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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.)

Concentrations:

The School currently offers four concentrations for persons interested in pursuing a specialized area of public administration study:  Health Policy and Administration, Human Resources Management, Public Budgeting and Financial Management, and Public Management. Please visit our website at http://spa.unm.edu or email the Graduate Academic Advisor at spadvise@unm.edu or call (505) 277-9196. 

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

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

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: Graduate 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 credit 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:

 
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 Graduate 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:

Select up to two of the following courses:

 
*must be approved by the SPA Director.

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

Required:

 
*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.

 
Public Management Concentration – 15 hours
See our webpage: http://spa.unm.edu, or contact the School of Public Administration at (505) 277-9196.

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.

Minor

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.