Customize your MPA journey with a Specialized Study concentration
The Master of Public Affairs (MPA) program at the O’Neill School at IU Indianapolis will advance your understanding of public, private, and nonprofit organizations that serve the public interest.
The Specialized Study concentration provides flexibility to create your own plan of study. You will complete the MPA core to learn fundamentals and have the opportunity to customize the remainder of your courses with electives that match your interests and career goals.
The core requirements of the O’Neill MPA prepare you to enter or continue work in public service, no matter your area of focus. Each student must also complete the required number of electives to fulfill the MPA’s 39 credit hours.
O'Neill MPA core (15 credit hours)
All core courses must be complete before taking the capstone course.
Noncalculus survey of concepts in probability, estimation, and hypothesis testing. Applications of contingency table analysis and analysis of variance, regression, and other statistical techniques. Computer processing of data emphasized.
Explanation of law in society and its influence on public sector operations. Examination of some of the central substantive areas of the study of law, including regulatory processes, administrative adjudication, the Administrative Procedures Act, ombudsmen, and citizen rights, among others.
Examination of how the programs of public agencies are proposed, established, operated, and evaluated. Discussion of the role and conduct of research in the program evaluation process. In addition, techniques of effective evaluation and analysis are discussed.
This gateway course will increase the student’s appreciation of the role of the profession in governance across multiple sectors of society within the global context. Students will learn norms associated with effective practice and frame a professional development plan to acquire the leadership skills to support these norms.
Interdisciplinary course designed to expose students to the realities of the policy process through detailed analyses of case studies and projects. Course integrates science, technology, policy, and management.
Management requirement (3 credit hours)
Choose one of the following management courses:
Analysis of concepts, methods, and procedures involved in managing public organizations. Problems of organization, planning, decision making, performance evaluation, and management of human resources are considered. Cases are drawn from a variety of public services found at federal, state, and local levels of government.
An examination of nonprofit organizations and their role in society. Management issues and public policy affecting these organizations are discussed. Primary emphasis is on U.S. organizations, but attention is given to the global nature of the sector.
Finance requirement (3 credit hours)
Choose one of the following finance courses:
This course emphasizes a thorough understanding of the language and key concepts of nonprofit financial management. A working knowledge of the basic analytical tools used in financial decision making for nonprofit organizations will be examined through the use of computer software.
The fiscal role of government in a mixed economy; sources of public revenue and credit; administrative, political, and institutional aspects of the budget and the budgetary process; problems and trends in intergovernmental fiscal relations.
Electives (18 credit hours)
Work with your academic advisor to select which courses will work best for your plan of study.
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