2025-2026 Academic Catalog

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Public Administration/Criminal Justice, MPA/MCJ

Program Requirements

  1. Students are required to take 16 courses, or 48 semester hours, to complete the dual degree.
  2. Students without pre-service experience in the government or nonprofit sectors will also be required to take a three-credit internship course, bringing the total number of semester hours to 51.
  3. Students must earn a minimum B- grade in each required course applied to satisfy degree requirements and must maintain a 3.0 cumulative GPA.
  4. No more than six semester hours of Independent Study may be applied toward the degrees.
  5. For more detailed information about course sequencing and requirements, contact your advisor.
Required Core Courses
PUAD 5001Introduction to Public Administration and Public Service3
PUAD 5002Organizational Management and Behavior3
PUAD 5004Economics and Public Finance3
or PUAD 5503 Public Budgeting and Finance
PUAD 5005The Policy Process and Democracy3
PUAD 5006Public Service Leadership and Ethics3
PUAD 5008Evidence-Based Decision-Making3
CRJU 5001Crime and Public Policy3
CRJU 5002Criminological Theory3
CRJU 5005Law & Society3
Required Elective Courses18
Required Course
Research and Analytic Methods
Additional Electives
A combination of additional PUAD electives and CRJU electives must be taken for a total of five courses. 1
Internship3
Internship in Criminal Justice 1
Capstone3
Capstone Seminar
Total Hours51
1

Students who have not had one year of criminal justice experience following the awarding of their bachelor's degree will be required to complete CRJU 6910 Internship in Criminal Justice, and this can be applied as a CRJU elective. Students who have not had at least one year of professional work experience in the public or nonprofit sectors must complete PUAD 6910 Internship, bringing the total number of credits to complete the dual-degree program to 51. One internship is required for students who are not exempt from the internship requirement.