Political Science or Public Administration (Archived 2016-17 Graduate Catalog)

Chair: Neil Englehart
Graduate Coordinator: Shannon Orr
124 Williams Hall
Phone: 419-372-2921
Program Web Page: https://www.bgsu.edu/mpa

Degrees Offered
Master of Public Administration; Master of Arts (Dual Degree)

Program Offered
The Department of Political Science offers programs leading to the degrees of Master of Public Administration and the dual Master of Arts in Political Science and German. The main goal of the master’s program in Public Administration is to provide professional education to students who wish to prepare themselves for administrative careers and leadership positions in government. In accordance with recognized professional standards, the program:

1. prepares students for professional and leadership careers in public service;
2. offers an opportunity to in- and mid- career personnel for additional training and career development; and
3. provides foundations for careers in teaching, consultation, and other professions requiring advanced knowledge of public administration.

The dual Master of Arts in Political Science and German Program prepares a limited number of students for careers in some phase of international politics, education, or commerce in which fluency in the German language is essential. For German language requirements consult the graduate coordinator, Department of German, Russian, and East Asian Languages.

Accreditation
The Bowling Green State University Master of Public Administration is nationally accredited by the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs and Administration (NASPAA).

Prerequisites to Graduate Work
Applicants must possess a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution. In cases where an applicant is deficient in background, the appropriate graduate coordinator will recommend additional course work.

Admission Procedure
Applicants seeking admission to graduate programs in political science should follow the instructions in the Graduate Admission section of this catalog. Please note the GMAT or GRE are accepted for admission to the Master in Public Administration.

Degree Requirements

Master of Public Administration
The M.P.A. program consists of four educational components:

Candidates must complete a total of 36 semester hours of graduate credit, which includes 33 hours of course work. The remaining three hours include completing either a written thesis or an internship and capstone experience. Mid- and in career students have the opportunity to be waived from the internship component.

The 15-hour core curriculum requirement is met by completing POLS 6210, Administrative Theory and Behavior, POLS 6750, Research Methods, POLS 6260 Personnel Management, POLS 6280 Budgeting, POLS 6200 Public Policy. In addition a minimum of 9 credit hours of 6000-level courses must be chosen from the Political Science Department. The other 9 credit hours of public administration coursework may be taken from outside the department.

Students with specialized interests may create a specialization in consultation with the Graduate Coordinator.

Students also take 6 hours of electives. In addition, all students must receive at least a “B” grade in all core classes before undertaking a thesis or capstone.

In addition to these program requirements, all graduates must meet the general degree requirements set by the Graduate College.

Master of Arts (Dual Degree)
Students pursuing a dual Master of Arts in Political Science and German must complete a minimum 54 credit hours (27 in Political Science and 27 in German). For more information on the German component consult the graduate coordinator, Department of German, Russian, and East Asian Languages. The Political Science component consists of 18 hours in the core, six hours of electives and either three hours of thesis or three hours from an internship with an experiential paper and comprehensive exams.

The 18-hour core curriculum requirement is met by completing POLS 6510, Seminar in Comparative Government; POLS 6710, Seminar in International Relations; and POLS 6750, Research Methods. In addition to these three core courses, students are required to choose at least three of the following six core courses:  

1. POLS 6800. Seminar in Political Science;
2. POLS 5210. Bureaucratic Politics;
3. POLS 5750. International Organization;
4. POLS 5760. Politics of International Economic Relations;
5. POLS 5780. International Conflict;
6. POLS 5790. Conflict Resolution;

In addition, all students must receive a “B” grade in all core classes before undertaking a thesis or comprehensive exam. The thesis, experiential paper, and comprehensive exam must be drawn from both Political Science and German.

In addition to these program requirements, all graduates must meet the general degree requirements set by the Graduate College.

Graduate Courses
Please access graduate courses online at http://www.bgsu.edu/registration-records/courses-and-classes/class-course-information.html. Graduate courses offered by the Department of Political Science use the prefix: POLS.