MPA Curriculum
The MPA course requirements are designed to address current and future professional competencies for accomplishment; to establish a sequence of basic required courses; and to maximize student choice and depth in specialized studies. The curriculum requires 40 units for completion (41 for pre-service students). Pre-service students, that is, those who have less than 25 months’ employment experience in a professional level position, are also required to take an internship that includes a one-unit seminar.
For descriptions of the courses below, visit the USC Course Catalogue.
Core Courses
The core courses cluster along two themes: political institutions and organizations and analytics for public administration.
Institutions and Organizations (10 units)
- PPD 540 Fundamentals of Public Administration
Units: 4 - PPD 545 Public and Nonprofit Organizational Behavior
Units: 4 - PPDE 505 Professional Workshop in Public Administration
Units: 2
Analytics (10 units)
- PPD 503 Economics for Public Policy
Units: 4 - PPD 504 Essential Statistics for Public Management
Units: 2 - PPD 541 Public Financial Management and Budgeting
Units: 4 or - PPDE 645 Financial Management of Nonprofit Organizations
Units: 4
Electives (16 units)
Students will pursue 16 units of electives, 8 of which are chosen from a list of courses that extend their competencies in institutional/organizational management and analytic reasoning. They are encouraged to cluster their electives around particular areas of specializations while also maximizing opportunities to obtain graduate certificates. Students who are pursuing a certificate program may petition to substitute certificate-related course(s) for the analytic and/or management elective with approval by the director of the program.
Analytic Elective (4 units)
Students will select one four-unit elective course from the following list:
- PPD 542 Policy and Program Evaluation
Units: 4 - PPD 554 Foundations of Policy Analysis
Units: 4 - PPD 557 Modeling and Operations Research
Units: 4 - PPD 558 Multivariate Statistical Analysis
Units: 4
Management Elective (4 units)
Students will select one four-unit elective course from the following list:
- PPD 672 Collaborative Governance
Units: 4 - PPD 673 Strategic Planning in the Public Sector
Units: 4 - PPD 675 Nonprofit Management and Leadership
Units: 4 - PPDE 648 Performance Management
Units: 4
Specializations
Students may specialize by completing elective units within a substantive subject areas, including:
— Local Government Management
— Nonprofit Management
— Health Management
— Public Financial Management
— International Development Governance & Comparative Administration
— Arts Leadership
Students may also choose electives from multiple subject areas.
Learn more about Specializations and Recommended Courses
Capstone (4 units)
Students complete the capstone which integrates the competencies attained in the core and electives courses as students complete a policy or management analysis for an organizational client.
- PPD 546 Capstone in Public Administration
Units: 4
Internship and Internship Seminar (1 unit)
Pre-service students (those with fewer than 25 months employment in a professional level position) are required to complete at least 300 hours of an internship and an internship seminar (PPD 543). MPA students may enroll in the internship seminar during their first semester. Students are encouraged but not required to complete their internship hours in conjunction with the internship seminar.
Additional Requirements
PPD 540 must be taken in the first semester or within the first 12 units and PPD 546 must be taken in the final semester or the last 12 units of the student’s program.