Master of Public Administration

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In April of 1908, when C. E. Ashburner moved to Staunton, Virginia, to become the first City Manager, he brought a new approach to local government that has raised the expectation of American citizens. The corruption, inefficiencies and cronyism, commonplace in the 19th century, was replaced by strict ethical standards, best practices, transparency, and civic engagement. Today over 4,000 communities, governing over 75 million Americans, enjoy the benefit of a skilled, professional manager at the helm of their local government. Additionally, counties, special districts and non-profit organizations have duplicated Staunton’s achievement.

Public Management is not an easy profession. Everything is open to public scrutiny and mistakes are a matter of public record in tomorrow’s headlines. But few professions provide the opportunity to have such a profound impact on the lives of others.

The MPA program at CCU is designed to instill in its graduates the knowledge necessary to provide leadership and management to local and state government and non-profits, the ability to apply spirituality to both work and personal live, and a passion for public service.

Admission to the Master of Public Administration Degree Program

Admission to the Master of Public Administration (MPA) program is selective. Applicants are evaluated on the basis of previous academic performance, personal and professional accomplishments and goals, and strength of character. A strong desire to complete graduate-level work in a Christ-centered, biblically based community is important. All MPA admissions decisions are made by and only by Colorado Christian University.

Admission Requirements:

Earned Bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution.
A minimum undergraduate grade point average of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale. Applicants with an undergraduate grade point average between 2.0 and 2.49 will be admitted on a conditional admit (CAD) basis for the first semester. CAD students must maintain a 3.0 GPA or better in their first nine (9) credits to remain in the program.
Completed online application form (including essay, references, transcripts, and fees) at www.ccu.edu/ccu/grad/
Demonstrated completion (C or better) of undergraduate-level statistics prerequisite.

Transfer of Courses

Students may transfer up to six semester hours of graduate credit from a regionally accredited college or university. The coursework must be comparable to that offered at CCU and fulfill the CCU MPA degree requirements.

Time Limitation

The MPA program is a 36 credit-hour degree designed to be completed within 15 months of intensive accelerated adult graduate study by persons who work or are otherwise occupied by the equivalent of a full time job. MPA courses may be taken online or in our hybrid format (a combination of online and classroom content delivery). Full-time students may complete the MPA program in two years.

All work applied toward a master’s degree must be completed within a four-year period from the date of enrollment. After the four-year period, an MPA student who has not completed the requirements to graduate will be withdrawn from the program. Students who go beyond the four-year period and wish to complete their MPA degree will be required to apply for reconsideration by completing a Petition for Exception to Academic Policy. Readmitted students will be required to adhere to the degree plans and academic policies in place at the time they are readmitted.

Applicants to the Colorado Christian University MPA program are required to have a background in statistics. This background may be obtained through undergraduate coursework as demonstrated by the student’s transcript, or taken at CCU or another accredited institution. Alternatively, the student may complete the equivalent CLEP or DSST exams. A student may start CCU’s MPA program before completing the prerequisite, but must complete the statistics prerequisite prior to registering for PAD 656 - Research Methods for Public Administrators .

Taking Prerequisite Courses Online

CCU has partnered with Ivy Software to provide students with a convenient and flexible way to fulfill prerequisite requirements at an affordable cost. The following course is available for purchase:

Business Math and Statistics (fulfills Statistics prerequisite)

The program takes on average 20 hours to complete. Students are able to download all course material. The student must pass a final course test with at least an 80% in order for the course to count toward the prerequisite. This test may be taken up to five times.

Purchase instructions:

Go to shop.ivysoftware.com
Click “Graduate Software” (on left)
Select “MBA Programs”
Select “Colorado Christian University”
Choose program and add to cart
Proceed with payment

Notify your CCU Student Service Advisor (SSA) of any problems you encounter with an Ivy Software program or any time you pass a test. He or she will be able to take the appropriate action to ensure that your degree plan is updated with the completed prerequisite information.

Required Courses for the Master of Public Administration Degree

36 credit hours consisting of the following classes:

Graduation Requirements for the Master of Public Administration Degree

The faculty recommends students in the Master of Public Administration degree to the Board of Trustees as candidates for graduation when they have completed the following requirements.

Completion of 36 credit hours.
A letter grade of C- or better and a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher on the University’s 4.0 grade scale in all CCU course work.
Formal and timely application for graduation by the date specified by the University Registrar.
No outstanding financial obligations to the University.