Master of Public Management

Master of Public Management

IN THIS SECTION

Learn how to make a difference in the running of cities, counties, and states.

The Master of Public Management (MPM) is offered to students interested in careers in public sector management. Specifically, this program was created for managers of public agencies and those who implement policy at municipal, regional, and state levels. Courses are offered in a blended format, combining face-to-face and online interaction to meet the scheduling needs of students. Housed in a vibrant Urban Studies Department, the MPM capitalizes on Worcester State University’s urban location and helps to develop public leaders for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and beyond.

This program has an interdisciplinary core faculty drawn from many academic disciplines including urban studies, sociology, political science, economics, management, and criminal justice.

A 3-course Action Research and Management Project Fieldwork component at the end of the program allows for real-life experience and a synthesis and evaluation of coursework.

View the Catalog

Program of Study

The Master’s in Public Management is a 12-course, 36-credit degree with the following curriculum:

10 required core courses:

  • PM-901 Project Management for Public Organizations (3 credits)-
  • PM-903 Economics for Policy Analysis (3 credits)
  • PM-934 Ethics & Management of Human Resources (3 credits)
  • PM-942 Organizational Theory (3 credits)
  • PM-945 Financial Management for Public Organizations (3 credits)
  • PM-949 Strategic Leadership & Planning for Public Organizations (3 credits)
  • PM-951 Negotiation & Conflict Resolution for Public Organizations (3 credits)
  • PM-990 Action Research (3 credits)
  • PM-980 Management Project Fieldwork I for Public Management (2 credits)
  • PM-981 Management Project Fieldwork II for Public Management (4 credits)

2 elective courses selected from:

  • PM-902 Internship (3 credits)
  • PM-908 Legal, Regulatory & Ethical Issues in Healthcare (3 credits)
  • PM-940 Leadership Skills & Group Dynamics (3 credits)
  • PM-944 Politics & Public Policy (3 credits)
  • PM-946 Seminar in Program Analysis & Evaluation (3 credits)
  • PM-950 Unions & the Public Sector (3 credits)
  • PM-993 Public Relations for Public Organizations (3 credits)
  • PM-994 Assigned Readings (3 credits)
  • PM-996 Public Law (3 credits)

Admissions Requirements

  • Online application with essay and application fee
  • Bachelor’s degree with a minimum GPA of 2.75
  • 2 letters of recommendation from a professional or academic source
  • Prerequisite courses: Introductory courses in principles of management, microeconomics, macroeconomics, and political science required; a course in financial accounting highly recommended
  • Students may take up to 6 credits before matriculation

Explore sample courses in the Master of Public Management

PM-901 Project Management for Public Organizations

This introductory course provides students with the skills, tools, and techniques necessary to run a project successfully from conception to evaluation.
3 credits

PM-902 Internship

With the help of an internship coordinator, local students who do not have nonprofit experience and all international students identify suitable nonprofit organizations in which to do an internship.
3 credits

PM-903 Economics for Policy Analysis

This course utilizes both microeconomic and macroeconomic concepts and tools with an emphasis on applications to public management and policy analysis.
3 credits

PM-908 Legal, Regulatory & Ethical Issues in Healthcare

An overview of the legal and regulatory framework governing health care from both the manager’s and the client’s point of view. Legal rights and duties of patients and health care providers, hospital liability, hospital-physician relationships, patient’s rights, informed consent, privacy and confidentiality, and negligence and malpractice.
3 credits

PM-934 Ethics & Management of Human Resources

Leaders and managers of nonprofit and public organizations face moral and ethical dilemmas in dealing with their publics (clients, staff, volunteers, donors, government agencies, board of directors, collaborating partners, the community, etc.).
3 credits

PM-940 Leadership Skills & Group Dynamics

Explores the nature and principles of effective group and organizational leadership. Students participate in a group that studies its own leadership process. Examples are taken from therapy groups, business/organizational situations, classrooms, and other case studies.
3 credits

PM-942 Organizational Theory

Organizational theory and development strategies considered. Formal and informal aspects of organizations, authority structures, specialization and integration of functions, and the role of professional managers.
3 credits

PM-944 Politics and Public Policy

An explication of the nature of political power and the influence of power upon the delivery of various types of nonprofit: public, health care and human services.
3 credits

PM-945 Financial Management for Public Organizations

This course explores the theoretical, technical, and political elements of financial management in public organization settings. The primary objective is to enable students to gain an understanding of how to develop and use financial information to make management decisions in public organizations.
3 credits

PM-946 Seminar in Program Analysis & Evaluation

Explores philosophical issues, politics, and specific evaluation instruments involved in effective program analysis upon utilization of computer systems.
3 credits

PM-949 Strategic Leadership & Planning for Public Organizations

This course critically examines the external and internal environments of public organizations through exploration of the strategic planning process. It involves a discussion of various strategic leadership decisions and the management skills necessary to design and implement a successful plan in the light of the political dynamics in strategic planning.
3 credits

PM-950 Unions & the Public Sector

An intensive examination of key collective bargaining topics. Topics include grievance-arbitration processes, productivity bargaining, and impasse resolutions in the public sector.
3 credits

PM-951 Negotiation & Conflict Resolution for Public Organizations

Through theory and situational role playing, students learn effective skills in negotiation, mediation, arbitration, and conflict resolution.
3 credits

PM-980 Management Project Fieldwork I for Public Management

In individual consultation with the instructor, students identify a management project and write a plan to carry out their projects.
2 credits

PM-990 Action Research

The goal of this course is to prepare students to undertake nonprofit-relevant research projects in areas of their choice, by developing an understanding of fundamental concepts of research design. By the end of the course, students develop a research proposal.
3 credits

PM-993 Public Relations for Public Organizations

This course explores the theories of human interaction as they relate to the public sphere. Students acquire effective public relations skills that are essential for success in the public sector.
3 credits
A smiling black woman with shoulder-length curly hair, wearing a green sweater and a necklace, stands in a hallway.
We are able to help students gain confidence academically and prepare for jobs after graduation. Our programs are collaborative, and we support people from all backgrounds helping them to succeed.
— Shiko Gathuo, Graduate Program Coordinator and Professor, Department of Urban Studies

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