Texas Tech University

Degree Types

The Public Administration Program at Texas Tech University offers a traditional Master of Public Administration (MPA), and a  Dual Degree JD/MPA.

Master of Public Administration

The MPA degree requires 39 hours of 12 courses of in-class course work.  Of these hours, 21 hours or 7 courses are specified as core curriculum, and 3 hours is an internship course.  The remaining 12 hours or 4 courses can be electives.  The 3-hour internship can be waived for in-service students with substantial public service work experience.

Required Core Courses:

All students must take the following courses:
PUAD 5340: Public Administration Theory and Practice
PUAD 5319: Research Methods in Public Administration
PUAD 5320: Program Evaluation and Quantitative Analysis
PUAD 5337: Public Organization Theory
PUAD 5344: Public Budgeting
PUAD 5345: Administrative Ethics and Leadership
PUAD 5352: Public Policy Analysis

In addition to the required core courses above, students must complete 12 hours of electives.

PUAD 5347: Internship in Public Administration (unless waived)
     Past Texas Tech MPA students have interned with these organizations:

Dual Degree: Dual MPA-J.D. Program

The School of Law and the Graduate School of Texas Tech University offer a joint degree program 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 separately. 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 12 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 30 hours of public administration to earn both degrees. Students take 18 hours of MPA core courses (6 core courses mentioned above except PUAD 5345 and PUAD 5347) and 12 hours of MPA elective courses. To enter 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: http://www.depts.ttu.edu/law/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 permitted to enter the joint program if the student has not been accepted to the MPA part of the program by the end of the student's fourth semester in law school. 

Professional Training: Certified Public Manager Program

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