M.P.A. Program Specializations
WTAMU’s MPA program is designed to offer flexibility to students regarding their path to obtaining a graduate degree. As a regional, rural serving institution, our faculty and institutional goals are to offer a curriculum that enhances area governance and service by providing a high-level education to those engaging in public service values.
Furthermore, the MPA program is dedicated to addressing issues within rural and local governance and criminal justice with a curriculum that addresses the needs of the student body from the Texas Panhandle and beyond. Our goal is to promote a diverse student population that services students from rural areas, low-income backgrounds, minority groups; students with accessibility needs, and those who are first-generation graduate students to experience a quality and inclusive curriculum and program experience. Faculty and staff are dedicated to assessing approaches for course and program inclusivity and accessibility tools that address the needs for all students to integrate into graduate study and achieve an equitable academic experience.
The program focuses on the needs of government and non-profit administrators and includes a 21-hour (7-course) core in public administration, public policy, public financial administration, ethics, research methods, and statistics. Each student will then select one of the three 9-hour (3 courses) concentrations (detailed below) to focus their study. Students can choose to finish the program with a comprehensive exam and six hours of electives (2 courses) or enroll in six hours (2 courses) to write a master's thesis under the direction of a faculty advisor. For course and program descriptions visit the course page.
Specializations
