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Public Administration

Program Mission Statement

The Masters of Public Administration program at the University of North Florida is committed to providing graduate professional education in northeast Florida, in the administration and management of public and nonprofit agencies.

Student Learning Outcomes

Graduates will be able:

Knowledge of Literature of Discipline (req)

Lead and manage in public governance

Independent Research/ Professional Practice (req)

Ability to do independent research

Communication (opt)

Analyze, synthesize, think critically, solve problems and make decisions

Critical Thinking (opt)

Analyze, synthesize, think critically, solve problems and make decisions

Prof accreditor specific (opt)

  • Participate in and contribute to the policy process
  • Articulate and apply a public service perspective

Assessment Approaches

The MPA program has adopted three major assessment mechanisms:

  1. A self-assessment of student skills and knowledge, submitted as a pre-test in the introductory course in the program (PAD 6060 Public Administration in Modern Society), as a post-test in the Capstone (PAD 6066), and periodically to alumni. This includes questions regarding problem solving, quantitative analysis, critical thinking, and communication skills (written, oral and listening); as well as awareness/understanding of professional ethics, legal constraints, globalization, and management theory and principles.
  2. A Civics quiz. This is a national survey, allowing comparison of UNF-MPA graduates with a national benchmark, as well as a pre-test / posttest comparison with PAD 6060 students.
  3. A writing exercise. This is applied as a pre-test (PAD 6060) and post-test (PAD 6066), using similar articles in each exercise. Students are assessed on written communication, command of management theory, research ability, and critical thinking, in terms of the ability to develop and present a logical, coherent, balanced argument. As a result of the preparation of this GALC, and th

As a result of the preparation of this GALC, and then our recent national reaccreditation, we have included
* a direct measure of quantitative analysis skills.
* an assessment of our concentrations