MPA Curriculum
At Cornell, the Master of Public Administration (M.P.A.) degree is a two-year graduate program that requires four semesters of residence. Most fellows enter CIPA at the graduate level. Some advanced Cornell seniors, who enroll in the Accelerated Master’s Program, begin their M.P.A. program while finishing up their undergraduate major. They complete the equivalent of the first year of master’s study during their senior year.
The M.P.A. program offers a basic structure for study, but CIPA fellows are the primary designers of their educational and career trajectories while at Cornell. Upon entering the program, each fellow is provided a program advisor based on the student’s area of interest. Fellows work closely with their advisor to design an individualized course of study. Later, as they move beyond basic coursework and decide upon a concentration, fellows choose a thesis or professional project advisor, whose role it is to guide them in choosing concentration courses and in developing a thesis or professional project.
During their two years of study, CIPA fellows take sixteen courses (typically four per semester). The M.P.A. curriculum includes seven structural components:
- Foundation coursework (three courses in each of the areas listed below)
- Administration, Politics, and Public Policy
- Economics and Public Finance
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Quantitative Analysis
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Concentration Coursework (five courses in the student’s selected area of focus)
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Graduate Research (two courses related to Thesis or Professional Project)
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Internship/Off-Campus Semester
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Colloquium (four semesters)
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Professional Development Activity (two semesters)
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Professional writing requirement: Thesis or Professional Report
Foundation Coursework
The foundation coursework requirements are designed to offer fellows basic conceptual and analytical capabilities for pursuing specialized studies in the chosen concentration. Of the three courses fellows take in each foundation subject area, at least one must be a course offered by a CIPA core faculty member. A more detailed description of the foundation coursework requirements, along with a listing of illustrative courses, can be found starting on page 19.
The following faculty members teach core foundation coursework:
- Administration, Politics and Public Policy
- Professor Theodore J. Lowi
- Professor Norman Uphoff
- Professor Jerome M. Ziegler
- Economics and Public Finance
- Professor Nancy H. Chau
- Professor Christine Ranney
- Quantitative Analysis
- Professor David B. Lewis
Concentration Coursework
There are eight concentration options.
- Environmental Policy
- Finance and Fiscal Policy
- Government, Politics, and Policy Studies
- Human Rights and Social Justice
- International Development Studies
- Public and Nonprofit Management
- Science and Technology Policy
- Social Policy
Five graduate-level courses are required in the area of the student’s chosen concentration. Under each concentration, courses have been identified that build on the foundation, in a direction relevant to the focus of the concentration. An illustrative set of concentration courses can be found starting on page 23.
By the end of the first year of study, students should complete the following requirements and file a Declaration of Concentration Form to the CIPA Office (see page 59).
- Declare a concentration
- Prepare a study plan of the courses to be taken for that concentration
- Prepare a summer reading list as an introduction to the concentration
Graduate Research Coursework
In addition to the total of fourteen foundation and concentration courses, CIPA fellows enroll in two additional research courses. Fellows have the option of enrolling in courses offering specialized research for their thesis or professional project, or to take courses that explore a new area of study.
Internship and/or Off-Campus Study Options
CIPA fellows are strongly encouraged to engage in an internship related to their areas of concentration during the summer between their first and second years of graduate study. The objective of an internship is to develop a student’s professional network and to serve as a practical complement to formal academic study. Thomas O’Toole, the CIPA Assistant Director for Professional Development provides assistance to fellows in finding placements that match their interests, expertise, and professional goals. He can be reached by phone at (607) 255-6668 or by e-mail at cipajobs@cornell.edu.
Internships are available in organizations in the public, private, nonprofit, and academic sectors. Recent CIPA fellows have been placed in internships with the following representative organizations:
- The United States Department of State
- The United Sates Congress
- The Organization of American States
- The United Nations
- The Israeli Embassy
- Transparency, International
- Booz Allen Hamilton, Inc.
- Goldman Sachs
- The Nutrition Forum for Black Public Administrators
- Emily's List
- The Independence Institute
- The Urban Voice
Additional information on internships is available on the CIPA web site at http://www.cipa.cornell.edu.
CIPA fellows also have the opportunity to gain professional experience during an academic semester or summer by enrolling in a variety of off-campus programs:
- Rome Program: Fellows participate in an internship while taking Cornell courses in Rome, Italy. For more information, see www.rome.cornell.edu.
- Cornell in Washington Program: CIPA fellows study and explore public policy formation in the nation’s capitol while engaging in a public affairs externship. For more information, see www.ciw.cornell.edu.
- Cornell-Nepal Study Program: Fellows study and engage in internships in this developing Himalayan country. For more information, e-mail CUAbroad@cornell.edu.
- Cornell Urban Scholars Program: Fellows spend eight weeks collecting and analyzing data for a nonprofit organization engaged in service delivery, policy analysis and advocacy on behalf of low-income children and their families.
Colloquium
Students are required to resister for GOV 699: CIPA Colloquium for every semester that they are in residence at Cornell. GOV 699 meets on Thursday afternoons from 4:30-5:45 PM in 100 Caldwell Hall. This forum engages participants in discussions of issues facing public affairs and public policy professionals, helping CIPA fellows make critical links between their coursework and a wide array of domestic and international public policy and administration challenges. Here, students at all stages of their individual programs attend presentations by leaders from the public, private, and nonprofit sectors and share insights with each other, refining their own thinking and career goals in the process. A listing of upcoming colloquium presentations can be found on the CIPA web site, www.cipa.cornell.edu.
There are two exceptions to the colloquium registration policy. Fellows who are pursuing off-campus opportunities in programs such as Cornell in Washington or Cornell-Nepal will be automatically excused from colloquium during their semester away. In addition, a student who has a direct course-conflict with GOV 699 may petition to have colloquium waived (see form on page 69). The student must provide convincing evidence that the course is integral to the completion of their CIPA course requirements. A student may receive such a colloquium waiver for one semester only while in residence at Cornell.
In order to receive a passing grade (or "S") in GOV 699, fellows must be in attendance at all but two of the scheduled colloquiums during a given semester. A third absence (due to sickness, a job interview, or attendance at an alternative lecture) is allowable only if a student listens to the audio recording of the missed colloquium and writes a five page executive summary. Students who fail to complete an executive summary for the third missed colloquium by the end of the semester will receive a "U" on their transcript. Students who miss four or more colloquia during a single semester will receive an automatic "U."
Professional Development Activities
CIPA fellows develop practical skills by organizing, managing, and participating in a variety of professional development activities. These activities provide students with opportunities to share experiences and perspectives with other fellows, and to meet practitioners and distinguished faculty members from the field of public affairs. Students are required to participate in one or more of these professional development activities for at least two semesters. These are student-led initiatives and each fellow should contact the chair of the respective committee for enrollment information.
- Colloquium Committee:
This committee sets the agenda for the weekly colloquium series and provides logistical support for speakers as they make arrangements to visit CIPA. The colloquium committee is also responsible for administering the Distinguished Faculty Program and the Distinguished Faculty Symposium.
- Point of View (POV):
Point of View is CIPA’s public affairs television program. A forum for both analysis and debate, Point of View is designed to address current public policy issues and to give voice to diverse opinions and positions. Guests of Point of View have included policymakers, academics, and public and nonprofit managers who are invited to make a substantial contribution to the discussion at hand. Fellows who serve on the production team of Point of View work in all aspects of television production and presentation, gaining invaluable experience for the media exposure they will encounter as public policy professionals.
- The Current:
The Current is CIPA’s academic public policy journal. Drawing upon their own research and professional experiences, CIPA fellows write articles for this publication and edit articles submitted by faculty and alumni. Working on The Current offers students a firsthand view of the rigors of academic publishing while simultaneously allowing participating students to hone the writing and editing skills that are vital to preparing public affairs reports and position papers.
Professional Writing Requirement
The CIPA M.P.A. professional writing requirement provides an opportunity to synthesize the different elements of the CIPA educational experience and make a contribution to the field of public affairs. In meeting the professional writing requirement, fellows are expected to integrate concepts, theories, and analytical techniques by applying them to a public policy problem relevant to their concentration. As a culmination of study in the M.P.A. program, the professional writing requirement is both critical and creative, reflecting one’s ability to identify and analyze important public policy questions and to devise practical solutions.
There are two options for completing the CIPA M.P.A. professional writing requirement: the first option is a professional report and the second option is a master’s thesis. Both options must meet the format requirements of the Graduate School and should be approximately 50 to 75 pages in length plus technical appendices and bibliography, where appropriate. For formatting specifications, students should consult the Doctoral Dissertation & Master’s Thesis: Formatting, Production, and Submission Requirements Guide available outside of the Graduate School Registrar’s Office in Caldwell Hall. Limited copies of this document are also available in the CIPA Office, 294 Caldwell Hall.
Both the professional report and the M.P.A. thesis require the student to synthesize and apply their education to formulate a solution to a policy problem. In the case of the thesis, however, a greater emphasis is placed upon problem definition and literature review, while the professional report emphasizes feasibility, practitioner accessibility, and adapting a student’s writing to the professional culture and standard practices of the client organization. The thesis is written for an academic audience whereas the professional paper is for practicing professionals.
For both the professional report and the master’s thesis, CIPA fellows are required to work closely with an advisor selected from the CIPA field faculty (see listing on page 13). CIPA fellows who wish to work with a faculty member who is not a member of the field may petition the CIPA core faculty to invite that said faculty member to join the CIPA field. The role of the faculty advisor is to provide periodic advice to the fellow on issues related to the scope, content and organization of the independent writing project and to ensure the quality of the final project prior to submission. It is the responsibility of the fellow to ensure that their advisor is informed of their progress and to see that all deadlines are met. As soon as fellows settle on a topic and gain the support of an advisor, they should submit either an M.P.A. Thesis Prospectus Form (see page 61) or a Professional Report Preliminary Form (see page 65). These forms must be submitted to the CIPA Office by the end of the first semester of a fellow’s second year.
Satisfaction of this professional writing requirement is based on formal acceptance of a completed thesis or professional report by the fellow’s thesis or professional project advisor; those completing a project must also obtain the approval of their supervisor at the host organization. An oral public defense is not required. Upon receipt of their formal approval, fellows must submit their thesis or professional report to the CIPA Office. In order to graduate at the end of a given academic semester, fellows must turn the following documents in no later than two weeks before graduation:
- One professionally-bound copy of thesis or professional report
- One electronic copy of thesis or professional report
- CIPA Thesis Approval Form OR CIPA M.P.A. Professional Report Approval Form (see Academic Forms)
Professional Report
The professional report represents a project that is undertaken by a fellow on behalf of a "client" such as a public, private, or nonprofit organization that invites a fellow to work on a problem in policy analysis or program evaluation. Ideally, the client is obtained through an internship experience or a clinical course taken while in residence at Cornell. The professional report is most appropriate for those fellows who are entering practice upon graduating from CIPA, and is designed to be accessible and useful to an audience of practitioners and to further the agenda of the client organization. The professional report must be synthetic in nature and both the client and the fellow’s professional project advisor must certify its professional and academic quality. The client for whom the professional report is written may not be hypothetical.
Thesis
The CIPA thesis represents a substantial, independent research paper that seeks to make a contribution to the academic understanding of public affairs. The essential components of the thesis are:
- The definition of a policy problem
- A literature review that constitutes a summary of previous efforts to deal with the policy problem, the success of these efforts, alternative proposals that have sought to address this policy problem and their strengths and weaknesses
- A synthesis of a new proposed solution to this policy problem and its advantages
- A discussion of the feasibility of the proposed solution
- A discussion of any adjustments to the solution that might be requisite to ensure implementation
Fellows are required to work closely with their thesis advisor to ensure that they have defined a sufficiently focused research agenda and that the data they require for the completion of their thesis is readily available. The CIPA thesis is particularly appropriate for those fellows who are pursuing further graduate studies upon graduating from CIPA.
Note: For a complete description of elements of the CIPA Professional writing requirement, please see the Guidelines for the M.P.A. Professional Writing Requirement booklet available in 294 Caldwell Hall or online at www.cipa.cornell.edu/cip_writrequire.html
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