Graduate Program

      Degrees Offered

      The School of Public Administration offers a Master’s Degree in Public Administration. The degree prepares men and women interested in public service and third sector careers for professional and management policy positions. Persons already employed or preparing to enter public service are encouraged to apply for admission. The interdisciplinary nature of the program is designed to utilize faculty resources in departments and colleges across the university and to offer students a wide choice in their professional preparation.

      Master of Public Administration (M.P.A.)

      The School currently offers four concentrations for persons interested in pursuing a specialized area of public administration study.

      Concentrations: Please visit our website at http://spa.unm.edu or email the Academic Advisor at spadvise@unm.edu or call (505) 277-9196. 

      Dual Degrees: The School offers joint degree programs with the School of Law, School of Architecture and Planning, and College of Nursing**.

      M.P.A./J.D. degrees with the School of Law

      M.P.A./M.C.R.P. degrees with the Department of Community and Regional Planning in the School of Architecture and Planning

      **M.P.A./M.S.N. degrees with the College of Nursing
      This dual degree is in moratorium, and currently not accepting new students.

      Also see Individual Dual-Degree Programs.

      Admission Requirements

      Admission is competitive, and only applicants with strong academic and professional records are admitted to the program. The applicants must have:

      • A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university with an undergraduate grade point average for the last 60 hours, or overall major grade point average of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale, or equivalent.

      Applicants to the School of Public Administration (M.P.A.) program should submit an application packet to the UNM Admissions office. A paper or online application is acceptable although online is strongly preferred. The online application can be found at: http://spa.unm.edu/students/admissions.php.

      The application (Paper or Online) should include:

      • The application form - (Question #17: Major Code is “MPA-PADM”)
      • The residency form (required of all students)
      • The application fee of $50.00

      The following should be sent directly to the School of Public Administration:

      • Letter of intent (2-3 pages)
      • Three letters of recommendation
      • Resume
      • One official transcript from EACH academic institution you have attended. You do not need official transcripts for coursework taken at the University of New Mexico.

      UNM School of Public Administration Address:

      School of Public Administration
      Attn: Academic Advisor
      MSC05 3100
      1 University of New Mexico
      Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001


      Non-Degree and Post-Degree Status

      Students who take Public Administration courses in non-degree and post-degree status fall into three categories.

      1. Applicants who are denied admission may be advised by the admissions committee to take two core courses (PADM 500, 521, or 525) in non-degree status before reapplying for admission. As non-degree students, they must achieve at least a 3.5 GPA in Public Administration core courses to be reconsidered for admission to the program. Upon completion of course work, non-degree students must reapply for admission.

      2. Individuals who seek to enroll in a course after the admission deadline but prior to the start of classes. These persons may only register for two core courses (PADM 500, 521, or 525) in non-degree status and must obtain approval from the Director of the School of Public Administration. A maximum of 6 non-degree credit hours may be transferred to the MPA degree.

      3. Students who have already completed a Master’s degree may enroll in post-degree status with approval of the SPA Director. Students in this category pursue a particular concentration and enroll in a specialized course of study to enhance their professional degree.


      Degree Requirements

      All students must complete a minimum of 42 credit hours for the degree that includes five components:

      1.  Core curriculum (18 credit hours)
      2.  Concentration (15 credit hours)
      3.  Elective (3 hours)
      4.  Designing Applied Research course (for those selecting the professional paper option)(3 hours)
      5.  A professional paper (3 credit hours) or thesis (6 credit hours).

      Before enrolling in other Public Administration courses, each student is required to complete the following core curriculum of 18 credit hours:

      PADM 500 Public Management and Policy
      PADM 521 Institutional Development and Behavior
      PADM 522* Program Evaluation
      PADM 525 Human Resources Management in the Public Sector
      PADM 544 Public Budgeting
      PADM 596* Research Methods for Public Managers
        
      *Students must meet the statistics prerequisite before enrolling.

       
      Concentrations

      Students must declare a concentration by the completion of 21 credit hours. A Program of Studies (POS) is due to the School of Public Administration office no later than completion of 30 credit hours. For further information about individual concentrations please see our webpage - http://spa.unm.edu or contact the Academic Advisor at spadvise@unm.edu or (505)-277-9196;

      Health Policy and Administration Concentration-15 hours (Select five courses)

      Select at least three of the following courses:

      PADM 561 Strategic Management of Healthcare Systems
      PADM 562 Health Governance in Global Perspective
      PADM 563 Healthcare Finance
      PADM 564 Healthcare Policy and Program Evaluation
      POLS 511 Health Policy and Politics

      Select up to two of the following courses:

      PADM 551 Problems
      PADM 555 Workshop for Interns*
      PADM 570 Pro-Seminar in Public Policy
      PADM 590 Topical Seminar in Health Policy and Management
      ECON 410* Topics in Health Economics
      LAW 531 Health Law
      PH 554 Public Health Policy, Politics and Advocacy
      PH 562 Women’s Health Issues
      PH 565 Public Health: Law Policy and Ethics
      PH 578 Environmental Health Policy
      PH 579 New Mexico Border Health

       
      *must be approved by the SPA Director.

      Human Resources Management Concentration-15 hours(Select five courses)

      Required:

      PADM 528 Employment Dispute Resolution
      PADM 529 Administrative Law
      PADM 538 Non-Profit Management
      PADM 588 Practice of Negotiations
      PADM 590 Sem: Workplace Transformation
      PADM 590 Sem: Systems Design in Dispute Resolution
      OLIT 540 Foundations of HRD and Instructional Technology
      MGMT 463* Employment Law**
      MGMT 506 Organizational Behavior and Diversity
      MGMT 564 Human Resources Management: Theory and Applications I**

       
      *Course available for graduate credit. **Prerequisite MGMT 306. ***Prerequisite MGMT 506.


      Public Budgeting and Financial Management Concentration – 15 hours
      Currently under review. See our webpage: http://spa.unm.edu, or contact the School of Public Administration at 505-277-9196.

      Take 1 of the following series

      Series A  
      MGMT 502 Accounting and Management Information Systems I
      MGMT 503 Managerial/Cost Accounting
      MGMT 504 Microeconomics for Managers
      MGMT 505 Macroeconomics for Managers
      -or-  
      MGMT 554 Public Control of Business Seminar
      Series B  
      MGMT 502 Accounting and Management Information Systems I
      MGMT 503 Managerial/Cost Accounting
      MGMT 540 Financial Accounting I
      MGMT 549 Accounting Information and Control Systems
      -or-  
      MGMT 640
      Accounting for Non-Profit Organizations
      Series C  
      MGMT 501 Statistical Analysis for Management Decisions
      MGMT 520 Operations Management
      MGMT 521 Manufacturing Systems Management
      MGMT 522 Marketing Management
      -and-  
      MGMT 586 Strategic Logistics Management
      Series D  
      MGMT 502 Accounting and Management Information Systems I
      MGMT 503 Managerial/Cost Accounting
      ECON 503
      Economic Theory
      ECON 517 Law and Economics
      -and-  
      ECON 535 Evaluation of Public Programs
      Series E  
      MGMT 502 Accounting and Management Information Systems I
      MGMT 503 Managerial/Cost Accounting
      ECON 503 Economic Theory
      ECON 560 Introduction to Public Finance
      -and-  
      ECON 562 Normative Theories of Public Finance
      -or-  
      ECON 565 Positive Theories of Public Finance

       
      Public Management Concentration – 15 hours

      See our webpage–http://spa.unm.edu or contact the School of Public Administration at (505) 277-9196.


      Professional Paper/Thesis

      Students may choose between either a professional paper or a thesis to complete their degree. Under the Professional Paper (non-thesis) option, the student completes 39 course credit hours and 3 Professional Paper credit hours. Under the thesis option, student completes 36 course credit hours and 6 thesis credit hours.

      The School of Public Administration may change curriculum, degree requirements, admission requirements and policies at any time, without notice, for all programs. Check with the SPA for current information and assistance with program planning.

      NOTE: A special fee of $15.00 per course is charged to students registering for PADM courses.

      Students pursuing a graduate degree in another program may pursue a minor in Public Administration.  The minor requires completion of the following eight courses (24 credit hours): PADM 500, 521, 525, 527, 544, 546, 596, 597. Please contact the Academic Advisor at spadvise@unm.edu or call (505) 277-9196 for further information.



      Courses

      PADM 500. Public Management and Policy. (3)



      PADM 521. Institutional Development and Behavior. (3)



      PADM 522. Program Evaluation. (3)



      PADM 523. Administration of State and Local Government. (3)



      PADM 524. Intergovernmental Administrative Problems. (3)



      PADM 525. Human Resources Management in the Public Sector. (3)



      PADM 526. Diversity in the Public Sector. (3)



      PADM 527. Employment Relations in the Public Sector. (3)



      PADM 528. Employment Dispute Resolution. (3)



      PADM 529. Administrative Law. (3)



      PADM 535. Comparative Public Administration. (3)



      PADM 536. Social Policy and Planning. (3)



      PADM 537. Seminar in Public Management. (3)



      PADM 538. Non-Profit Management. (3)



      PADM 540. Administration of State Governments. (3)



      PADM 544. Public Budgeting. (3)



      PADM 546. Public Financial Administration. (3)



      PADM 551. Problems. (1-3 to a maximum of 6 ?)



      PADM 552. Designing Applied Research. (3)



      PADM 553. Professional Paper. (1-3 to a maximum of 6 ?)



      PADM 555. Workshop for Interns. (1-3 to a maximum of 6 ?)



      PADM 560. Public Policy and Aging. (3)



      PADM 561. Health Policy and Management. (3)



      PADM 562. Health Governance in Global Perspective. (3)



      PADM 563. Healthcare Finance. (3)



      PADM 564. Healthcare Policy and Program Evaluation. (3)



      PADM 570. Pro-seminar in Public Policy. (3)



      PADM 572. Energy Resources Management. (3)



      PADM 574. Seminar on Environmental Policy and Administration. (3)



      PADM 575. Natural Resource Economics. (3)



      PADM 577. Practice of Policy Development. (3)



      PADM 580. Criminal Justice Administration. (3)



      PADM 588. Practice of Negotiation and Public Dispute Resolution. (3)



      PADM 590. Topical Seminars. (3, no limit ?)



      PADM 596. Research Methods for Public Managers. (3)



      PADM 597. Computer Applications for Public Managers. (3)



      PADM 599. Master?s Thesis. (1-6, no limit ?)



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      Office of the Registrar

      MSC11 6325
      1 University of New Mexico
      Albuquerque, NM 87131

      Phone: (505) 277-8900
      Fax: (505) 277-6809