Dr. Gloria J. Billingsley, Professor and Interim Chair
101 West Capitol Street, Jackson, MS 39201
(601) 979-8784
Webpage:  https://www.jsums.edu/publicpolicy/#

Faculty

Dr. G. Billingsley, Professor, 
Dr. J. Gilleylen, Sr., Associate Professor
Dr. B. Odunsi, Professor
Dr. C. Robinson, Associate Professor
Dr. J. Ko, Associate Professor
Dr. A. Hines, Associate Professor
Dr. Ester Stokes, Assistant Professor

This program offers a Master of Public Policy and Administration (MPPA) degree and a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Public Administration. The Program of Public Policy and Administration seeks to prepare students for significant professional managerial and leadership positions.  The curriculum is designed to equip students with the skills of contemporary public management, provide a broad understanding of the role of administration in the decision-making process, and provide a sound foundation in ethics.  

Accreditation

The Department of Public Policy and Administration programs are accredited and rostered by the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs and Administration (NASPAA).

Educational Philosophy

The effort to allocate resources and the administration of the allocation of resources is as old as the history of humankind residing communally. However, the academic discipline of American Public Administration is a comparatively new discipline, tracing its beginning to the late 1800s.  From that time to the present, the discipline of Public Administration has been linked, perhaps more than many others, to the ideological foundations of the American intergovernmental system.  The major focus of any public administration program of quality has been on the administration of resources with equity.  Indeed, the public servant then becomes the noblest of all professions, practicing the noblest art.  The nobility of public service, the underpinnings of equity, and the allocation of resources with equity are the ethos that drives the philosophy of learning in the Public Policy and Administration Programs at Jackson State.  It is this philosophy that we seek to engender in the P.P.A. student. The Program of Public Policy and Administration is the principal historical unit at Jackson State University which educates persons primarily for careers in public management and policy analysis and for service in public, non-profit, and "quasi" public organizations.  Concomitantly, it is also the mission of the Program of Public Policy and Administration to serve as a resource to the Jackson State University community, the Jackson metropolitan area, the State of Mississippi, the nation, and developing areas throughout the world.

The Master of Public Policy and Administration Degree (MPPA)

The MPPA program seeks to prepare students for significant professional and managerial positions in the public and non-profit sectors. The curriculum is designed to equip students with the necessary skills of contemporary public management, provide a broad understanding of the role of administration in the policy process, and provide a sound foundation in ethics. Thus, our MPPA program seeks to:

1. Provide a cadre of highly trained individuals who are committed to the notion of public service in a variety of organizational settings;
2. Develop advanced educational opportunities for students of public administration in an urban environment where a multiplicity of governmental opportunities, interactions, and practices can be observed;
3. Fill the need for public, quasi-governmental, and non-profit high-level executive management which exists in the State of Mississippi, the nation, and the world, particularly as this need relates to minorities and women; and
4. Serve as a resource to the greater community.

Program Objective

The Master of Public Policy and Administration degree is designed to prepare students for significant professional and managerial positions, primarily in public agencies, governmental departments, non-profit, and other administrative entities.

Admission Requirements

Students wishing to enter the program must have a B.A. or B.S. from an accredited college or university. Students must have a 3.0 cumulative G.P.A. for unconditional admission. Program applicants should submit three letters of recommendation (at least two academic references), academic transcripts, career goals statement, and a university application. The department may require an oral and/or written interview.

Alternative Admission Track

The Department of Public Policy and Administration program has developed an "alternative admission track" for the MPPA degree program for students who do not meet the general admission requirement. The track establishes other criteria for gaining entry into the program.

1. The applicant must have graduated at least three years prior to admission.
2. The applicant must have a full-time employment history of at least three years.
3. The applicant must provide a rationale in writing, as a part of the career goals essay, which demonstrates to the Admission Committee that the applicant’s prior history in academia is not indicative of their graduate potential.
4. The applicant must enroll in nine hours of MPPA core/concentration courses, three enhancement hours, and obtain a 3.00 G.P.A. in the first semester of enrollment.
5. The applicant must attend a personal interview if requested by the Admission Committee.

Program Curriculum

Students must maintain an overall 3.0 G.P.A. (4.0 scale) in PPAD courses and complete the following in order to earn the Master of Public Policy and Administration degree:

Thesis Option: 39 Hours

1. Complete 18 hours of required courses.
2. Complete 12 hours of coursework in one of eight areas of general public administration
3. Take at least one (1) three-(3) hour course elective.
4. Complete 3-6 hours of internship or additional coursework if the student is in-service.
5. Take and pass a comprehensive examination.
   (Given Spring and Fall only)
6. Write and defend a thesis orally (3-6 hours).

Non-Thesis Option: 45 Hours

1. Complete 18 hours of required courses.
2. Complete 12 hours of coursework in one of eight (8) specialized areas of general public administration.
3. Take at least one (1) three-(3) hour course elective.
4. Complete six (6) hours of internship or additional coursework if in services.
5. Take and pass a comprehensive examination.
   (Given Spring and Fall only)
6. Take six (6) additional hours (3 hours in a skill-based or research methods course and 3 hours in the area of specialization).

Specializations

Students have the opportunity to pursue the following program specializations:

• Public Finance Administration
• Health Care Administration
• Community and Economic Development
• Judicial Administration
• Human Resource Management
• General Management
• State and Local Government
• Environmental Management, Planning & Policy

Students who enter the program without understanding the American Intergovernmental System, Research Methodology or Computer Applications to Management will have to take compensatory coursework that may not count towards the degree.

Only students admitted to a degree program may enroll in the Core Courses without prior approval.

For additional information and requirements, please see the MPPA Policy and Procedures Manual.

Curriculum Plans

1. General Management: Thesis Option
   Full-Time Plan: Two Years with Summer

   Plan of Study Grid

   First Year
   Fall		Hours
   PPAD 505	PRIN OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION	3
   PPAD 551	PUBLIC POLICY	3
   PPAD 596	RESEARCH FOR PUBLIC MANAGEMENT	3
   	Hours	9
   Spring
   PPAD 548	PUBLIC PERSONNEL ADMINST	3
   PPAD 549	PUBLIC FINANCE ADMINSTRA	3
   Concentration Course		3
   	Hours	9
   Summer
   Concentration Course		3
   	Hours	3
   Second Year
   Fall
   PPAD 576	THEORIES OF ADMINISTRATION	3
   Concentration Course		3
   Concentration, Internship or Elective		3
   	Hours	9
   Spring
   PPAD 598	THESIS	3
   Concentration, Internship, or Elective		3
   	Hours	6
   	Total Hours	36

2. General Management: Non-Thesis Option
   Full Time Plan: Two Years with Summers

   Plan of Study Grid

   First Year
   Fall		Hours
   PPAD 505	PRIN OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION	3
   PPAD 551	PUBLIC POLICY	3
   PPAD 596	RESEARCH FOR PUBLIC MANAGEMENT	3
   	Hours	9
   Spring
   PPAD 548	PUBLIC PERSONNEL ADMINST	3
   PPAD 549	PUBLIC FINANCE ADMINSTRA	3
   Concentration Course		3
   	Hours	9
   Summer
   PPAD 707	MNGT OF INFORMATION SYSTEMS	3
   Concentration, Internship or Elective		3
   	Hours	6
   Second Year
   Fall
   PPAD 549	PUBLIC FINANCE ADMINSTRA	3
   PPAD 576	THEORIES OF ADMINISTRATION	3
   Concentration, Internship or Elective		3
   	Hours	9
   Spring
   PPAD 597	INTERNSHIP	3
   Advanced Concentration Elective		3
   Concentration or Elective		3
   	Hours	9
   Summer
   Concentration, Internship or Elective		3
   	Hours	3
   	Total Hours	45

3. General Management: Thesis Option
   Part Time Plan: Three Years with Summers

   Plan of Study Grid

   First Year
   Fall		Hours
   PPAD 505	PRIN OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION	3
   PPAD 596	RESEARCH FOR PUBLIC MANAGEMENT	3
   	Hours	6
   Spring
   PPAD 548	PUBLIC PERSONNEL ADMINST	3
   PPAD 551	PUBLIC POLICY	3
   	Hours	6
   Summer
   PPAD 597	INTERNSHIP	3
   Concentration Course		3
   	Hours	6
   Second Year
   Fall
   PPAD 549	PUBLIC FINANCE ADMINSTRA	3
   PPAD 576	THEORIES OF ADMINISTRATION	3
   	Hours	6
   Spring
   Concentration
   PPAD 509	SEM IN EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP	3
   Concentration Course		3
   	Hours	6
   Summer
   PPAD 521	BLACK PERSPECTV & PUBL ADM SYS	3
   	Hours	3
   Third Year
   Fall
   PPAD 549	PUBLIC FINANCE ADMINSTRA	3
   	Hours	3
   Spring
   PPAD 549	PUBLIC FINANCE ADMINSTRA	3
   	Hours	3
   	Total Hours	39

4. General Management: Non-Thesis Option
   Part-Time Plan: Three Years with Summers

   Plan of Study Grid

   First Year
   Fall		Hours
   PPAD 505	PRIN OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION	3
   PPAD 596	RESEARCH FOR PUBLIC MANAGEMENT	3
   	Hours	6
   Spring
   PPAD 548	PUBLIC PERSONNEL ADMINST	3
   PPAD 551	PUBLIC POLICY	3
   	Hours	6
   Summer
   Concentration
   PPAD 525	URBAN POLITICS	3
   PPAD 597	INTERNSHIP	3
   	Hours	6
   Second Year
   Fall
   PPAD 549	PUBLIC FINANCE ADMINSTRA	3
   PPAD 576	THEORIES OF ADMINISTRATION	3
   	Hours	6
   Spring
   PPAD 509	SEM IN EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP	3
   PPAD 770	ADMIN OF NON-PROFIT ORGANIZA	3
   	Hours	6
   Summer
   Elective		3
   	Hours	3
   Third Year
   Fall
   PPAD 521	BLACK PERSPECTV & PUBL ADM SYS	3
   PPAD 597	INTERNSHIP	3
   	Hours	6
   Spring
   PPAD 707	MNGT OF INFORMATION SYSTEMS	3
   Advanced Elective		3
   	Hours	6
   	Total Hours	45