting the KSU Bursar's Office. All tuition payments should be made to the Bursar's Office .

Financial Aid

The Kent MPA program offers three forms of financial assistance. The nature of this financial assistance, however, is predicated on: previous academic performance, American citizenry, and registratation as a full-time graduate student. Within these criteria, financial aid is competitive.

The three forms of assistance are:
(1) Tuition Scholarships, wherein the MPA program pays for the full tutition of the student without any work or service obligation on the part of the receipient student;

(2) Graduate Assistantships in the program, which pay for all of a student's tuition, plus a monthly cash stipend. The GA requires students to work for a faculty member in the program for either 10 hours per week, or 20 hours per week, contingent upon whether the GA award is a one-half time, or full time award. In addition to full tuition, the full-time GA pays $8000 per academic year and;

(3) Graduate Assistantships in the Center for Public Administration and Public Policy (CPAPP). This latter award pays for all of a student's tuition and requires a twenty hour per week contrbution at the CPAPP. Students work on applied research for local governments and nonprofit organizations.

If no financial aid is given, the Bursar's Office provides for payment of tuition on an installment basis over a three month period for each semester.

Campus Visit

If you would like to visit the MPA program please contact Dr. Joseph Drew , the MPA Program Coordinator, to set up an appointment. We will send you a parking permit so that you may park directly adjacent to our offices.