At an open house Feb. 6, the director of the Master of Public Administration Program explained its objectives, benefits and potential job placements for prospective students.
For graduate students interested in public service, this program at Kennesaw State University prepares them for leadership roles in both government agencies and nonprofit organizations. The open house was organized by Dr. Jerry Herbel.
“The main benefit [of the program] is that it is a broad preparation in public service and public management that is beyond the entry level,” Herbel said. “It’s ideal for your second job. It’s great for managing people and money.”
The program’s courses include 21 credit hours of core curriculum, 12 credit hours of electives or concentration, and three credit hours of professional exercises, which can be completed by either an internship or a public service practicum.
Herbel detailed the program’s expectations and also described the staff’s flexibility. He and his staff, Herbel explained, will cooperate with other graduate programs at KSU if a student wants to take a course that is not offered in the Master in Public Administration Program.
One of the students in attendance was Fatima Diallo, a KSU graduate from Mali, and she wants to create her own nonprofit organization.
“I come from West Africa and we have a lot of issues over there, social and political,” Diallo said. “It would be great to go back and use what I learned here, over there.”
The Master in Public Administration Program is the largest graduate program in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, with a current enrollment of about 70 students. Dr. Ulf Zimmermann began the program began in 1993 and is still a faculty member of the program.
There is no prerequisite degree for students applying to the program, and KSU offers Graduate Record Examination waivers to qualified students. For more information about the program, contact mpa@kennesaw.edu or visit their page on the KSU website.
