The Master of Administration Online Degree Program


Purpose of the Degree Program

The purpose of the Master of Administration is to offer an online degree designed for time-place bound mid-career professionals who would like a comprehensive understanding of administration and seek to strengthen and update their business and administration skills. Admission to the degree program requires a minimum of 5 years of working experience and an application with an essay describing how this degree will enhance the student's professional goals.

Overview of the Degree

The 36 hour online graduate degree combines the quality of courses designed and taught by Northern Arizona University faculty with the flexibility of web delivered instruction. The degree provides broad preparation and professional skills for a variety of administrative positions in a wide range of organizations. The program assists students in developing a professional understanding of business foundations through courses in marketing, management, finance, quantitative analysis, management information systems, and law.

Students have the added benefit of choosing a professional area of focus and skills application from the following program emphasis areas:

Overview of the Requirements

Foundations Area (15 hours)
Emphasis Area (18 hours)
Capstone (3 hours)
Total (36 hours)
Program Expectations
Second Emphasis Policy Information
Program Checklists

Program Cost

The cost of the Master of Administration program includes: tuition, student fees, books and a program fee of $2500. The program fee is prorated over the foundation and capstone classes.

Program Scholarship Information
NAU Financial Aid Office

Getting Started

The application is in two parts: you must apply to both the Graduate College and the Master of Administration Program.

I. Submit the following materials directly to the Graduate College

Graduate application(online application)
$50 application fee
Official transcripts
Graduate College
PO Box 4125
Flagstaff AZ 86011-4125
II. Submit the following materials directly to the Master of Administration program

Northern Arizona University
M. Admin Program
PO BOX 4117
Flagstaff, AZ 86011-4177

Email resume and essay to:

Find out more about how the Master of Administration Program can help with your professional and personal goals.
Contact the Distance Learning Center at: 1-800-426-8315
Email:

 

Master of Administration Program email:

Master of Administration
Program Requirements

Foundations Area (15 hours)

ADM 515 Principles of Leadership (3 credits)
Introduction to general leadership theory, knowledge, and skills.

ADM 540 Principles of Administration (3 credits)
Examines various approaches in the study of administration with an emphasis on practical applications. Examination of competing perspectives will help students apply critical analysis and problem solving skills.

POS 543 Organizational Management (3 credits)
Examines dynamics of modern complex organizations, including structure of bureaucratic organizations and incremental and rational approaches to decision-making influences.

Choose one of the courses below or substitute another approved course in the area of: Research Methods, Statistics or Evaluation approved by your advisor (3 credits).

ADM 530 Principles and Strategies of Program Evaluation
Introduction to contemporary program evaluation theory, methodology and issues applied to leadership and program administration. This course will focus upon issues in the application of program evaluation in settings that correspond to the area of emphasis in the Master of Administration

POS 501 (3) Research Methods and Analysis
Introduction to the practice of social research, including the design of scientific research and the analysis of information
ELECTIVE:  Approved by your advisor (3 credits)

Emphasis Areas (18 hours)

Community Planning

Advance your career in community planning by gaining theory and knowledge of budgeting, research and management, along with the fundamentals of land use planning and community development. The community planning emphasis builds upon your applied experience to expand your career opportunities as a public sector planner in local government, a private sector land use planning consultant, or a community planner for a nonprofit organization.

General Leadership Emphasis

Students pursuing the General Leadership Emphasis will develop an adequate knowledge of leadership through opportunities to assess personal leadership attributes, develop leadership skills, and through the study of both current and classical literature.  This Emphasis will provide students with the ability to lead change, the understanding of various models of problem solving, and the ability to lead in diverse organizations.

Health Sciences Emphasis

Designed for working health professionals, the health sciences emphasis will prepare you to plan, implement, and evaluate health promotion and health education programs and serve in professional, leadership, and administrative roles in health services organizations.
Choose six from the following:

Professional Writing Emphasis

Strong organization, writing, and rhetorical skills are essential for business success. The professional writing emphasis is functional, practical, and useful for people working in business, industry, science, and government. Based on standard writing skills, this emphasis also involves designing and editing both print and Web documents. Managers report spending a quarter of their time reading reports and another quarter of their time writing reports. Enhance your ability to create documents that are clear, easy to navigate, and effective in producing the results you want.

Choose six from the following courses:

Project Management Emphasis

Students in this Emphasis will learn how to successfully manage projects to meet goals and timelines aligned with identified budgets and resources. Opportunities abound for project management professionals in numerous disciplines that include the design and construction of buildings, organizing political campaigns, launching a software product, developing an advertising campaign, or coordinating events.

Public Management Emphasis

Gain the essentials needed for careers in both public and private sector organizations. The public management Emphasis offers courses in important components in public management - including the theory and practice of organizational management, budget management, and problem-solving of issues faced by managers in today's organizations. 

Custom Emphasis

Students who have professional aspirations and interests other than those represented in the current approved Emphases may choose to develop a Custom Emphasis. A Custom Emphasis of 18 credit hours offers an opportunity for students to design a unique program to meet their specific professional goals. Students must present to their advisor a written rationale expressing their professional goals, describing a set of 6 courses that make an overall coherent Custom Emphasis, and indicating how each course in their program is likely to 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 taken.

Capstone Experience (3 hours)

Directed study in which you, paired with a faculty member, complete a major project applying material learned in the program to current opportunities in your workplace.

Capstone Syllabus
Capstone_Application