Thank you for your interest in attending the University of North Florida. See below for graduate opportunities.

MPA PROGRAM:

The MPA is a nationally-accredited degree program intended to prepare students for successful careers as managers in the public and nonprofit sectors. The curriculum is designed to enable the student to understand the scope and activity of governance in modern society and to administer public programs effectively. For the student who already has significant governmental experience, the program provides opportunities to gain new skills and obtain an enlarged perspective on the responsibilities and obligations of public sector management. While public administration is generally associated with a political science background, students from any discipline who are interested in public or nonprofit careers, or who are currently employed in the public or nonprofit sectors, are encouraged to apply to the program.

Applicants must meet the general graduate admission requirements of the University. The MPA program requires:

Completion of a Bachelor’s Degree at an accredited institution.

An undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher on the last sixty hours of undergraduate course work.

Sufficiently high scores on the required GRE to engender confidence that a student can meet the academic requirements of a graduate program. In general, a combined score of 1000 on the verbal and quantitative sections of the GRE are adequate for this requirement.

Students not meeting this minimum standard may be admitted provisionally upon the approval of the MPA steering committee. The MPA program requires that each candidate must have completed, with a grade of C or better, at least one undergraduate course in American government or the American political system prior to admission to the program.

As part of the admissions process each applicant is required to submit two letters of recommendation. These letters should be submitted to The Graduate School, University of North Florida, 1 UNF Drive, Jacksonville, FL 32224-2665. Applicants must also complete an admissions interview with the MPA Director. This interview should be scheduled prior to the semester in which the applicant intends to begin course work.

Please refer to the University of North Florida Graduate Catalog for a complete description of MPA program requirements. For further information on admission to the program, interested persons should contact the MPA director or the departmental chairperson in the Department of Political Science and Public Administration.

NONPROFIT MANAGEMENT DESCRIPTION:

The MPA program is pleased to announce the Nonprofit Management Certificate program and an MPA concentration in nonprofit management. The Certificate program provides an opportunity for non-MPA students to gain the advantages of graduate training in the rapidly-growing field of nonprofit management. Current and future MPA students are able to take the same courses as a program concentration, and earn the nonprofit management certificate by doing so.

Required courses in the concentration/certificate program are PAD 6934, Management of Nonprofit Organizations, PAD 6335, Strategic Planning for Public and Nonprofit Organizations and PAD 6208, Nonprofit Financial Management. The fourth course of the required 12 hours can be taken from a variety designated courses in the MPA program or from other UNF departments or colleges. Contact Dr. Plumlee for more information.

Please click here for more information.

© 2009 University of North Florida. All rights Reserved. University of North Florida