Contents > College of Public Programs > School of Public Affairs
spa.asu.edu
602/496-0450
UCENT 450
Regents’ Professor
Professors
Cayer, Chapman, Coor, Crow, J. Denhardt, Friedman, Hall, Lan, Perry, Svara
Associate Professors
Assistant Professors
Al-Yahya, Catlaw, Corley, Duke, Fasano, Peck
Professors of Practice
The mission of the School of Public Affairs is to advance excellence in governance by creating, sharing, and applying knowledge of public administration.
The School of Public Affairs offers a Bachelor of Urban and Metropolitan Studies degree program, undergraduate certificates in public administration and public management and leadership and ethics, a BIS concentration in public administration and public management, a 42-semester-hour Master of Public Administration (MPA) degree, a 42-semester-hour Master of Public Policy (MPP) degree, and an interdisciplinary degree leading to the PhD in Public Administration.
Certificate in Leadership and Ethics
The School of Public Affairs, in conjunction with the Lincoln Center for Applied Ethics, offers a 15-semester-hour Leadership and Ethics Certificate program. The certificate prepares students for positions of leadership and responsibility in the university, in their communities, and throughout their careers in business, government, and society. Students explore the relationship between leadership and the capacity for individuals to assume responsibility for their actions and to act with a sense of ethics and integrity. The program provides students with an understanding of change processes as they affect individuals, groups, and organizations throughout society, so that students might better learn to cope with and direct change in positive and beneficial ways.
D PAF 494 ST: Building Leadership Skills (3)
D PAF 494 ST: Leadership and Change (3)
D PAF 494 ST: Leadership Capstone (3)
D PHI 394 ST: Ethics and Justice (3)
Certificate in Public Administration and Public Management
The School of Public Affairs offers a 15-semester-hour Public Administration and Public Management Certificate program. The certificate prepares students for leadership positions and careers in governmental agencies and nonprofit associations. To meet certificate requirements, students take four core courses and one elective course. The list of approved electives may be obtained by visiting the School of Public Affairs Student Services Office in WILSN 211, or by calling 480/965-1037.
D PAF 300 Public Management and Administration (3)
D PAF 340 Public Management and Policy (3)
D PAF 420 Public Leadership (3)
D PAF 460 Public Service Ethics (3)
A concentration in public administration is available under the Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies (BIS) degree, a program intended for the student who has academic interests that might not be satisfied with existing majors. Building on two academic concentrations (or one double concentration) and an interdisciplinary core, students in the BIS program take active roles in creating their educational plans and defining their career goals. For more information, see School of Interdisciplinary Studies.
Urban and Metropolitan Studies—BA and BS
The Bachelor’s Degree in Urban and Metropolitan Studies offers students who are interested in the urban environment the opportunity to explore the wide variety of issues that influence the quality of life in urban communities. This program encourages students to learn about cities as historical, social, cultural, economic, and political phenomena in order to gain a strong understanding of the complex relationships that contribute to the problems and opportunities of urban living.
The Urban and Metropolitan Studies program enables undergraduates to examine these problems and opportunities through multiple lenses and to address them in practical ways. Students are prepared for professional careers involved in improving urban life, and also for graduate degrees in urban studies, public administration, public policy, law, or other public programs. There is also a minor available for students already enrolled in a degree program but who want to supplement their educational experience.
At the conclusion of the program, students will be able to identify, analyze, and interpret the challenges and dilemmas of new city-states through a variety of quantitative and qualitative methods. Students also will be prepared to develop innovative processes and tools to deal with the changing social, economic, and scientific realities of these areas and to help build innovative forms of governance to address urban problems and issues on a global, regional, and local basis.
Individuals who meet the minimum university admission requirements will be admitted to the BA or BS program with preprofessional status. Professional status admission requirements include the completion of at least 56 semester hours with a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.50; the university First-Year Composition requirement and the university mathematical general studies requirement; the College of Public Programs writing competence, communication, and computer requirements; and the completion of the following core with a minimum grade of “C” (2.00) or higher: URB 100 or 300, 105 or 305, 220 and 240.
The course work for the Urban and Metropolitan Studies program requires a minimum of 54 semester hours, including introductory courses (six semester hours), core courses (18 semester hours), and other required courses (30 semester hours). Students are required to achieve a grade of “C” or higher in all program introductory and core classes. Students are also encouraged to complete an internship. Internships are offered with a variety of government, nonprofit, and business organizations with an urban focus. Each student will complete a capstone course that requires the completion of a significant project with demonstrated individual or team aspects. The capstone course will usually be completed during the final year at ASU.
The major requirements consist of a minimum of 54 semester hours, including introductory courses (six semester hours), core courses (18 semester hours), and other required courses (30 semester hours). Students are required to take URB 100 or 300 and URB 105 or 305 for the introductory courses. Students in the BS program will be required to complete an upper-division course in Statistics (PAF 401, REC 482, or SWU 321). The following constitute the core curriculum:
D URB 100 Introduction to Urban Governance (3)
or D URB 300 Evolution of Urban Governance (3)
D URB 105 Introduction to Urban America (3)
or D URB 305 American Urban Development (3)
D URB 220 Urban Governance (3)
D URB 301 Urban Research I: Methods and Design (3)
D URB 302 Urban Research II: Practice and Presentation (3)
D URB 400 Senior Professional Seminar (3)
D URB 410 Urban Leadership and Collaborative Skills (3)
Select a combination of the following
Foreign Language Proficiency (BA only) (8)
* Students can choose from a variety of Related Urban Topics classes offered by the School of Public Affairs. In addition, students can choose related courses offered by the School of Public Affairs or other departments. For a list of approved courses, access the Web site at spa.asu.edu/urban/coursework.htm or consult the department.
The school also offers a 42-semester-hour professional Master of Public Administration degree, a 42-semester-hour Master of Public Policy degree, and the Doctor of Philosophy degree. Consult the Graduate Catalog for information about the programs.
Courses
Information about all courses is available on the Web at ASU Interactive. For more information, see Classification of Courses.
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