Public Administration MPA

Public Administration Institute
Petrocelli College of Continuing Studies

College at Florham and Metropolitan Campus
Monmouth County Graduate Center in Eatontown, NJ

A part of Petrocelli College of Continuing Studies, the Public Administration Institute offers a curriculum leading to the degrees of Master of Public Administration (M.P.A.), see this page, and Master of Administrative Science (M.A.S.). The Institute is a member of the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration (NASPAA). Part of the University's efforts to meet its public service obligations, the Institute seeks to provide well-trained recruits for public and nonprofit agencies and to improve the skills and credentials of administrators already employed in these organizations.

The curriculum is designed to provide graduates with conceptual, analytic and managerial skills for dealing with a variety of public services administration situations. Experienced administrators should be able to exchange perspectives with each other, apply job knowledge and anticipate the process of coping with ongoing change. Students new to the field will acquire a working knowledge of public management and some of the behavioral and conceptual demands common to public administrators.

In an effort to broaden the educational experience of its students, the Public Administration Institute offers specialized course work at the University's Wroxton College campus in England in such fields as health, emergency management and urban development.

Admission Requirements

The credentials required for admission to the Master of Public Administration degree program as a matriculated student include the following:

  1. A graduate application for admission and nonrefundable application fee.
  2. A bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with a minimum cumulative grade point ratio (GPR) of 2.70. (Applicants with a GPR of less than 2.70 may be admitted as matriculated students on probation.)
  3. Official transcripts from all colleges and universities previously attended.

Applicants who are unable to provide official documents at the time of enrollment may register as nonmatriculated or nondegree students with the approval of a graduate faculty adviser.

Specializations

The Public Administration Institute offers four master's specializations:

  • health services administration
  • Jewish communal service
  • nursing management
  • public management

Health Services Administration

The specialization in health services administration consists of a series of courses that are designed, in combination with the MPA core curriculum, to meet the accreditation standards of the Association of University Programs in Health Administration. Students in the health care management concentration take course work such as:

  1. PADM7731 Introduction to Health Systems and Policy
  2. PADM7732 Health Finance and Control Systems
  3. PADM7734 Managing the Continuum of Care

Jewish Communal Service

The Jewish communal service specialization is offered in cooperation with the Institute of Traditional Judaism of the Union for Traditional Judaism. This specialization provides a practical skills-oriented program of graduate study in the field of administration for the Jewish communal professional. Students in the Jewish communal service specialization take course work such as:

  1. PADM7720 Survey of Jewish Nonprofit Environment: Institutional Life
  2. PADM7750 Jewish Life Cycle and Synagogue Life
  3. PADM7758 Organizational Structure of the American Jewish Community
  4. PADM7756 Jewish Professional Development

Nursing Management

The nursing management specialization is offered in cooperation with the Henry P. Becton School of Nursing and Allied Health. Students who choose this specialization complete all MPA core course requirements and take selected courses in nursing management in the School of Nursing and Allied Health. Interested persons should contact the Public Administration Institute or the School of Nursing and Allied Health for details on this specialization.

Public Management

Students choosing this specialization take 15 credits of course work selected from among a series of specially designated elective courses such as:

  1. PADM7713 Organizational Performance Assessment
  2. PADM7714 Law and Administration
  3. PADM7715 Employee Relations
  4. PADM7716 Delivery of Public Services