The School of Public Administration provides the highest quality undergraduate education for students interested in working in the public and private sectors, as well as, nonprofit organizations. The school strives to achieve local, state and national prominence through contemporary curriculum, innovative instruction, scholarly and applied research, and community service. Programs and services develop and enhance management skills essential to public and nonprofit organizations oriented towards an evolving metropolitan environment. The school offers an undergraduate program leading to a Bachelor of Arts (BA) or a Bachelor of Science (BS) in Public Administration. The program provides opportunities for students to prepare for employment as public administrators and produces graduates with the public management skills and analytical techniques needed for successful careers in government, nonprofit and related business fields.
Degree Requirements
Core Requirements: Basic Level
3 Total Credits
- Complete all of the following
- Students must earn a C- or better in the following course:
- Complete at least 1 of the following:
- STA2014 - Principles of Statistics (3)
- STA2023 - Statistical Methods I (3)
Core Requirements: Advanced Level
27 - 30 Total Credits
- Complete all of the following
- Students must earn a grade of C- or better in each of the following courses and earn a GPA of 2.5 or better for all courses in this section.
- Complete the following:
- PAD3003 - Public Administration in American Society (3)
- PAD4034 - The Administration of Public Policy (3)
- PAD4104 - Administrative Theory (3)
- PAD4204 - Fiscal Management (3)
- PAD4414 - Human Resource Administration (3)
- PAD4131 - Public Sector Project Management (3)
- PAD4822 - Intergovernmental Administration (3)
- PAD4942 - School of Public Administration Internship Orientation (0)
- PAD4941 - Public Administration Internship (3 - 6)
- PAD4886 - Capstone: Public Service Leadership (3)
Concentration Area
18 Total Credits
- Complete all of the following
- Earn at least 18 credits from the following types of courses: • Students must complete 18 credit hours of PAD courses in one of the following concentration areas: o Emergency Management and Homeland Security Minor o Nonprofit Management Minor o Urban and Regional Planning Minor o Public Service Minor
- Students must earn a C- or better in each course and meet GPA requirements for the minor as per the catalog.
B.A./B.S. Option
6 Total Credits
- Earn at least 6 credits from the following types of courses: • Students pursuing the BA degree must demonstrate proficiency in a foreign language equivalent to one year in college. ASL I, II can also be used to fulfill this requirement. • Students pursuing the B.S. degree must earn a C- or better in each of the following two upper level courses (courses used to fulfill this category must not be used to satisfy other parts of the degree program): o PAD 3733 - Professional Administrative Writing in the Public Sector Credit Hours: 3 o PAD 4720 - Research Methods in Public Administration Credit Hours: 3
Grand Total Credits: 54 - 57
Admission Requirements
Degree Requirements
- Students who change degree programs and select this major must adopt the most current catalog.
- Students should complete the General Education Program and the Common Program Prerequisites before transferring within the Florida College System or State University System.
- Students should consult with a departmental advisor on a regular basis.
- No transfer course will be accepted with a grade lower than a "C-".
- The courses designated in General Education and Common Program Prerequisites should usually be completed in the first 60 hours.
- Students must attain a minimum grade of "C-" (1.75) in all Common Program Prerequisite courses, Core Requirements, Concentration Requirements, and BS Requirements.
- Students must earn a 2.5 GPA in the Core Requirements in order to graduate.
Foreign Language Requirements
Admissions
Graduation
- Students pursuing a B.A. degree must demonstrate proficiency in a foreign language equivalent to one year at college level. Proficiency equivalent to two semesters of college instruction in a foreign language or in American Sign Language (ASL). Standardized examinations for foreign languages may be used. ASL proficiency is met by successful completion of ASL 2140 and ASL 2150 or an appropriate score on the ASL proficiency exam. Contact the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders (https://healthprofessions.ucf.edu/csd/) regarding the ASL proficiency examination.
Electives
- If students need additional credit hours in order to meet the 120 credit hour graduation requirement, additional electives can be taken from other allied supporting fields.
- Upon completion of general education, common program pre-req’s, required core, BS required courses (or BA required foreign language), students may still need electives to reach the minimum overall credit hour requirement to be eligible for graduation. Students needing additional electives are encouraged to declare a 2nd minor, or certificate to fulfill the needed electives. Courses or additional minor/certificate should be selected with the assistance of an advisor.
Additional Requirements
Departmental Exit Requirements
- The students must attain a minimum grade of "C-" (1.75) in all Common Program Prerequisites courses, Core Requirements, Concentration Requirements, and BS Requirements.
- Students must earn a 2.5 GPA in the Core section in order to graduate.
- At least 27 hours used in the major must be earned at UCF within the School of Public Administration.
- No credit by exam (TSD, Military credit) may be used.
University Minimum Exit Requirements
- A 2.0 UCF GPA
- 42 semester hours of upper division credit completed
- 60 semester hours earned after CLEP awarded
- 30 of the last 39 hours of course work must be completed in residency at UCF.
- A maximum of 45 hours of extension, correspondence, CLEP, Credit by Exam, and Armed Forces credits permitted.
- Complete the General Education Program, the Gordon Rule, and nine hours of Summer credit.
- Total Undergraduate Credit Hours Required: 120
Additional Information
Honors In Major
- Admission: Applications to the Honors in the Major program must be approved by the Associate Dean of the Honors College and a Faculty Advisor in the School of Public Administration.
Related Programs
- Business Administration
- Criminal Justice (B.A. or B.S.)
- Economics (B.S.)
- Health Services Administration (B.S.)
- Legal Studies (B.A. or B.S.)
- Management (B.S.B.A.)
- Political Science (B.A.)
- Social Work (B.S.W.)
Certificates
Related Minors
- Business Minor
- Criminal Justice Minor
- Diplomacy Minor
- Economics Minor
- Entrepreneurship Minor
- Environmental Studies Minor
- Florida Studies Minor
- Health Services Administration Minor
- International and Global Studies Minor
- Leadership Studies Minor
- Legal Studies Minor
- Political Science Minor
- Terrorism Studies Minor
Advising Notes
- Orientation and advising are two of the most valuable tools that a student can make use of when transferring to UCF. Be sure that you take advantage of both.
- Students are urged to have access to a personal computer, modem, and appropriate software to interact with the University and professors.
Transfer Notes
- Florida College System students are advised to complete the Associate of Arts degree, to include the general education requirements and the common program prerequisites.
- Lower division courses do not substitute for upper division courses.
- Courses transferred from private and out-of-state schools must be formally evaluated for equivalency credit.
- The student must provide a course syllabus and any additional supporting documentation with his/her petition for this evaluation.
- Common Program Prerequisites for the State University System for the School of Public Administration programs include POS 2041 - American National Government, ECO 2013 - Principles of Macroeconomics, ECO 2023 - Principles of Microeconomics, Statistics (STA 2014 or STA 2023), and Introduction to Computer (CGS1000, CGS 1060C, or CGS 2100C).
- Subject to the general grade and residence requirements, credit will be granted for transferred course work equivalent to that required in the Public Administration program. Only grades of "C-" (1.75) or higher transfer into the program and students must have a "C-" (1.75) or better in each common program prerequisites class.
Acceptable Substitutes for Transfer Courses
- Program approval required.
Program Academic Learning Compacts
- Program Academic Learning Compacts (student learning outcomes) for undergraduate programs are located at: http://www.oeas.ucf.edu/alc/academic_learning_compacts.htm
Notes
- After completing core requirements, restricted electives, and BA/BS options, students are encouraged to select courses as electives or other courses that will enhance their background in the public administration field. These may be used to build minors and certificates offered by the University. Examples include: Business, Criminal Justice, Diplomacy, Economics, Environmental Studies, Florida Studies, Global Peace and Security Studies, Health Services Administration, Leadership Studies, Legal Studies, Political Science, and Terrorism Studies.
- The University requires 42 upper-level credits in order to graduate, students choosing the Nonprofit Management minor with the Generalist Emphasis may need to take additional upper-level electives to satisfy the University requirement.
