BA in Public Administration and Policy
Degree Program Description
The BA in Public Administration and Policy within the Truman School of Government and Public Affairs is an on-campus, online, or hybrid program. The degree will prepare students to think critically about problems facing public and nonprofit institutions, to develop and implement solutions to these problems, and to communicate effectively as future public servants. The curriculum melds the study of public administration, public policy, and communication to prepare students for careers in professional public service.
Major Program Requirements
Students will need to complete 120 credit hours consisting of College of Arts and Science requirements, University of Missouri general education requirements, University graduation requirements, and the program requirements listed below to confer the degree.
- A grade of C- or higher is required in all major courses.
- A 3000-level or higher Writing Intensive course within the major is required*.
- The major capstone requirement will be met upon successful completion of a 4000-level core course (PUB_AF 4420, POL_SC 4320, or 4000-level COMMUN core course).
| Major Core Curriculum | 15 | |
| PUB_AF 1000 | Principles of Public Policy Administration | 3 |
| PUB_AF 4420 | Program Assessment and Improvement | 3 |
| POL_SC 4320 | Public Policy | 3 |
| Communication Core Courses (6 credit hours from the following courses)) | 6 | |
| Organizational Advocacy | ||
| Argument and Advocacy | ||
| Political Communication | ||
| Organizational Communication | ||
| Communication Competencies for a Diverse Workplace | ||
| Major Elective Courses (15 credit hours minimum; at least 9 credit hours must be PUB_AF courses) ^ | 15 | |
| Any PUB_AF 3000-level or higher (9 credit hours minimum) | 9 | |
| Topics in Public Affairs | ||
| Early Childhood Policy | ||
| Regional and Economic Development Policy | ||
| Local Government Management | ||
| Social Entrepreneurship | ||
| The Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector | ||
| BL_STU 4303 | Black Studies in Race, Class, Gender, and U.S. Policy | 3 |
| COMMUN 3580 | Crisis Communication | 3 |
| COMMUN 4530 | Health Communication | 3 |
| ECONOM 3367 | Law and Economics | 3 |
| ECONOM 4315 | Public Economics | 3 |
| ECONOM 4345 | Economics of Education | 3 |
| ECONOM 4357 | Health Economics | 3 |
| GEOG 2289 | Towns in Missouri and the Midwest: Voices and Inequalities | 3 |
| GEOG 4790 | Geographic Information Systems for the Social Sciences | 3 |
| POL_SC 4140 | Congress and Legislative Policy | 3 |
| POL_SC 4370 | Law, Policy, and Regulation | 3 |
| POL_SC 4390 | United States Health Politics and Policy | 3 |
| POL_SC 4940 | Political Science Internship (Maximum of 3 credit hours allowed) | 3 |
| SOCIOL 3230 | Education and Social Inequalities | 3 |
| SOCIOL 3330 | Environmental Justice | 3 |
| SRV_LRN 3028 | Civic Leaders Internship (Maximum of 3 credit hours allowed) | 3 |
| WGST 3260 | Gender, Law and Justice | 3 |
- *
The major Writing Intensive (WI) requirement may be fulfilled by a major core WI course, an approved major elective WI course, or as approved by the department.
- ^
Major Elective Coursework (at least 9 credit hours must be from Public Affairs):
Students select elective coursework that fulfills their career goals. The list above is not exhaustive; contact your advisor if you have questions about approved major electives.
Accelerated BA to MPA in Public Affairs
An accelerated program provides students the opportunity to earn both a Bachelors and Masters degree within five years, rather than six years if pursued consecutively. Many students approach their final year of undergraduate coursework well prepared for graduate study. This accelerated program allows students to complete several courses toward the MPA in Public Affairs program during their final undergraduate semesters. Students then complete the requirements for the MPA with one additional year of coursework.
Total credits required for graduation must be at least 141 total credit hours:
- Total undergraduate credit hours: 105
- Total dual enrollment credit hours: 15 (taken at graduate level)
- Total graduate credit hours: 21
| Fourth Year (Dual Enrollment) | 15 | |
| PUB_AF 8110 | Introduction to Public and Nonprofit Management | 3 |
| PUB_AF 8170 | Public Policy Processes and Strategies | 3 |
| PUB_AF 8180 | Research Methods and Inquiry in Public Affairs I | 3 |
| Graduate Electives | 6 | |
| Fifth Year (as Graduate Student) | 21 | |
| PUB_AF 8181 | Research Methods and Inquiry in Public Affairs II | 3 |
| PUB_AF 8280 | Public Affairs Internship | 3 |
| PUB_AF 8210 | Public Service and Democracy | 3 |
| PUB_AF 8211 | MPA Capstone (Applied Project) | 3 |
| Graduate Electives | 6 | |
| Elective and Specialization Courses | 15 | |
| Public and Nonprofit Management Courses | ||
| PUB_AF 7340 | Regional and Economic Development Policy | 3 |
| PUB_AF 7540 | Local Government Management | 3 |
| PUB_AF 7710 | The Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector | 3 |
| PUB_AF 8150 | Collaborative Governance | 3 |
| PUB_AF 8160 | Organizational Dynamics and Leadership | 3 |
| PUB_AF 8510 | Public Budgeting and Taxation | 3 |
| PUB_AF 8520 | Human Resources Management and Development in Public and Nonprofit Sector | 3 |
| PUB_AF 8530 | Strategic Management of Public Service Organizations: People, Information and Money | 3 |
| PUB_AF 8720 | Budgeting and Financial Management in the Nonprofit Sector | 3 |
| Public Policy Courses | ||
| PUB_AF 7175 | Early Childhood Policy | 3 |
| PUB_AF 7340 | Regional and Economic Development Policy | 3 |
| PUB_AF 8171 | Environmental Policy | 3 |
| PUB_AF 8190 | Economic Analysis for Public Affairs | 3 |
| PUB_AF 8420 | Public Program Evaluation | 3 |
| PUB_AF 8430 | Public Policy Analysis | 3 |
Semester Plan
| First Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| PUB_AF 1000 | 3 | MATH 1050, 1100, or STAT 1200 | 3 |
| POL_SC 1100 | 3 | Second language I | 4-6 |
| ENGLSH 1000 | 3 | Humanities 2000+ | 3 |
| Humanities | 3 | Social Science (outside of major) | 3 |
| Behavioral Science | 3 | Elective - A&S Diversity | 3 |
| 15 | 16-18 | ||
| Second Year | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| Major Elective | 3 | Major Elective | 3 |
| Second language II | 4-6 | Second language III (if needed) | 3-4 |
| Biological/Physical/Mathematical Science | 3 | Behavioral Science 2000+ | 3 |
| Social Science 2000+ (outside of major) | 3 | Humanities | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | Elective Writing Intensive | 3 |
| 16-18 | 15-16 | ||
| Third Year | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| POL_SC 4320 | 3 | PUB_AF 4420 | 3 |
| Biological/Physical Science with Lab | 2-5 | Communication Core Course | 3 |
| Humanities | 3 | Biological/Physical/Mathematical Science | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| 14-17 | 15 | ||
| Fourth Year | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| Major Elective 3000+ Writing Intensive | 3 | Major Elective | 3 |
| Communication Core Course | 3 | Major Elective | 3 |
| Elective 3000+ | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Total Credits: 121-129 | |||
Degree Audit
The degree audit is an automated report reflecting a student’s academic progress toward the completion of a degree.
MU students can request a degree audit by logging in to myDegreePlanner. Students may also access myDegreePlanner via myZou, in the Student Center, click on the Academic Progress Tile, then select Request Degree Audit. The audit automatically pulls in the student’s MU course work, transfer courses and courses in progress. This is available to current students, admitted students, and those who last attended less than three terms ago.
Past MU students can request a degree audit by contacting the Academic Advising Unit of the division in which they were last enrolled at MU. For contact information, go to https://advising.missouri.edu/contact/.
Prospective students, can access a preliminary MU degree audit via https://www.transferology.com. Information on the college credits already earned will have to be manually entered before it can be evaluated against current degree requirements.
For additional details on degree audits, go to https://registrar.missouri.edu/degrees-audits/degree-audits/.
Major and Career Exploration
The University of Missouri has many resources to assist you in exploring majors and career possibilities. For guidance, visit the Majors and Careers website or view specific resources below.
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If you are considering a change of major or are exploring multiple majors, schedule an appointment with an advisor in the Discovery Center by calling (573)884-9700 or through MU Connect Discovery Center service in you success network.
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If you have decided on a major, visit an academic advisor in the School or College that you are interested in to discuss the process of declaring the major.
- If you would like to learn more about your career interests, abilities, values and talents, visit the MU Career Center. No Appointment is necessary to explore career options with one of our staff members.
- If you would like information about MU majors and degree programs, visit:
- the Degrees, Majors (Degree Programs), Emphasis Areas, Minors and Certificates page in the catalog,
- the MU Majors website.
For additional major and career exploration resources, visit Major & Career Exploration in the catalog.