INDIANA UNIVERSITY SOUTH BEND 2003 - 2005 GRADUATE BULLETIN
School of
Public and Environmental Affairs
Leda McIntyre
Hall, Campus Dean/Program Director
Office: Wiekamp Hall, 2225
Telephone: (574) 237-4803
Internet Address: www.iusb.edu/~spea/
Professor: Hojnacki
Associate Professors: Hall, Herr, Karl, Metzcus, Peat, Singh
Assistant Professors: DeGuzman, Grant, Proctor
Emeritus Faculty: Hamburg
Mission Statement
The mission of the School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Master of Public Affairs program is to prepare leaders and managers to direct people and resources to serve an ever changing community through education in public and community service and health care.
The program seeks to broaden comprehension of the economic, political, and social context in which people work and to provide theoretical knowledge required for administration in a broad range of organizations. Students will learn the critical thinking, problem solving, and communication skills which are essential to be effective managers.
Specific Goals
To prepare leaders, the School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Master of Public Affairs program will:
• Encourage a commitment to independent and life long learning.
• Enhance the ability to communicate through listening, writing, and speaking.
• Develop the ability to use quantitative skills for analytical purposes.
• Instill economic and legal ways of thinking about issues.
• Encourage the development of an ethical consciousness.
• Develop an appreciation for and an ability to use theoretical knowledge about management and public policy.
• Enhance the ability to understand and adapt to the ethical, social, economic, and political context of public policy.
• Prepare graduates to use information technologies for the solving of problems in public affairs.
• Develop expertise in policy and management in one of the concentrations.
Program Director: Herr
Office: Wiekamp Hall, 2221
Telephone: (574) 237-4592
Internet Address: www.iusb.edu/~spea/
Program Objectives
The School of Public and Environmental Affairs (SPEA) offers the Master of Public Affairs (M.P.A.) degree and four graduate-level certificates in public management, urban affairs, health systems management, and nonprofit management. The Master of Public Affairs is an integrated course of study, providing knowledge and experience that can be used by managers and professionals in various roles within public-service oriented organizations. It is a multi-disciplinary program that includes elements of law, economics, political science, quantitative analysis, and sociology in addition to the core management component. All students in the M.P.A. degree program must also select one of two areas of concentration. M.P.A. candidates must be certified as having achieved some on-the-job professional experience prior to graduation.
The M.P.A. program is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration.
Students may be admitted to the M.P.A. program from a variety of educational backgrounds, including social sciences, humanities, and education. There are no undergraduate prerequisites for admission. SPEA at IUSB offers most of its graduate courses during the evening hours. Classes usually meet one evening per week, Monday through Thursday, for two and one-half hours.
Admission
Prospective students must submit an application for admission to:
Director of the M.P.A. Program
School of Public and Environmental Affairs
Indiana University South Bend
1700 Mishawaka Avenue
Post Office Box 7111
South Bend, Indiana 46634-7111
Applications are available from SPEA at IUSB at the above address. Completed applications must include a completed Master of Public Affairs application form with an essay, official transcript(s) of previous college and university work, three letters of reference and, if your undergraduate GPA is less than 2.5 on a 4.0 scale, Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores. An application fee is required of all applicants who have not previously attended Indiana University.
If the applicant has not completed an undergraduate degree at the time of application, a decision will be made on the strength of the student’s work at the time of application. However, a final transcript, showing graduation, must be submitted before formal enrollment.
Information concerning the GRE is available from IUSB’s Career Services Office, or from the SPEA recorder’s office.
Applicants are to request three individuals who are familiar with their academic and managerial potential to complete an application reference form.
Committee on Admission
The Graduate Admission Committee meets three times a year to consider applications for admission. To be considered in the August, December, or April meetings, applicants must have all materials in the SPEA recorder’s office by mid-July, November or March respectively. Applicants will be notified in writing of the admission committee’s decision. The goal of the committee is to select applicants who can successfully complete graduate study and be effective in public affairs work. Toward that end the committee evaluates the applicant’s undergraduate scholastic performance, GRE scores (if necessary), letters of recommendation, and the student’s application statement.
Following notice of admission, an applicant has one calendar year in which to enroll. Supplementary transcripts of any academic work undertaken during this period are required, and the school may request additional letters of recommendation. Should the updated material prove unsatisfactory, the admission may be cancelled. If an applicant fails to enroll within one year, a completely new application is required.
The Accelerated Master’s Program allows students to fulfill some graduate program requirements during the senior year by counting courses toward both the graduate degree requirements and the undergraduate degree requirements. Students who demonstrate academic excellence in the Bachelor of Science in Public Affairs program or other undergraduate programs by maintaining an undergraduate GPA of 3.5 or better may apply for admission to the SPEA accelerated Master of Public Affairs graduate program during their junior year. Enrollment in the program requires the approval of the M.P.A. program director and the student’s undergraduate advisor. The student may not take more than 12 credit hours in the Master of Public Affairs program prior to completing the undergraduate degree. The accelerated master’s program does not entitle students to waive any requirements of the bachelor’s degree they are pursuing.
Students seeking admission to or desiring additional information regarding the SPEA accelerated master’s program may contact the SPEA graduate program director.
Transfer of Credit
Up to 9 credit hours of appropriate graduate course work may be transferred from other universities and applied toward the M.P.A. degree with approval. Credit transfers reduce the Indiana University credit hours that must be earned. Requirement waivers, on the other hand, do not reduce credit hours to be earned but do increase the elective choices available in a student’s program.
Special Students
Nondegree candidates may attend classes offered by the School of Public and Environmental Affairs if they are in good standing in another graduate program. Admission to this special student status permits students to enroll for credit in up to three courses offered by the school and for which they are qualified, provided that they are given permission by the course instructor and by the SPEA graduate program director.
Special student status does not, however, admit a student to any program in SPEA leading to an academic degree, nor does admission to special student status imply that degree status may be granted at a later date. Credits earned in special student status may be transferred to a degree program in the school only after formal admission to a degree program; and provided that such credits are consistent with the requirements established for the program for which the student has applied.
Individuals admitted to special student status may apply for admission to the M.P.A. degree program. In all cases, however, the student must satisfy all requirements which have been established for the degree program.
Provisional Status
Students may be admitted on a provisional basis. This provisional status will be removed upon fulfillment of stipulated conditions. Students admitted on a provisional basis are required to attain a GPA of at least 3.0 for all graduate work completed by the end of the next semester of full-time enrollment or its equivalent (12 credit hours). Failure to do so will be cause for dismissal.
Academic Standing
To remain in good standing and to qualify for graduation, students must maintain a minimum overall GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale in all work taken for graduate credit. Only courses with grades of C or above may be counted toward degree requirements although grades of C– and lower are used in computing the overall GPA. A course in which a C or above is earned can be retaken only on an audit basis. Courses in which a C– or below is received must be retaken. If the student receives a D or better in a course for which an F was originally earned, the higher grade is used in computing the GPA instead of the F. The F grade will remain on the student’s transcript as FX. Students must apply with the SPEA recorder to have an F grade changed to FX.
Petitioning Procedures
If a student wishes to petition the graduate committee relative to such matters as dismissal, requirements, transfers, class load, etc., such requests must be presented in writing to the graduate committee.
Graduation Requirements
It is the responsibility of the student to be certain that graduation or other academic requirements are met. The SPEA recorder will keep a record of the student’s progress and will aid in program planning. The student’s program of study must be approved each semester by a faculty advisor.
Degree Application
Candidates for graduation must file a formal application for a degree prior to the beginning of the semester in which they plan to graduate. The school will not be responsible for students who fail to meet this requirement.
Degree Requirements
The M.P.A. degree requires the completion of 48 credit hours. This credit hour requirement can be reduced by as many as 12 credit hours by applying for SPEA Mid-Career Option credit, which allows previous managerial and professional experience to be counted toward the degree requirement.
The M.P.A. course of study is divided into two distinct parts: the core curriculum (24 credit hours) and an individually selected concentration (18 credit hours). The remaining 6 credit hours are electives and may be taken either in SPEA or in some other graduate program at IUSB. In a graduate program, electives are normally used either to add breadth to a student’s program, add depth to a concentration, or enhance particular skills such as quantitative analysis or a foreign language.
Core Courses
(Courses are 3 cr. hours unless otherwise designated.)
The M.P.A. core is designed to ensure that each student acquires skills and theoretical knowledge required for effective management and an understanding of the policy context within which managers will work. Thus, 24 credit hours are required in analytical areas dealing with computer usage; quantitative, economic, and legal analysis; and in courses dealing with public management.
Required Courses (24 cr.)
SPEA V500 Quantitative Tools for Public Affairs
(1-3 cr.)
SPEA V502 Public Management (1-3 cr.)
SPEA V506 Statistical Analysis for Public Affairs
SPEA V517 Public Management Economics
SPEA V540 Law and Public Affairs (1-3 cr.)
SPEA V560 Public Finance and Budgeting (1-3 cr.)
SPEA V600 Capstone in Public and Environmental
Affairs (1-6 cr.)
SPEA V680 Research Design and Methods in Public
Affairs
Unusually well-prepared applicants may petition the graduate committee to waive one or more of the core requirements based on advanced work done elsewhere. Students may be exempted based on satisfactory equivalent course work or by an examination administered by professors in the core fields. Credit hours waived from the core will add to the electives hours a student may take within his or her course of study.
Fields of
Concentration
The M.P.A. program at IUSB offers two concentrations: health systems administration and policy, and public and community services administration and policy. Concentrations are designed to give the student a focused educational experience in a substantive area of interest.
The student chooses a concentration and the course of study in the concentration area in consultation with the graduate program director. Courses offered both within SPEA and in other academic programs of the university are utilized. All concentrations require at least 18 credit hours of course work. Up to 6 credit hours in concentrations may be taken in SPEA V585 Practicum in Public Affairs, if the field experience is relevant to the policy concentration and approved in advance by the program director. Concentration requirements may be waived on the same basis as core requirements.
Health Systems
Administration and Policy Concentration
The Health Systems Administration and Policy Concentration is for professionals already working in health care organizations, as well as for students planning health care careers. This concentration affords students the opportunity to study policies, issues, and programs related to the health care field.
Required Courses (18 cr.)
(Courses are 3 cr. hours unless otherwise designated.)
Six of the following:
SPEA H501 Introduction to Health and Medical Care
Organization
SPEA H509 Health Services Financial Management I
SPEA H514 Health Economics
SPEA H516 Health Services Delivery and the Law
SPEA H517 Managerial Epidemiology
SPEA H521 Management Sciences for Health
Services Administration
SPEA H604 Ambulatory Care and Managed Care
Programs
SPEA V631 Health Planning
Choose One:
SPEA H506 Health Services Human Resources
Management
SPEA V561 Public Personnel Management (1-3 cr.)
Choose One:
SPEA H507 Management of Individual and Group
Behavior
SPEA V504 Public Organization
Public and
Community Services Administration and Policy Concentration
The Public and Community Service Administration and Policy Concentration is for individuals already employed in government or private not-for-profit organizations, as well as for students planning for such careers. Elective courses enable students to develop career related specializations.
Required Courses (18 cr.)
(Courses are 3 cr. hours unless otherwise designated.)
SPEA V512 Public Policy Process
SPEA V542 Government Financial Accounting and
Reporting
SPEA V595 Managerial Decision Making
Two of the following:
SPEA V504 Public Organization
SPEA V561 Public Personnel Management (1-3 cr.)
SPEA V569 Managing Interpersonal Relations
SPEA V570 Public Sector Labor Relations (1-3 cr.)
One of the following:
SPEA V518 Intergovernmental Systems
Management (1-3 cr.)
SPEA V525 Management in the Nonprofit Sector
SPEA V562 Public Program Evaluation (1-3 cr.)
SPEA V563 The Planning Process (1-3 cr.)
Certificate
Programs
The certificate program is a flexible program designed for people who want a short course in management at the graduate level, as in the following examples:
• Those people in public and community or health care organizations or agencies who wish to supplement their primary fields of professional or technical competence.
• People who are changing from professional or technical roles to managerial roles in their organizations.
• Career employees of public and community agencies or health care organizations who are interested in studying a sequence of core courses in public or health care management.
• Students who wish to explore the field of public or health care management before committing themselves to an extended-degree program.
• Students in other graduate programs who may be able to use elective course opportunities toward completion of a certificate.
Admission and
Completion Requirements for Certificate Program
• Minimum of a bachelor’s degree with a 2.5 GPA.
• Application to the SPEA graduate program director.
• Completion of five program courses with a GPA of at least 3.0.
Program Status
Acceptance into the Public Management Certificate program or into the Urban Affairs Certificate program implies a more formalized special student status. Although such program acceptance does not guarantee subsequent admission to the regular graduate program, it does provide students with a performance record which is evaluated by the admission committee. Although no course requirements can be met by either course transfer or by course substitution, certificate program courses that have been successfully completed are transferable to the M.P.A. degree program.
Certificate
Program Requirements
(Courses are 3 cr. hours unless otherwise designated.)
Public Management Certificate (15 cr.)
SPEA V502 Public Management (1-3 cr.)
SPEA V560 Public Finance and Budgeting (1-3 cr.)
SPEA V561 Public Personnel Management (1-3 cr.)
Two additional SPEA graduate public affairs courses
One of the following:
SPEA V504 Public Organization
SPEA V540 Law and Public Affairs (1-3 cr.)
SPEA V562 Public Program Evaluation (1-3 cr.)
SPEA V563 The Planning Process (1-3 cr.)
SPEA V595 Managerial Decision Making
SPEA V665 Seminar in Policy and Administration
Students interested in continuing on for the Master of Public Affairs degree should consider selecting two elective courses from the M.P.A. core; one of these courses should be SPEA V500 Quantitative Tools for Public Affairs.
Urban Affairs Certificate (18 cr.)
GEOG G314 Urban Geography
HIST A347 American Urban History
SPEA V564 Urban Management
Three additional courses (9 cr.)
Health Systems Management Certificate (15 cr.)
SPEA H501 Introduction to Health and Medical Care
Organization
SPEA H509 Health Services Financial Management I
SPEA H517 Managerial Epidemiology
SPEA H604 Ambulatory Care and Managed Care
Programs
One of the following:
SPEA H503 Health Systems Organization and
Management
SPEA V631 Health Planning
Although admission to this program does not guarantee subsequent admission to the M.P.A. program, eligible students may apply simultaneously for both programs. With admission to the M.P.A. program, all five courses of the Public Management Certificate program are transferable to the M.P.A. program.
Nonprofit Management Certificate (15 cr.)
The Certificate in Nonprofit Management program is a program of study designed to serve individuals who would like exposure to the nonprofit sector and nonprofit management issues but who do not wish or need to pursue a degree in nonprofit management. The certificate complements other courses of study or career experience in such areas as social work, library science, and parks and recreation. Students pursuing a nonprofit management certificate gain an understanding of how to work in and with nonprofit organizations.
Required Courses (9 cr.)
SPEA V522 Human Resource Management in
Nonprofit Organizations
SPEA V525 Management in the Nonprofit Sector
SPEA V526 Financial Management for Nonprofit
Organizations
Electives (6 cr.)
Two additional SPEA graduate courses
Up to 6 credit hours of practicum credit may be awarded to a student engaged in approved professional work experience. The experiential requirement can be met either through the SPEA practicum program, the Mid-Career Option plan, or an approved research project. The School of Public and Environmental Affairs sponsors and, when possible, organizes both on-campus and off-campus professional learning experiences for credit. Up to 6 credit hours of practicum credit may be awarded for relevant professional work experience. All practicum credit must be approved in advance by the graduate program director. Students wishing to make arrangements for practicum credit should contact their faculty advisor.
The purpose of the Mid-Career Option plan of the
M.P.A. program is to recognize previously accumulated, relevant training, or
experience by having the 48 credit hour degree requirement reduced by as many
as 12 credit hours.
Students wishing to take advantage of the Mid-Career Option plan should complete the mid-career application after completing 9 credit hours of course work but before going beyond 24 credit hours. A determination of eligibility for the Mid-Career Option is made by the graduate committee. Students granted the Mid-Career Option for more than 6 credit hours may not take SPEA V585 Practicum in Public Affairs for credit. Decisions about the Mid-Career Option are made separately from decisions about transfer of credit.
