Degree Types

The Public Administration program at Texas Tech University offers a traditional Masters in Public Administration, a Certified Public Manager Certifitcate, as well as dual degrees with an MPA-JD program, MPA-MA in Economics, and an MPA-MS in Environmental Toxicology.

Certified Public Manager Program

For more Information about the CPM Program please see the visit the Center for Public Service web page.

Masters in Public Administration

The MPA degree requires 36 hours or 12 courses of in-class course work. In addition there is a 3-hour internship and a 3-hour capstone practicum. Of these hours, 21 or 7 courses are specified as core curriculum, and must be completed by all students. The remaining 18 hours or 6 courses are electives that are grouped as a combination of courses in a major field of concentration and an area of emphasis. The 3-hour internship course can be waived for in-service students with substantial public service work experience.

Required Core Courses:

All students must take the following courses:
PUAD 5319: Research Methods in Public Administration
PUAD 5320: Program Evaluation and Quantitative Analysis
PUAD 5341: Public Policy Theory and Process
PUAD 5343: Public Personnel Administration
PUAD 5344: Public Budgeting
PUAD 5337: Organization Theory
PUAD 5310: Capstone Practicum in Public Administration

In addition to the required core courses above, students must complete 18 hours of electives in the following concentrations. (For more information click on each track)

Track Concentration Areas:

• Public Management

• Health Care Administration

• Public Policy

• Fiscal Administration

• Nonprofit Management

Dual Degrees

Dual MPA-J.D. Program:

The School of Law and the Graduate School of Texas Tech University offer a joint degree pro-gram that allows students to complete the requirements for the MPA and the Juris Doctor (J.D.) Degrees in less than the 5 years that would be required if the two degrees were pursued sepa-rately. The joint program reduces the total required hours through a reciprocal arrangement by which elective hours taken in one degree program are accepted by the other degree program. The 12 hours of approved public administration courses are counted as elective credit toward the J.D. degree, and 15 hours of law are counted as credit towards the MPA degree. As a result, students in the joint program take 78 hours of law and 27 hours of public administration (which includes 21hours of core courses plus two other courses, preferably the Administrative Law and the Ethics course) to earn both degrees. Students are also required to complete 3 hours of internship. To en-ter the joint program, candidates must apply separately to the School of Law and the Graduate School (see the section on Admission, above) and be accepted by both. The degree is designed so that students complete the first year of law school before taking a mix of PUAD and law school courses. Students may begin a joint degree with PUAD courses, however, if they do not take more than 12 hours prior to matriculating to the law school.

Applications and other admission requirements for the School of Law may be obtained from:
Office of Admissions
School of Law
Texas Tech University
P.O. Box 40004
Lubbock, TX 79409
URL: www.law.ttu.edu/admissions/

This application must be supported by scores on the Law School Aptitude Test (LSAT). On the application for both schools, candidates should indicate their desire to enter the Joint MPA-J.D. Program. The LSAT examination should be taken as early as possible in the senior year for timely consideration of admission applications by both schools. In no case will a student be per-mitted to enter the joint program if the student has not been accepted to the MPA part of the pro-gram by the end of the student’s fourth semester in law school.

Dual MPA- MA in Economics:

The Center for Public Service in the Department of Political Science and the Department of Eco-nomics, both in the College of Arts and Sciences, offer a 54-hour joint degree program leading to the Master of Arts in Public Administration and Master of Arts in Economics. The program is designed primarily for students who wish to complement their administrative and policy skills with a greater knowledge of economics and econometric analysis. The joint MPA-MA in Eco-nomics degree program will be particularly helpful to students intending to specialize in areas such as fiscal administration and policy analysis.
Students wishing to pursue this dual degree program must apply to, and be accepted by, both the Master of Public Administration program in the Department of Political Science and the Depart-ment of Economics. To fulfill the requirements of the dual-degree program, the student must take 21 hours of core courses in public administration, 18 hours in economics, and 12 hours of ap-proved elective courses in public administration, economics, or in a related field, plus 3 hours of internship in public administration for a total of 54 hours.

Dual MPA– MS in Environmental Toxicology:

The Department of Environmental Toxicology and the Department of Political Science, both in the College of Arts and Sciences, offer a three year 61-62 hour dual degree program leading to the Master of Public Administration and a Master of Science in Environmental Toxicology de-gree. This dual degree program is designed primarily for students who wish to complement their expertise in environmental toxicology with training in public management and policy analytic skills. This dual degree program reduces the number of hours required in the program by 12. Students are required to complete the 21 hour core program, take 6 hours of approved electives and complete a 3-hour internship.
Students wishing to pursue the dual degree program must apply and be accepted to both the Pub-lic Administration and the Environmental Toxicology department. See the admission section for requirements into the MPA program.