FACT SHEET – MPA Program of Tennessee State University
We are pleased to share these data in compliance with the expectations of our accrediting body for
the MPA degree, NASPAA (Accreditation Standard 7: Communication).
This sheet was last edited: May 2, 2016
Degree Title: Masters of Public Administration
Organizational Relationship between Program and University: The MPA program is offered by the
Department of Public Administration, within the College of Public Service; it is housed on the Avon
Williams Campus of Tennessee State University (downtown campus)
Modes of Program Delivery: Courses in the MPA degree may be available in different formats –
traditional on ground; hybrid (50% on ground, 50% online); and fully online. Not all courses are
available in all formats and in a given semester only one format may be available. No matter the type
of course delivery, all MPA students follow the same curriculum. See the Graduate Catalog and the MPA
online handbook for more details.
Number of Credit Hours: 36 hours of coursework (for in-service students with at least one year
professional experience in the public, nonprofit or healthcare sectors who successfully complete the
internship waiver process and paper) or 42 hours (36 hours of coursework as well as 6-hour internship;
mandatory for pre-service students, optional for in-service students meeting the professional
experience criterion but who desire to do the internship).
Length of Degree: MPA students in our program proceed through the program at different paces
depending on their employment status and preferences. A full load for graduate studies is considered
to be 9 credits in Fall or Spring and 6 credits in Summer. A student taking that path could finish in five
semesters (ex. Fall/Spring/Summer/Fall/Spring). Many working students prefer to take two courses per
semester and one in the Summer. A student following that pattern could finish in eight semesters
(Fall/Spring/Summer/Fall/Spring/Summer/Fall/Spring) including the internship (42 credits). If a student
is qualified for a waiver of the internship by his or her professional experience, that can lessen the time
to degree. Students should be aware that Summer course offerings are variable depending on
enrollments and staffing, and therefore it is advisable to plan that time for general electives or
internship. Also, choosing to seek a certificate as well as the MPA can affect time to degree because
elective flexibility is lessened: students should consult their advisor early in their studies to plan how to
complete both programs in a timely fashion.
List of Dual Degrees: None.
List of Specializations: None. However, many students elect to also pursue the graduate certificate in
public policy; the graduate certificate in nonprofit management; or the graduate certificate in healthcare
administration and planning. Those that do so take their MPA electives in those respective areas.
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Choosing to seek a certificate as well as the MPA can affect time to degree as explained in Length of
Degree.
Fast-Track Info: None.
Student Body: 47 students admitted to the MPA program were taking classes in Fall 2015; 30% of these
students were taking 9 or more credits (full-time status for graduate study). Of these 47 students, 38%
were male and the average student age was 33. Forty-three percent were African American, 45% were
White, 6% were of Hispanic ethnicity or other race(s)/ethnicities, and a further 6% held international
student status.
Mission Statement: (adopted 12/10/2010) Our mission follows; it is also available online.
The MPA program of the College of Public Service and Urban Affairs at Tennessee State University
prepares individuals for professional public, nonprofit, and healthcare sector careers. The program
develops leaders and managers who promote trust and public value in the community.
We educate by providing the key knowledge, skills and abilities our students require to serve in
diverse public, nonprofit and healthcare settings.
We work by conducting research and service activities supportive of these educational purposes
which emphasize analytical thinking, problem solving and decision making.
We serve a diverse and ever-changing public, nonprofit and healthcare environment as a source
of consultation with knowledge of public policy and public management issues to the
community.
Through these endeavors, we create value with the community, our community partners, students and
University by bringing expertise to bear in real organizational settings. In carrying out each of these core
activities, we seek to reflect and instill distinctive public service values such as: Ethics, Equity,
Responsiveness, Diversity, Cultural Competency, Efficiency and Transparency.
Admission Criteria: See the current Graduate Catalog for admission criteria to the Graduate School at
Tennessee State University (catalog front matter) and to the MPA degree in particular (in the College of
Public Service section).
Number of Faculty Teaching in the Program: Five full-time faculty taught 50 percent or more of their
teaching load in the MPA program in 2013-2014. 90 percent of required courses and 92 percent of all
MPA courses were taught by full-time faculty.
Faculty Identified within the Unit Including Rank: Please see our Faculty Directory online.
Tuition Cost (in state and out-of-state): Updated tuition costs are published online by the TSU Bursar
for in-state and out-of-state graduate students. Summer 2016 fees are here.
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Description of Financial Aid Availability, including Assistantships: Financial aid information for
graduate students is available from the TSU Financial Aid site. A limited number of graduate
assistantships involving a work commitment may be available for qualifying MPA students; this is a
selective process and only individuals who have been unconditionally admitted to the MPA or current
students who have achieved unconditional status may apply. The application form is linked on the MPA
degree page in the area for prospective students. Information on various scholarship possibilities is
offered on the CPS site.
Internship Placement List: Below are recent placement types and locations for MPA interns in our
program; a six-credit internship is required of “pre-service” students who do not yet have one or more
years of professional-level public, nonprofit, or healthcare administration work experience.
Most students in our program do already have this level of experience and are therefore considered “inservice.” In-service students may apply for a waiver of the internship requirement, a process discussed
with the advisor. If the experience is judged appropriate by the advisor, the student must submit the
internship exemption application which includes documentation of the positions held, job tasks, and
relationship of MPA core and elective course content to the professional experience. This
documentation must be approved by the advisor for the waiver to be granted.
As the majority of our students are in-service, in a typical year there are 1 to 3 MPA students who are
pre-service completing internships. For more internship locations including older data, plus organization
links, visit the MPA internship page.
Type
Internship Location
State / Higher Education
University of Memphis Office of Governmental Relations (2014 graduate)
Federal
US Attorney’s office, Middle District of TN (2011 graduate)
Nonprofit
National Women’s Survivor Convention (2013 graduate)
State
Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Affairs (2015 graduate)
Local
City of Duluth, GA (2016 graduate)
Healthcare / Nonprofit
The Good Shepherd Residential Services, Nashville (2013 graduate)
State
Tennessee State Department of Health (in a CDC pilot program) (2012 graduate)
State / Higher Education
TSU Graduate School (2011 graduate)
State
Tennessee Legislative Internship (multiple recent graduates)
Nonprofit
Boy Scouts of America (2012 graduate)
Nonprofit
Nashville International Center for Empowerment (multiple recent graduates)
Local
Metro Nashville Police Department (2015 graduate)
Nonprofit
Blood:Water (2015 graduate)
Local
City of Lavergne, TN (2011 graduate)
State
Tennessee Department of Education (2012 graduate)
Local
City of Spring Hill, TN (2015 graduate)
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Completion Rates of cohort entering 5 years ago: NOTE – these data include both those students who achieved unconditional admission at the time of
enrollment as well as individuals who were permitted to begin MPA coursework with only conditional admission status. Students admitted conditionally who do
not satisfy all conditions within the specified time limit (see Graduate Catalog) may not continue in the program or complete the degree. In general, completion
time depends on the number of courses students choose to take per semester: for example, to finish in six semesters, students must choose to take full course
loads each semester.
Of all students enrolling for the first time in MPA program in 2010-2011 – whether conditionally or unconditionally admitted – the 5-year cohort graduation rate
is 46% (26 graduates / 57 admitted students, unconditional or conditional).
For the subset of students enrolling for the first time in MPA program in 2010-2011 who successfully met all conditions and attained unconditional admission
status, the 5-year cohort graduation rate is 68% (26 graduates / 38 unconditionally admitted students; 1 other student is still in coursework due to taking some
time off).
For details on the speed of graduation, see table below which includes the percentages based on all cohort members including conditional admits.
COHORT: students enrolling in MPA for first time in academic year 2010-2011 (admitted in calendar year 2010)
Number of students
57
Percent of cohort
100%
Graduated within 6 semesters
Graduated within 7-9 semesters
Graduated within 10-12 semesters
Graduated in more than 12 semesters
Total cohort members attaining unconditional admission and graduating with MPA by 9/2015
10
8
6
2
26
18%
14%
11%
4%
46%
1
2%
Cohort member(s) who did not satisfy admission conditions and therefore left program / became inactive
19
33%
Cohort member(s) who left program / became inactive after attaining unconditional admission status
11
19%
Cohort member(s) still taking courses as of 9/2015, in good standing
Of the 19 cohort members who left program or became inactive prior to satisfying admission conditions, 12 became inactive with GPA < 3.0; 5 left in good
standing but without satisfying conditions on admission; 2 changed to other programs. Of the 11 cohort members who left program or became inactive after
attaining unconditional admission status, 1 became inactive with GPA < 3.0. Other reasons for not completing the program include leaving in good standing for
personal/relocation/job reasons (7); obtaining admission to the PA doctoral program (1); changing programs and completing a graduate certificate (2).
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