Master of Public Administration

This is an archived copy of the 2018-19 Catalog. To access the most recent version of the catalog, please visit http://catalog.norwich.edu/.

Program Director: Rosemarie Pelletier

The Master of Public Administration program is designed for working professionals that seek to become leaders in the field of the administration of public services. The curriculum places a high emphasis on experiential learning with a focus on demonstrating knowledge of the principles and concepts of leadership, implementation of ethical principles in operations, program evaluation, critical analysis of operational practices, policy making and strategic planning, management of groups, workforce development, fostering community relations and identifying stakeholders.

The challenge for the administrator of the public service organization is to find a balance between the needs of society, best practices and the financial constraints of public financing. Only by developing a sense of inquiry, mastering the skills of research of relevant and up-do-date studies and publications and focusing on evidence-based practices will the leader of the public organization achieve organizational success. The Master of Public Administration program requires its students to develop and exhibit superior skills of research, effective communication, excellent integration of relevant concepts and principles appropriate to mission accomplishment and the ability to accomplish operational objectives in an evolving environment of federal and state rules of employment practices, laws of liability, and statutory mandates.

The Master of Public Administration program provides students with the tools to meet these objectives by creating an environment of academic interaction between the students and faculty, all of whom are leaders in the field of public administration. Emphasis is placed on problem-solving, using scenarios that replicate real-world operational and policy-oriented situations. Each student is required to submit a capstone project prior to completion of the program as well as a publishable paper addressing the capstone project.