Arrangements for the thesis include a detailed proposal approved by a supervising professor, a faculty committee, and the chair. Candidates choosing the non-thesis option must present a major seminar paper in lieu of the thesis. The M.P.A. program is a late afternoon and evening program administered jointly by URI, Rhode Island College, and Providence College. The program offers administrative theory and practice for the public and nonprofit sectors. The course work covers critical areas for public managers at the national, state, local, or international levels, including program and policy analysis, statistical methods, budgeting and finance, personnel, public ethics, administrative law, and policy formulation and implementation.
Specialized courses are available.
The program requires 36 credits for students with sufficient preparation in political science, computer science, and statistics, including 21 credits of required core courses and a 6 credit internship. Successful completion of written comprehensive exams is also required for graduation. Graduate Advising Graduate students are expected to work closely with faculty members in their area of interest. For general questions about the program, please contact the chair, Maureen Moakley , or the graduate advisor, Nicolai Petro . A limited number of graduate teaching assistantships are available.