Curriculum
18 Courses
54 Credits
Program Length:
Capstone Courses (6 credits)
MGT 780 should be taken as late in program as possible. Students must complete 30 credits before taking PAD 890 Capstone course.
Foundation in Public Service Courses (9 credits)
| P.AD-711 | Foundations of Public Service and Administration | 3 |
| P.AD-712 | Information Based Management | 3 |
| P.AD-715 | Quantitative Analysis | 3 |
Managing Public Service Organizations Courses (6 credits)
| P.AD-713 | Managing Financial Resources | 3 |
| P.AD-716 | Public Service Human Resource Management | 3 |
Elective Requirements (12 credits)
Choose 4 P.AD electives.
P.AD core courses are 700-level courses and electives are 800 or 900-level courses. Some electives are only offered every 1.5 - 2 years.
Students who have fewer than 3 years of professional public service management experience are required to take P.AD-859 Internship. This 3-credit course will count as one of your 4 electives. Students who are employed full-time in a related field, but who have not yet met the three-year mark, may request a waiver from this requirement.
Approved MPA Electives
| P.AD-810 | Public Sector Admin Law | 3 |
| P.AD-811 | Politics of Federal Bureaucracy | 3 |
| P.AD-814 | Collaborative Public Management | 3 |
| P.AD-815 | Nonprofit Management | 3 |
| P.AD-817 | Administrative Strategies of State and Local Government | 3 |
| P.AD-819 | Grant Writing and Management | 3 |
| P.AD-822 | Public Management Information Systems | 3 |
| P.AD-823 | The U.S. Health System | 3 |
| P.AD-827 | Financing State & Local Government | 3 |
| P.AD-828 | Public Service Communication | 3 |
| P.AD-831 | Civic Innovation and Citizen Engagement | 3 |
| P.AD-832 | Health Policy | 3 |
| P.AD-838 | Ethics in Public Service | 3 |
| P.AD-839 | Leadership and Decision Making in Action | 3 |
| P.AD-840 | Comparative Public Policy | 3 |
| P.AD-842 | Workplace and Labor Law | 3 |
| P.AD-847 | Nonprofit Financial Management | 3 |
| P.AD-848 | Nonprofit Law and Ethics | 3 |
| P.AD-849 | Revenue Strategies for Nonprofits | 3 |
| P.AD-859 | Public Service Internship | 3 |
| P.AD-862 | Leading Change: State Policy | 3 |
| P.AD-863 | Introduction to Performance Improvement Strategies | 3 |
| P.AD-864 | Performance Measure Capacities | 3 |
| P.AD-865 | Relating Performance to Stakeholders | 3 |
| P.AD-866 | Connecting Measurement to Performance Improvement | 3 |
| P.AD-900 | Special Topics | 3 |
| P.AD-910 | Individual Study in Public Service | 1-6 |
Prerequisite Course (3 credits)
MMOL Core Courses (18 credits)
Course substitution policy applies to MGOB 855 and ISOM 861.
Concentrations
MPA students who wish to declare a concentration have the following options: State and Local Government, Healthcare, Nonprofit Management, or Performance Management. Working with faculty advisors, students can also tailor their elective choices to focus in areas of career choice.
Performance Management Concentration
This concentration focuses on how public sector and non-profit organizations are moving toward new management and performance systems. This concentration will focus on the rationale for performance management and how to apply these various methods of performance management.
Choose 3 courses from the list below (9 credits)
| P.AD-863 | Introduction to Performance Improvement Strategies | 3 |
| P.AD-864 | Performance Measure Capacities | 3 |
| P.AD-865 | Relating Performance to Stakeholders | 3 |
| P.AD-866 | Connecting Measurement to Performance Improvement | 3 |
Healthcare Concentration
Required Course (3 credits)
| HLTH-705 | Health Systems I: Healthcare in the U.S. | 3 |
Choose 2 courses from the list below (6 credits)
| HLTH-807 | Innovation: The Future of Healthcare | 3 |
| HLTH-810 | Quality, Patient Safety, and Patient Experience | 3 |
| HLTH-842 | Global Health | 3 |
State and Local Government Concentration
This concentration prepares states and local government managers and officials to function as effective leaders able to respond to the changing climates of government.
Required Course (3 credits)
| P.AD-817 | Administrative Strategies of State and Local Government | 3 |
Choose 2 courses from the list below (6 credits)
| P.AD-810 | Public Sector Admin Law | 3 |
| P.AD-814 | Collaborative Public Management | 3 |
| P.AD-819 | Grant Writing and Management | 3 |
| P.AD-822 | Public Management Information Systems | 3 |
| P.AD-827 | Financing State & Local Government | 3 |
| P.AD-828 | Public Service Communication | 3 |
| P.AD-831 | Civic Innovation and Citizen Engagement | 3 |
| P.AD-838 | Ethics in Public Service | 3 |
| P.AD-842 | Workplace and Labor Law | 3 |
| P.AD-839 | Leadership and Decision Making in Action | 3 |
Nonprofit Management Concentration
This concentration covers the field of public service with special attention given to the additional intricacies of nonprofit management.
Required Course (3 Credits)
Choose 2 courses from the list below (6 credits)
Course Substitution Policy
To substitute an approved elective for a qualifying MMOL required course, a student must successfully complete equivalent academic coursework at the undergraduate/graduate level in the 7 years prior to MMOL matriculation; earned a grade of “B” or better; and provide official transcripts (with English translations, if applicable). MGT 610 can be substituted with an approved MMOL elective only if prior equivalent graduate coursework had been completed and also meets the above criteria.
MPA required course substitutions may be made at the discretion of the MPA Program Director based on student needs and current skill sets.
All course substitutions are evaluated upon a student's acceptance into the MPA/MMOL Program. All MPA/MMOL students must complete a minimum of 55 credits (18 courses and SBS 700) in the Sawyer Business School.
Transfer Policy
Any candidate seeking transfer credits taken at the graduate level from an AACSB-accredited graduate program in business will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. These credits may be considered for transfer if the credits do not apply to a previously completed degree and must be substituted with an approved elective.
Transfer credits must have an earned grade of "B" or better and be taken within seven (7) years prior to entering the Suffolk MPA/MMOL program. However, at the discretion of the program director, required core courses may not be transferred if the subject material has changed significantly since completion. A maximum of six (6) credits may be considered for transfer.
Students Who Leave Boston Before Their Degree is Complete
Occasionally, Suffolk MPA/MMOL students must leave the Boston area having not yet completed their degree. You may be able to transfer six (6) credits of elective courses from an AACSB-accredited program close to your new place of residence. Courses must be pre-approved by Suffolk's Assistant Dean of Graduate Programs and have a grade of "B" or better.
Transfer Credits from the Moakley Center for Public Management's Certificate Program
Students who have completed a certificate program through the Suffolk University Moakley Center for Public Management may have an opportunity to reduce credit requirements to an SBS graduate degree program (MPA, MBA, MMOL, MSA, MHA, MSBA, or MSM). All course waivers and/or transfers vary by program and are reviewed on a case-by-case basis by the respective SBS Graduate Program Office.
In order for a course to be considered, the following criteria must be met: must have an SBS graduate program course equivalent; received a grade of "B" or better; and successfully completed the certificate prior to enrolling in the SBS graduate degree program.
Applicants must also meet the admission standards for the SBS graduate degree program to which they are applying.