Why Kean’s Public Administration?
What do you want to do with your life? Do you want to help others and make the world a better place? Do you aspire to serve the public in your career? Do you want to have a direct impact on your local, state, and federal government to make them work better and smarter? Do you want to engage with your local and even global communities by working in or with nonprofit or international organizations? Do you envision yourself a future leader who will solve social problems and bring change to the world? Are you currently working in or do you want to be a manager in the public or nonprofit sector, including health services administration?
The Public Administration degree is designed to help prepare you for a management career in public service. A Public Administration degree prepares students who intend to serve the public in their career by developing their management skills and leadership qualities.
By studying public administration, as a major or minor, you will develop your ability to lead and manage in public and non-profit organizations; learn how to participate in the public policy process; analyze and solve social problems; understand and share public service perspectives; and learn how to lead and manage in a diverse and changing work environment.
Here at Kean, we are accredited by NASPAA – the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration. NASPAA accredits that the best programs across the globe to ensure that all the students at these departments receive the highest quality, most up-to-date and state of the art education available.
B.A. Coordinator: Dr. Craig Donovan
The demand for highly-trained workers in the not-for-profit and public service sectors has never been greater. The Bachelor of Arts in Public Administration offered by Kean University’s Department of Public Administration provides students with the information, skills and insight needed to excel in careers in the not-for-profit and public service sectors.
Kean is one of only four higher education institutes in New Jersey accredited in the field of public administration by the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration (NASPAA). Our undergraduate program combines a firm theoretical foundation with an understanding of practical applications. Teaching methods in both elective and required courses stress the use of case studies, hands-on experience, and simulations that demonstrate how theory and concepts evolve into practical applications.
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MPA Mission Statement
The mission of the Kean University Master of Public Administration Program is to prepare students to be managers and professionals of public, health service and nonprofit organizations who are committed to public service and are globally aware and engaged in their communities.
The Master of Public Administration is accredited by the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration (NASPAA) and is committed to preparing graduates for managerial roles in government, health care and nonprofit sectors. We are dedicated to the provision of a curriculum that includes generalist skills, provides competence in current managerial technologies, supports ethical practice, and exhibits commitment to diversity in its curriculum, faculty and student body.
MPA Concentrations
- General Public Administration
- Health Service Administration
- Nonprofit Management
Degree Requirements
Total: 42-48 credits,
21 credits in foundation courses
18 credits of electives
6 credits required internship (waived for students with appropriate experience)
3 credit culminating research seminar
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The BA/MPA Honors program is a dual degree option offered through the Department of Public Administration, at Kean University. Students who are accepted into the program are able to
jointly work on, and complete both their Bachelor’s degree in Public Administration and their Master’s in Public Administration degrees. This program reduces by a year or more, the amount of time a student would normally require to complete both of these degrees.
Guidesheet (BA/PA Honors Program)
Whatever your major, the various sectors of government have a career path for you. The public administration minor is open to all students at Kean and is designed to provide students with an overview of employment in government, public service, and nonprofit organizations. The public administration minor introduces students to core concepts in the field. This minor is appropriate for students planning careers working in public service and nonprofit organizations and for those already employed in these sectors. The public administration minor also provides a foundation for continued studies in public administration, law, justice, and human service disciplines among others. This minor may be combined with any other major or minor except the public administration major.
Guidesheet (Public Administration Minor)
Kean University is home to an award winning chapter of Pi Alpha Alpha (PAA), the global honor society in public administration which promotes excellence in the study of public administration and encourages public service. The Kean Chapter of Pi Alpha Alpha promotes a spirit of community and collaboration that seeks to advance the common good. The Chapter admits students who have distinguished themselves through academic excellence as members of the University’s graduate and undergraduate Public Administration programs and whose desire is to serve the public through sound managerial practice informed by ethical principles.
Pi Alpha Alpha is the Global Honor Society for Public Affairs and Administration. There are more than 160 chapters located around the world at NASPAA member schools. Pi Alpha Alpha is run by NASPAA: The Global Standard in Public Service Education and is directed by the NASPAA Pi Alpha Alpha Special Ad Hoc Committee (Committee). Committee members are appointed by the NASPAA President for terms up to three years.
The purpose of Pi Alpha Alpha is to encourage and recognize outstanding scholarship and accomplishment in public affairs and administration. Its objectives, such as fostering integrity, professionalism, and effective performance, promote the advancement of quality in the education and practice of the art and science of public affairs and administration. PAA membership identifies those with the highest performance levels in educational programs preparing them for public service careers.
