The joint Criminal Justice and Public Administration program is designed to develop a broad foundation for understanding criminal justice policy, and the conceptual and analytical skills critical to the effective management of public agencies and programs. Contemporary public officials are required to make complex choices and implement programs and policies within difficult financial, legal, political, and organizational constraints. More than ever, it is important that administrators be able to work with a variety of people, both within and outside the public sector. Professional education in public administration thus encompasses fiscal control, quantitative analysis, organization management, decision analysis, and a working understanding of government institutions and legal procedures.
Credit and Courses
Students accepted into this Criminal Justice/MPA program complete the following courses:
MS in Criminal Justice
Crm Jst 773 – Perspectives on Crime & the Criminal Justice System, 3 credits
Crm Jst 743 – Proseminar: Administration of Criminal Justice Systems, 3 credits
Crm Jst 756 – Proseminar: Analysis of Criminal Justice Research, 3 credits
12 additional credit hours of courses must be taken within the criminal justice program.
12 credit hours of courses successfully completed for the MPA, selected with the consent of the student’s advisor.
Total Degree Credits for Master of Science in Criminal Justice: 33 credits
Master of Public Administration
Students entering the MPA program will be placed, at the discretion of the MPA Director in one of two tracks (A or B) within the core. The minimum degree requirement is 39 credits for Track A and 42 for Track B.
Track A
Students with significant public or nonprofit sector work experience may, at the discretion of the MPA Director, have the Government/Nonprofit Administrative Internship course (Pub Adm 921) waived. Students seeking placement in this track will need to meet with the MPA Director to discuss this possibility and will be required to provide documentation of current public or nonprofit sector work experience.
Track B
Students with no significant public or nonprofit sector work experience are required to enroll in and successfully complete the Government/Nonprofit Administrative Internship course (Pub Adm 921). As part of the requirements for this course, Track B students are required to obtain, with the assistance of the MPA Director, one or more internships in either the public or nonprofit sector while enrolled in the MPA program.
Required/Core Courses (15 credits)
Bus Adm 738 – Human Resource Management, 3 credits
Pub Adm 763 – Scope and Dynamics of Public Administration, 3 credits
Pub Adm 769 – Analyzing and Evaluating Public Policies and Programs, 3 credits
One course in Statistics selected from the following list:
BusMgmt 709 – Analytic Models for Managers, 3 credits
Pub Adm/Pol Sci 792 – Decision Making for Public and Nonprofit Organizations, 3 credits
Crm Jst 756 – Proseminar: Analysis of Criminal Justice Research, 3 credits
One seminar in Organizational Management and Leadership, 3 credits selected from the following list:
Bus Adm 731 – Diversity in Organizations, 3 credits
Bus Adm 443 – Special Topics in Human Resources Management: (Subtitled), 3 credits
Bus Adm 706 – Managing in a Dynamic Environment, 3 credits
Bus Adm 737 – Managerial Decisions and Negotiations , 3 credits
Capstone Seminar, 3 credits
Every student will be required to take the capstone seminar, Pub Adm (Pol Sci) 959: Capstone Seminar in Public Administration. The course requirements will include the completion and written and oral presentation of a project on a topic selected with the assistance of the instructor. This course will also be devoted to coverage of special issues and problems of the public administration profession, including administrative ethics.
General Public Administration, 9 credits
Select any three of the following courses:
BusMgmt 724 – Accounting for Nonprofit Organizations, 3 credits
Pub Adm 400 – Ethics and Responsibility in Public Administration, 3 credits
Pub Adm/Urb Plan 630 – Budgeting and Finance in the Public Sector, 3 credits
Pub Adm 750 – Public Administration Risk and Analysis, 3 credits
Pub Adm/Pol Sci 914 – Seminar in Intergovernmental Relations, 3 credits
Pub Adm 958 – Seminar in Public Administration: (Subtitled), 3 credits
Pub Adm 965 – Municipal Management, 3 credits
Concentration, 12 credits
Satisfied by 12 credits taken in Crm Jst courses
Internship, 0-3 credits
Pub Adm 921 – Government/Non-profit Administrative Internship, 3 credits
(An internship is mandatory for students with no public sector work experience.)
Graduate Grievance Procedures
Federal law and UWM policy require programs and departments to have procedures for graduate students to appeal academic decisions such as grades or scholastic standing. These procedures ensure the protection of students’ rights. These pages serve as a reference on procedures for graduate student academic appeals.