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| The Graduate School |
GRADUATE PROGRAMS IN URBAN AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS
The College of Urban and Public Affairs offers four graduate degrees: Master of Science in Urban Studies (MSUS); Master of Urban and Regional Planning (MURP); Master of Public Administration (MPA); and Doctor of Philosophy in Urban Studies.
The MSUS program is interdisciplinary and offers training in a broad range of urban phenomena for persons who desire to enter such fields as law, journalism, education, law enforcement and business, or to further their study of cities and regions at the doctoral level. The MURP program is fully accredited by the American Planning Association (APA) and consists of professional training in planning cities and regions with special emphasis on the social, economic, environmental, political and physical aspects of metropolitan areas. The objective of the program is to prepare students for planning careers in city, regional, state and federal agencies; private consulting firms; public service organizations; and other public or private institutions. The objective of the Master of Public Administration (MPA) program is to prepare students for entry or advancement in public or nonprofit organizations. The program of study leading to the Doctor of Philosophy in Urban Studies enables students of exceptional ability to undertake advanced study and original research in the fields of urban affairs, urban history and urban and regional planning. The doctoral program's mission is to prepare students for careers in scholarly activity, applied research, and policy analysis.
Admission for MSUS, MURP and MPA Programs
The College of Urban and Public Affairs faculty has instituted admission requirements for entrance into the MSUS, MURP or MPA programs in addition to those of the Graduate School, which include above average academic competence as evidenced in undergraduate work and Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores or, in the case of the MPA program, the Graduate Management Admission test. The College of Urban and Public Affairs faculty will also take relevant experience into account, although it is not a specific requirement for application. Upon review of an applicant's credentials, the College of Urban and Public Affairs may grant full or conditional admission to the MSUS, MURP or MPA program. If admission is conditional, the student may have to complete additional courses of study in addition to those for the desired program.
Non-Degree Seeking Students
Persons who are interested in taking courses offered by the College of Urban and Public Affairs, but not seeking a degree, are encouraged to enroll as a “special student” (undergraduate) or as a “non-degree seeking student” (graduate). Consult the appropriate catalog or contact the College office for assistance.
Admission for Doctor of Philosophy in Urban Studies
The Ph.D. in Urban Studies program provides graduates with a solid foundation to conduct applied research and policy analysis outside of academic settings and for teaching and research in colleges and universities. The program emphasizes mastery of the literature and theory in a particular area of scholarship and mastery of research skills necessary to make significant original contributions to that field. The Ph.D. in Urban Studies program assists the College in its professional public service mission by providing high quality applied research and policy analysis for state, metropolitan, and local agencies and organizations. The doctoral program in urban studies draws upon the strengths of the University, particularly the College of Urban and Public Affairs, departments within the College of Liberal Arts, and the College of Urban and Public Affairs. CUPA is the administrative home of the program.
All students enrolling in the program must have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university. Preference is given to those who have completed a master’s degree before entering the program. Admission decisions are based primarily on undergraduate/graduate grade-point average (GPA), Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores, and letters of recommendation. Preferred levels of performance are a 3.0 or higher undergraduate GPA, a 3.6 or higher graduate GPA, and 1200 (combined raw scores for verbal and quantitative sections) on the GRE.
Doctor of Philosophy in Urban Studies Degree Requirements
A student admitted to the program must complete a minimum of 72 hours beyond the bachelor’s degree. A postmaster’s student will be able to transfer to the Program a maximum of 24 credit hours of course work with a grade of B or higher. Thus, a student must complete at least 48 hours of course work with a grade of B or higher while enrolled in the doctoral program at UNO. Also, up to 9 credit hours earned after receiving a master’s degree may be transferred into the program. The courses proposed for transfer must be approved as part of the student’s program of study within the college. These hours will include a core curriculum, a major and a minor filed of specialization, and a dissertation. Fields of specialization include (1) urban affairs, (2) urban history, and (3) urban and regional planning.
Overview
72 credit hours beyond the baccalaureate degree
66 credit hours in the following four areas:
Urban Studies Core (9 credit hours)
Research Design (6 credit hours)
Research Methods (9 or more credit hours)
Research Competence (6 credit hours)
Major and Minor Fields of Study/Area of Specialization (42 credit hours)
Within the major field, students select a group of courses that provide a foundation in the theory and methods of that field of knowledge and a set of additional courses that constitute an area of specialization. Typically, foundation courses are completed as part of previous masters degree work and are transferred into the doctoral program. A student who does not have a masters degree in his or her major field should expect to take courses sufficient to demonstrate knowledge of the basic theory, concepts, and methods of that field.
Each student selects a group of courses that form an area of specialization within the major field of study. The College of Urban and Public Affairs supports areas of specialization in land use and environmental management and policy, social and cultural change, and urban development. As a rough rule of thumb, students should expect to take at least 15 credit hours of courses in their area of specialization. These courses may be in the College of Urban and Public Affairs or other departments of the University; they may be formal courses or independent studies.
The student defines his or her area of specialization in consultation with a faculty advisor. The courses must be mutually reinforcing and coherent; assure expertise in some body of knowledge, methods, or problem area; and provide the student with adequate skills and knowledge to do dissertation research as well as policy research in the area of specialization: knowledge of the body of relevant theory (usually by taking courses in a social science, history, planning or public administration); knowledge of relevant methodology (e.g., planning methods, statistics, qualitative methods); an ability to apply theory and methods to specific problems; and an ability appropriate research design and research methods.
Students may, at their own option, define a minor filed of study. Within the minor field, a student must complete at least 15 credit hours (some of which may be transfer credits) in a set of courses approved in advance by the student’s advisor. Courses taken in the minor may constitute an independent body of knowledge, or they may support the area of specialization developed in the major.
Students should check with the College about any revisions approved for the program, but which may not be reflected in this catalog, or visit the CUPA website at http://www.uno.edu/cupa/.
Master of Science in Urban Studies Degree Requirements
The flexibility of the MSUS program has allowed students to pursue career fields that are emerging and may not be covered in more structured and traditional masters programs. For example, there is a strong subfield of study in Anthropology that is offered in conjunction with the UNO Department of Anthropology. Other linked areas are Cultural and Ecotourism linked with the Kabacoff School of Hotel, Restaurant, Tourism and Cultural/Arts planning with the Arts Administration Program of the UNO College of Liberal Arts. Links to those programs on the UNO Website, at http://www.uno.edu/cupa/, provide more detailed information for the applicant.
Overview
33 Total Hours
12-15 hours of required courses
15 hours of electives
3-6 hours of thesis
Master of Science in Urban Studies: Applied Urban Anthropology Concentration
Anthropology at UNO brings qualitative research methods and the insights of social theory to the study of the central questions in contemporary urban life. Students who choose to pursue the Urban Anthropology Track will work directly with faculty whose on-going research projects are at the leading edge of urban research methodology.
Students in the applied urban anthropology track will receive training in qualitative research methodologies and will gain valuable fieldwork experiences. These may include cultural preservation management projects, historic archaeology, policy evaluation, folklore research projects and internships in local government and non-profit organizations. Students will draw on the university’s technological resources (including film, museums and, of course, computers) to present their own research. Urban anthropology track students are encouraged to attend and participate in professional conferences, where they can learn directly about how to communicate their results as well as network with their future colleagues.
Students should check with the College about any revisions approved for the program, but which may not be reflected in this catalog, or visit the CUPA website at http: //www.uno.edu/cupa/.
Master of Urban and Regional Planning
The Master in Urban and Regional Planning program at CUPA prepares graduates for a wide range of careers in the field of planning. Planners can choose to work for governmental agencies, private consulting firms or nonprofit organizations. Their chosen career can target such issues as creating safe, attractive and healthy neighborhoods; providing affordable housing; and building accessible, efficient and environmentally friendly transportation systems. In CUPA students have the opportunity to pursue internships for academic credit with selected agencies and private firms while they are in school. This “real world” experience helps students to become more competitive in the job market upon graduation.
All MURP students will be required to show proof of having completed at least an acceptable introductory-level statistics course and an introductory-level economics course before entering the program, or will be required to complete such a course during their first semester of attendance. Credit toward the MURP degree will be given for completion of such a course during the MURP program if taken at the 4000 level or above (with the exception of ECON 4400, which is not available for graduate credit).
Overview
45 ‑total hours needed to complete the degree (excluding deficiencies or prerequisites)
24 credit hours of required courses
12 credit hours of courses in an area of specialization
Students should check with the College about any revisions approved for the program, but which may not be reflected in this catalog, or visit the CUPA website at http://www.uno.edu/cupa/.
Master of Urban and Regional Planning: Land Development Concentration
The Land Development concentration provides a specialized program of study for persons planning careers as practitioners of land development in the public or private sectors. The requirements for this option are the same as for the MURP degree above except that within the 15 hours of electives the following courses must be taken in the following sequence: Finance 3300, 4368, and 6600; Urban Studies 4070, 4160.
Finance 3300 (not for graduate credit) or equivalent, Studies 6165 (required in the MURP curriculum), and Finance 4368. Urban Finance 6670 may be substituted for Finance 4368 for the more advanced student. Finance 6635 is highly recommended as an additional elective.
Financial Aid
Assistantships for nine months are available for a limited number of qualified applicants. The student will devote approximately half-time (20 hrs/week) to research work in the College of Urban and Public Affairs. In addition, a number of assistantships are located off-campus in planning and planning related agencies.
Master of Public Administration
The objective of the Master of Public Administration (MPA) program is to prepare students for entry and/or advancement in public or nonprofit organizations. The program consists of 42 hours of academic credit. Core courses (27 hours) cover the common knowledge, skills, and values for public service in a democratic society. For electives (nine hours) students may choose one of several established speciality tracks or design an individual specialization with the consent of the program director. All students will demonstrate the ability to apply theoretical concepts through the completion of a thesis or a project (6 hours). Students who choose the project option and who do not have appropriate experience in the public or nonprofit sectors will also complete and internship.
Admission
Admission is limited to students who show significant promise of success in the program. Applicants must hold an undergraduate degree from an accredited institution. Because people come to public and nonprofit service from a variety of backgrounds, there is no requirement for a particular undergraduate degree or major. Prerequisites do include at least three hours' credit in economics (micro or macro) and political science (covering American and/or state and local government). These courses may be taken after admission in the early part of the student's program.
Applicants must meet the entrance requirements of the UNO Graduate School. In addition, the MPA admissions committee will examine each applicant's total record. A candidate who is otherwise qualified may be required to take additional courses to remedy specific weaknesses. The admissions committee will review:
• ‑Official scores on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT). The GRE is preferred.
• ‑Official transcripts from all higher education institutions attended.
• Work experience, if any.
• ‑Letters of recommendation including, if possible, letters from former professors evaluating the candidate's potential for graduate work.
• ‑A writing sample, preferable an academic paper or a professional report, that is exclusively the applicant's work (no team projects).
Master of Public Administration Degree Requirements
Prerequisites
Microeconomics (3 hrs)
Political Science or American Government (3 hrs)
Unmet prerequisites should be made up early in the program.
Overview
‑42 total hours needed to complete the degree (excluding deficiencies or prerequisites)
27 hours of required courses
9 hours of electives
‑6 hours of thesis research and a thesis, or 6 hours of capstone courses and a final project. All masters students must include at least 15 hours of courses numbered 6000 or above in their programs of study.
Required Courses
PADM 6010 The Profession of Public Administration
PADM 6020 Bureaucracy and Democracy
PADM 6110 Public Budgeting
PADM 6160 Law and Ethics in Public Administration
PADM 6401 Administrative Behavior
PADM 6180 Human Resource Administration in the Public Sector
PADM 6410 Technology in Public Organizations
PADM 6201 Policy Analysis and Program Evaluation
URBN 6001 Research Methods
Thesis/Final Project Option
Students must choose either the thesis or the final project option
Thesis Option. PADM 7000 Thesis Research (6 hrs) plus the thesis. Thesis students may take Capstone I in lieu of three hours of thesis research.
Final Project Option. This is an applied project completed in conjunction with a public service job or internship while enrolled in PADM 6901 and 6902 MPA Capstone I & II (3 hrs each).
Nonprofit Leadership Concentration
In conjunction with Metropolitan College’s International Program in Nonprofit Leadership (IPNL), the MPA program offers a concentration in nonprofit leadership (NPL). The concentration consists of 15 hours: two courses taken in place of required courses, and three additional courses. NPL students must complete the following courses which are currently offered under PADM 4800:
Substitutions for MPA Required Courses
PADM 4800 Legal & Ethical Issues in the Nonprofit Sector
‑(substitute for PADM 6160 Law and Ethics in Public Administration)
PADM 4800 Financial Administration & Development
(substitute for PADM 6110 Public Budgeting)
Additional Concentration Courses
PADM 4800 Overview of the Nonprofit Sector
PADM 4800 Collaboration, Partnership & Coalitions Building
PADM 4800 Nonprofit Leadership (Leadership and Courage)
NPL students must also choose the thesis or non-thesis (final project) option. Thesis students may take PADM 6901 MPA Capstone I (3 hours) and PADM 7000 Thesis Research (3 hours).
Financial Aid
Assistantships for nine and 12 months may be available for a limited number of qualified applicants.
Changes
Students should check with the College about any revisions approved for the program, but which may not be reflected in this catalog, or visit the CUPA website at http://www.uno.edu/cupa/.