Do you want to know what it's really like to come to the Martin School? In this video, MPA and MPP students talk candidly about why they came to the Martin School, what they got out of the experience, and where they hope to go in the future.
The 42-semester hour MPA program offers rigorous academic and practical training for persons interested in public service careers. The curriculum consists of three major components: (1) an Administrative Core (2) an Area of Concentration, and (3) Internship or equivalent experience.
All MPA students regardless of their eventual Area of Concentration take the 33 semester hours of Administrative Core courses. The Core provides the analytic and conceptual foundations necessary for successful entry into or advancement within public agencies. The Core covers the areas of economics, finance, budgeting, accounting, management, statistics, research methods, policy formulation and analysis, and the political and legal environments of public administration.
In the final semester the students take the Capstone course, which assists in the integration of the core material. The written capstone project serves as the student’s written examination, and its oral presentation serves as the final master’s oral exam.
2011 - 2012 MPA/MPP Student Handbook (.pdf)
Student Forms can be found here
Past Capstone Projects can be found here
- Core Curriculum
- Areas of Concentration
- Internship
- Admissions
Core Curriculum (33 hours)
PA 602 Organizational Change & Strategic Planning
PA 621 Quantitative Methods of Research
PA 622 Public Program Evaluation
PA 623 Decision Analysis
PA 624 Government Information Systems (2 credits)
PA 631 Public Financial Management
PA 632 Public Funds Management
PA 642 Public Organization Theory and Behavior
PA 651 The Policy Process
PA 652 Public Policy Economics
PA 681 Capstone in Public Administration
PA 691 Ethics in Public Administration (1 credit)
Course Descriptions
Areas of Concentration (6 hours)
Environmental Management
Education Policy
International Public Policy and Management
Nonprofit Management
Policy Analysis
Public Financial Management
Transportation Systems Management
Gerentology
Internship (3 hours)
Students without previous professional experience complete a 3-credit internship.
Internships often inspire successful capstone projects and may lead to permanent
employment.
Please note that students must apply to both the Martin School and the Graduate School for admission to the MPA Program.
Martin School Admissions Instructions
The Martin School requires the following information for your application:
1) Three letters of recommendation
2) A one to three page statement explaining why
you wish to pursue a graduate degree
3) Martin School official application form (.pdf)
Please send all information to:
Sarah O. Lee, Student Services
Martin School of Public Policy and Administration
413 Patterson Office Tower
University of Kentucky
Lexington, KY 40506-0027
Phone: (859) 257-5594
Fax: (859) 323-1937
Email: solee@uky.edu
Graduate School Admissions Instructions
Information on applying to the Graduate School can be found here.