Academic Catalog

• To receive a master’s degree at Northern Arizona University, you must complete a planned group of courses from one or more subject areas, consisting of at least 30 units of graduate-level courses. (Many master’s degree programs require more than 30 units.)
  
  You must additionally complete:

  • All requirements for your specific academic plan(s). This may include a thesis.
  • All graduate work with a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0.
  • All work toward the master’s degree must be completed within six consecutive years. The six years begins with the semester and year of admission to the program.
  The full policy can be viewed here.
  

   

In addition to University Requirements:

• Core Area (15 units)
• Emphasis Area (18 units)
• Capstone (3 units)

Student Learning Outcomes

Understand and Apply Theory

• Examine administration, leadership and organizational theories, and knowledge of ethical and effective management.
• Apply theories to effectively and ethically manage diverse cultures emerging within organizations.
• Appropriately integrate and apply administrative, leadership and organizational theories to scholarly knowledge from the student’s emphasis area.

• Conduct research studies and program evaluations in a manner that meets rigorous methodological standards.
• Ensure research designs and program evaluations are conducted in a manner that they can produce useful, actionable results. 
• Apply findings from research and program evaluations to improve organizational effectiveness.

Additional Admission Requirements

• Admission requirements over and above admission to NAU are required.

• • NAU Graduate Online application is required for all programs. Details on admission requirements are included in the online application.
  • Undergraduate degree from a regionally accredited institution
  • Grade Point Average (GPA) of 3.00 (scale is 4.00 = "A"), or the equivalent. 
  • Admission to many graduate programs is on a competitive basis, and programs may have higher standards than those established by the Graduate College.
  • Transcripts
  • For details on graduate admission policies, please visit the Graduate Admissions Policy
  • International applicants have additional admission requirements. Please see the International Graduate Admissions Policy 

  
  Individual program admission requirements include:

• • Resume demonstrating 5 years professional work experience

• • 3 letters of recommendation
  • Personal statement or essay

• • Guidelines for the essay and resume can be found at http://extended.nau.edu/madmin/apply.aspx

Master's Requirements

• Take the following 36 units:
  
  Core Area (15 units)

  • ADM 515. This course must be the first course taken in the program. (3 units)
  • ADM 540 (3 units)
  • ENG 526 (3 units)
  • POS 543 (3 units)
  Select one course from the following, or substitute another approved course in the area of: Research Methods, Statistics, or Evaluation as approved by your advisor (3 units):
  • ADM 530. This is a required course for the General Leadership Emphasis
  • POS 501
  Emphasis Area (Select One):

• • Health Sciences Emphasis (18 units)
    Choose 6 of the following:

    • HS 510, HS 515, HS 520, HS 532, HS 590, HS 599, HS 643, HS 625, ADM 650 (15-18 units)
    • Approved elective (0-3 units)
    Some courses may be offered infrequently. See your advisor for current options.

• • Justice Studies Emphasis (18 units)

    • JUS 510, JUS 530, JUS 540, JUS 610, JUS 620, JUS 630 (18 units)
    • ADM 530 is the required research class in the Core area for this Emphasis

• • Land-Use Planning Emphasis (18 units)
    • GSP 501, GSP 521, GSP 532 (9 units)
    • Select one concentration from below:

• • • Community Planning Concentration, select from the following (9 units):
      

      • GSP 401 required for students with limited professional-planning experience
      • GSP 506 you may substitute for ADM 530/POS 501
      • GSP 514, GSP 545
      • GSP 599 may be taken twice with different topics (1-4 units)
      • GSP 608 only for students with limited professional-planning experience (1-3 units)
      • CM 690
      • PRM 423
      • Approved electives from the GIS Concentration (3-4 units)
      Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Concentration, select from the following (9 units):
      
      • GSP 531, GSP 533, GSP 535, GSP 536, GSP 537, GSP 538
      • Approved electives from the Community Planning Concentration (1-4 units)

• • Leadership Emphasis (18 units)
    
    • ADM 525, ADM 560, ADM 645, ADM 650, ADM 655, ADM 675 (18 units)
    • Note: ADM 530 is the required research class in the Core area for this Emphasis

• • Professional Writing Emphasis (18 units)
    Select six from the following eight courses:

    • ENG 502, ENG 517, ENG 522, ENG 549, ENG 554, ENG 569, ENG 605, ENG 606
    Project Management Emphasis (18 units)
    
    • PM 529, PM 588, PM 681, PM 683, PM 689
    • Advisor Approved elective (3 units)
    Public Management Emphasis (18 units)
    
    • POS 428, POS 541, POS 527, POS 581, POS 644 (15 units)
    • Approved Elective (3 units)

• • • Note: You may repeat POS 428 and POS 581 with different course topics.

• • Small Business Emphasis (18 units)
    • ADM 500, ADM 510, ADM 550, ADM 660, ADM 680 (15 units)
    • Approved Elective (3 units)
    • Note: ADM 530 is the required research class in the Core area for this Emphasis

• • Custom Emphasis (18 units)
    Students must submit a proposal for a Custom Emphasis to the Director of the Master of Administration Program that:

    • Outlines their professional goals,
    • Describes a set of 6 courses that make an overall coherent Custom Emphasis, and
    • Indicates how each course in their program will help them achieve their goals.
    The Custom Emphasis must be approved by the Director of the Master of Administration Program in advance of any courses being taken.

• Capstone (3 units)
  • ADM 689: The Capstone Project is a comprehensive, synthesizing project in which students apply the knowledge and skills acquired throughout their degree program. This rich, culminating experience requires students to produce work with theoretical/academic and applied components.

• Be aware that some courses may have prerequisites that you must also take. For prerequisite information click on the course or see your advisor.
   

• PROGRAM FEE INFORMATION

• Program fees are established by the Arizona Board of Regents (ABOR). A program fee of $2500 has been approved for this program. A $625 fee is applied to the following courses - ADM 515, ADM 540, POS 543, and ADM 689.  (This fee is eliminated as of Fall 2018.)