Public Policy and Administration

Director: David C. Powell
Center Office: Social Science Public Affairs Bldg. (SS/PA), Room 228
Telephone: (562) 985‑4178

Faculty: Walter F. Baber, Adam M. Butz, Edward Martin, William Moore, Melissa Mathews, David C. Powell, Tina Zhao

Department Coordinator: Kathy Allan

Distance Learning: Jenny Sok-Wisman
Telephone: (562) 985‑4179

College: College of Health and Human Services  

Courses: PPA  

Career Possibilities

Management Analyst • City Manager • Financial Analyst • Project Manager • Presidential Management Intern (PMI) • Non-Profit Management (Some of these, and other careers, require additional education or experience. For more information, see the CSULB Careers website.)

Introduction

The Center offers the Master of Public Administration degree; options in the degree program include Public Works Administration and Urban Affairs; and graduate certificate programs in Public Management Analyst, Employer‑Employee Relations and Personnel Management, Public Sector Financial Management.

Admission applications are encouraged from persons with successful government service who wish to pursue the degree, part‑time or full‑time. A detailed summary of requirements, current course offerings and procedures are contained in student handbooks available from the Graduate Center for Public Policy and Administration and on its PPA website.

The Center is accredited by the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration (NASPAA), Commission on Peer Review and Accreditation.

Admission Requirements

1. Minimum 3.0 Undergraduate GPA
2. Demonstrated competence in professional writing. A listing of ways you can demonstrate writing competence is available in the Center office (SSPA 228) or on the Center PPA website: 
3. Quality of professional experience as evaluated by Center faculty. This evaluation will be based on the applicant’s current job description, resume, any other materials submitted by the applicant, and the length of professional service.
4. Other evidence of applicant’s potential to undertake and successfully complete the MPA course of study: faculty may consider other evidence submitted by the applicant; for example, scores on optional standardized examinations such as the GRE, GMAT, LSAT, or other recognized standardized examinations.

Following admission to the University and acceptance to the Center, each student should meet with a faculty advisor. The faculty advisor will provide advice to the student on program course requirements and elective opportunities, and counsel the student in the chosen elective area.

A student whose overall grade point average is less than 3.0, but who presents acceptable evidence of professional potential shown through recent academic performance and experiential background, may be admitted by special action of the Center.

Advancement to Candidacy

1. Fulfillment of the Graduate Writing Assessment Requirement (GWAR)
2. Minimum GPA of 3.0 in all graduate work completed at this University, or transferred from other sources, to meet degree or program requirements.
3. Successful completion (grade of “B” or better) of six units in the MPA program.
4. Completion of the orientation requirement.

Transfer of Credit

Students who have completed a graduate certificate program in the Public Management Analyst, Employer‑Employee Relations and Personnel Management, or Public Sector Financial Management may transfer up to 15 units of credit earned in the certificate program to be applied to the Center’s Master of Public Administration degree program. The student must apply to the Center for admission as a degree candidate.

Students who have completed the academic requirements for the Master of Public Administration degree, prior to applying for admission to a graduate certificate program in the Center, may apply up to 6 units of credit earned in the MPA program for the required or elective courses in a certificate program.

Programs

• Public Administration, M.P.A.
• Public Administration, Public Works Administration Option, M.P.A.
• Public Administration, Urban Affairs Option, M.P.A.

• Public Management Analysis Graduate Certificate
• Public Sector Employer-Employee Relations and Personnel Management Graduate Certificate
• Public Sector Financial Management Graduate Certificate

Courses

• PPA 500 - Foundations of Public Policy and Administration
• PPA 509 - Seminar in Strategic Planning for Public Managers
• PPA 510 - Urban Environmental Governance
• PPA 512 - Urban Executive Management
• PPA 514 - Municipal Law for Administrators
• PPA 515 - Administrative Report Writing
• PPA 517 - Analytical Skills Development
• PPA 518 - Microeconomics and Public Policy
• PPA 521 - Microcomputer Management for Public Administrators
• PPA 523 - Urban Information Systems for Public Management
• PPA 525 - Non-Profit Management
• PPA 533 - Race, Inequality and Public Policy
• PPA 535 - Intergovernmental Relations
• PPA 540 - Grants Administration and Management
• PPA 542 - Emergency Planning and Management
• PPA 546 - The Urban Crisis and the Public Administrator
• PPA 554 - Public Works Facilities and Urban Policy
• PPA 555 - Government Budgeting and Finance
• PPA 560 - Public Financial Management
• PPA 567 - Basic Governmental (Fund) Accounting
• PPA 570 - Negotiating Dynamics: Strategies and Skills
• PPA 571 - Leadership Skills and Strategies in the Public Sector
• PPA 575 - Public Sector Employer-Employee Relations
• PPA 577 - Public Sector Human Resources Management
• PPA 581 - Government/Community Relations
• PPA 585 - Public Policy and Administration Internship
• PPA 590 - Selected Topics in Public Policy and Administration
• PPA 597 - Directed Studies
• PPA 610 - Seminar in Urban Affairs
• PPA 660 - Seminar in Organization Theory and Behavior
• PPA 670 - Policy Issue Analysis
• PPA 696 - Research Methods in Public Administration
• PPA 697 - Directed Research