• According to the Graduate College catalog, “All graduate students must have an academic advisor in the graduate program in which degree work is to be done. The academic advisor assists in planning a program of graduate study that fits the needs of the student and satisfies the graduate program and Graduate College requirements.“
• In general, it is the responsibility of the advisor to help each student devise a program of study.  This may include assistance in the identification of career goals, the selection of an area of concentration, recommendations on what courses to take when, and an appropriate course load?

What are the responsibilities of the student?

• MPA students should get in contact with their faculty advisor before the start of the term and fill out the course plan given to the new students at orientation. 
• Each student should contact his/her advisor either in person or via email at least once each academic year to discuss the student’s progress and course of study.  Students should let Sharon Sanders know of any issues in communicating with their advisor.
• It is the responsibility of each student to be familiar with university policies as set forth in the Graduate Catalog.
  • Academic probation
  • Transfer credit
  • Financial Aid
  • Course loads
  • Course numbering
  • Leave of absence
  • Graduation requirements
• It is the responsibility of each student to be familiar with departmental policies set forth in the MPA handbook .

What is the role of the director of graduate studies?

• The director of graduate studies handles issues relating to:
  • Student grievances
  • Academic probation
  • General counseling-problems with current courses
  • Graduate petitions
  • Leaves of absence
  • University withdrawal
  • Financial aid recommendation
  • Graduation checklist

What is the role of staff?

• The Assistant to the Head, Sharon Sanders is available to assist students with issues relating to course registration, enrolling in courses on which a hold has been placed, graduation requirements, etc.  Sharon is also available to provide general advice to students on curriculum requirements, scheduling, and course selection.  Sharon has access to the official transcript of each student including grade history.  Sharon has Independent Study forms and handles petitions to the Graduate College. 

General information on advising for faculty

• An individual folder has been created for each faculty member on the PA Shared Drive under the MPA program folder, under MPA Advising, and then under each faculty member’s name.  Within the individual folder, there is a spreadsheet with all of the new student information, including contact information.  There are also pdf files of the new students application documents, which will provide additional background on advisees.
• Admissions letters can be found on the shared drive, in the admissions folder.

Advising Calendar

Current course schedule

Four year course schedule

Three year course plan

• Frequency of course offerings
  • The general policy is to offer each of the core courses every spring, every fall and alternate summers.  There are several exceptions to this policy as follows:
• PA 400 – Two sections of PA 400 are offered in the fall semester, one section in the spring semester.  PA 400 is not offered in the summer.
• PA 407 – Two sections of PA 407 are offered in the fall semester, one section in the spring semester.  PA 407 is not offered in the summer. 
• PA 503 - Public Personnel Management is offered every summer.
• PA 590 - Capstone course is offered in the spring and fall semesters only.
   
• In general, elective courses are offered once every two years.  Full-time students who will be in the program for only two years should take desired electives whenever offered.
• The following Information and Performance Management courses that are also part of the e-Government certificate program are offered more frequently:
• 460 Data Management
• 461 Management of Information Technology in Government
• 462 Project Management for Public Managers
• 463 The Internet and Public Administration
• 465 Geographic Information Systems for Public Managers
• Each course in the nonprofit management area of concentration is scheduled to be offered once every three semesters (not including the summer semester).
• New students are encouraged to take PA 400 Public Administration Theory and PA 407 Data Analysis during their first or second semesters.
• Students choosing the Financial Management area of concentration should take PA 504 Budgeting for Public Administration in their first or second semesters.  PA 504 is a prerequisite for all the courses in that area of concentration.
• Students should only register for the capstone course (PA 590) during their last semester or second to last semester. More information on the capstone course can be found at http://www.uic.edu/cuppa/pa/current_students/capstone.html

Areas of Concentration

• Students are urged to complete a two or three year course plan based on the four year course schedule as soon as possible
• Students are urged to choose an area of concentration as soon as possible, no later than their second semester in the program. 
  • A list of concentrations and descriptions can be found here
  • A list of courses associated with each area of concentration can be found here.
  • A list of faculty specializations by concentration can be found here.

Registration

• Students are urged to register early – some courses fill up quickly.  Enrollment for most courses is capped at 25 with admission beyond that level allowed only for students needing the course to graduate.

Field Experience in Public Administration (PA 490)

• The Field Experience (PA 490) course is designed for students with little or no job experience.  Students must have completed at least six courses (24 credit hours) to take the field experience course.

Prerequisities

• MPA courses with prerequisites:

Other

• What help is available for a student with little or no training in statistics/data analysis?
  • Online Prerequisite material for PA 407 is on the Blackboard site. If students do not have access to the prerequisite they should e-mail Sharon Sanders at shar@uic.edu.
• Independent Studies
  • A student seeking to enroll in PA 596, Independent Study in Public Administration must secure the approval of the faculty member with whom the independent study will be conducted. 
  • An independent study form available on the shared drive must be filled out by the student and approved by the participating faculty member and the director of graduate studies.
• Students with limited training in quantitative methods are advised not to take any two of PA 407, PA 504 and PA 410 in the same semester.