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May 07, 2025
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2025-2026 Undergraduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]
Public Administration, B.S.
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 Return to: Academic Departments
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Program Description
Coordinator: Robert Roberts The major in public administration provides students with a general foundation in public policy, public and nonprofit workplaces and their political, legal, and managerial environments. This major prepares students for professional employment and leadership in government and nonprofit organizations. The program consists of a core of courses offering general knowledge essential for understanding and working in the public and nonprofit arenas. This core provides students an appreciation of the political culture and economic environment of public service work, measurement techniques, and a basic understanding of the policy process. The focus areas of the public administration major then seek to give students a foundation in the nature and practice of public policy and public administration by having them examine the complexity of the adoption and implementation of public policy and the tools used to implement public policy and administer public and nonprofit programs. Degree and Major Requirements
| Degree Requirements | Credit Hours |
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| General Education 1 | 41 | | Quantitative requirement 2, 3 | 3 | | Scientific Literacy requirement 2 | 3 | | University electives | 33-34 | Major requirements (listed below)
Total | 39-40
120 |
Footnotes
1 The General Education program contains a set of requirements each student must fulfill. The number of credit hours necessary to fulfill these requirements may vary.
2 In addition to course work taken to fulfill General Education requirements.
3 For this requirement, majors should take a class that satisfies the General Education quantitative reasoning requirement and one 200-level PPA course which are the prerequisites for POSC 295 , a required core course in the major. Core Courses: 17 Credit Hours
Public Policy: 9-10 Credit Hours
Choose three of the following courses: Tools of Public Administration: 9-10 Credit Hours
Choose three of the following courses: Capstone: 4 Credit Hours
Choose one: Footnotes
4 Students may only apply credit from one internship ( PPA 494 , PPA 496 , or PPA 496W , PPA 497 ) toward the major requirements. However, a second internship can count for a minor or the 120 credits needed to graduate. 5 A Washington internship counts as six credits but only four of those credits can count toward the major. Major Requirements Total: 39-40 Credit Hours
Recommended Schedule for Majors
Students entering the major having already completed their General Education requirements should contact their advisor for guidance. Students switching into the major from another degree program should expect to take at least four semesters to complete the major. The following is an example of a four-year course of study for a student seeking a degree: Total: 27-31 Credit Hours
Second Year
- Courses that fulfill the Public Policy requirements
- Courses that fulfill the Tools of Public Administration requirements
- General Education
- Consider declaring a second major or minor (optional)
- Consider five-year MPA program and meet with academic advisor to discuss coursework (optional)
Total: 30-31 Credit Hours
Third Year
- POSC 295. Research Methods in POSC Credits: 4.00
- Courses that fulfill the Public Policy requirements
- Courses that fulfill the Tools of Public Administration requirements
- Students may use an internship course to satisfy coursework in the Tools of Public Administration area. The third year is an ideal time to seek out internship opportunities.
- Continue coursework for second major or minor (optional)
Total: 30-31 Credit Hours
Total: 30-31 Credit Hours
Program Total: 120 Credit Hours
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