Public Management (M.P.M)

Indiana University
Master of Public Management

Division of Public and Environmental Affairs
Dr. Brian L. Fife, Graduate Program Director
260-481-6351 ~ www.ipfw.edu/spea ~ Neff Hall 260

The Master of Public Management (M.P.M.) is an interdisciplinary professional program structured around concepts and skills essential to management, policy, and planning activities within governmental, quasi-governmental, and nonprofit organizations. The M.P.M. is a 36-credit-hour program made up of a core and three options for concentration. The core is comprised of six courses (18 credit hours) designed to provide foundation-level knowledge that is applicable to general public management and the groundwork for the concentrations. The three concentrations (criminal justice administration and policy, health systems administration and policy, and public administration and policy) are 12 credit hours. Students focus on an area of concentration that best reflects their career goals and plans. Students must also complete a 3-credit-hour practicum in public affairs. Students with at least one year of full-time management and/or policy experience can apply for an award of 3 credit hours to take the place of this practicum. The remaining 3 credits are to be fulfilled by an elective course approved by the director of graduate studies. The course of study requires completion of: (1) the M.P.M. core; (2) the concentration requirement,(3) the experiential requirement; and (4) sufficient elective credits to total 36 credit hours.

The curriculum of this program, as contained in the core requirements, encompasses a range of skills relevant to managing public agencies. It is based on the academic disciplines but not limited to any one. It is also problem-oriented, bringing multidisciplinary approaches to bear on social, economic, and management issues.

Because public service and management are diverse and changing, effective managers should develop a special set of skills attained through detailed study in a chosen area of concentration. These concentrations span a variety of public management areas. Thus the program provides students with knowledge and skills in the core requirement areas and the concentration areas, as well as a general working knowledge of management.

Transfer Credit

With the approval of the graduate program director, you may transfer up to 9 graduate credit hours of appropriate course work with grades of B or better earned at other accredited institutions. No more than 12 graduate credits completed as a non-degree student will be counted toward the M.P.M. You must complete a minimum of 18 credit hours of Indiana University SPEA courses, in addition to Experiential Option credits, to earn the M.P.M.

Course Waivers

If your undergraduate course work contained material that the division agrees is equivalent to one or more required courses, you may be permitted to waive these courses and substitute elective courses.

Experiential Option

The Experiential Option of the M.P.M. program recognizes the professional capabilities of those with experience in the public or private sector. The student’s experience does not necessarily have to be with a public agency, as management-level experience in the private sector is generally applicable to the public sector.

Experiential Option credit is granted based on experience gained until the end of the semester in which the student completes 18 credit hours. A maximum of 3 credit hours may be granted to students under the Experiential Option. To receive 3 credit hours, a student must have a minimum of one year’s technical administrative or policy work experience with a government or private agency.

Experiential Option Application Process and Policies

• Students are eligible to apply for Experiential Option credit only after they have been admitted to the M.P.M. program. Once accepted into the program, they can apply for Experiential Option credit at any point in their degree program, up to the semester in which they complete 18 credit hours.
• Determination of Experiential Option credit is made separately from decisions about transfer of credit.
• Under no circumstances will the Experiential Option credit and transfer credit total more than 18 of the 36 credit hours required for the M.P.M.
• Students receiving Experiential Option credit should plan the rest of their program carefully, in consultation with the director of graduate studies.
• Students may appeal the initial Experiential Option credit decision by submitting a written request for reconsideration to the director of graduate studies.

Internships and Field Experiences

You must complete an approved internship (SPEA V585) or be awarded Experiential Option credit to earn the M.P.M.

Academic Probation

You will be placed on academic probation if your semester or cumulative graduate GPA falls below 3.0 (B). Provisionally admitted students and those on probation must earn a GPA of 3.0 or better for all graduate work completed within the next 12 credit hours or become subject to dismissal. Only courses with grades of C (2.0) or better are counted for degree requirements; however, grades below C are used in computing the cumulative GPA, even if a course is repeated and a higher grade is earned.