Mar 28, 2024  
2023-2024 Undergraduate Catalog [Current Academic Year] 
    
2023-2024 Undergraduate Catalog [Current Academic Year] This is not the most recent catalog version; be sure you are viewing the appropriate catalog year.

Public and Nonprofit Administration [BA]


Public and nonprofit administration are broad areas of study that combine theory and practice, focusing on the organization of governments and nonprofit entities, their policies and programs, the performance of their governing bodies, and the management of human and financial resources. Public Administration encourages public policies that are responsive to human, social, and economic needs and that are efficient and effective; nonprofit administration shares a similar focus.

The public and nonprofit administration major involves a core of coursework in important subfields of the discipline. Students can choose how best to supplement the core areas of study with electives that meet their professional interests. The addition of a minor field of study is designed to further develop the student toward a particular professional path.

Students completing the major and other graduation requirements will be awarded a bachelor’s degree in public and nonprofit administration. They enter a broad range of careers in government service (federal, state, or local), non-profit organizations, or business. Some go on to graduate or professional schools in public administration, nonprofit management, public policy, political science, business administration, or law.

Pre-service students (those without significant work experience in either a public or nonprofit entity) are required to complete a three-credit-hour internship (PLSC 480L4  or PLSC 486L4 ) or three-credit-hour cooperative education placement (PLSC 387L4  or PLSC 487L4 ) as part of the Required Core of coursework. In-service students are allowed to waive this requirement and substitute one of the elective courses listed. Students should consult an advisor about including an internship and special topics courses as a part of their program of study.

Department Information


Political Science 601 Pray-Harrold, 734.487.3113 

Barbara Patrick, PhD, Department Head

Advisor Information


Gregory Plagens, PhD, 601 Pray-Harrold, 734.487.3113

General Education Requirements:


For specific requirements, see General Education  or view the General Education Worksheet [PDF] .  

Major Requirements: 30 hours


Required Core: 18 hours


Minor Requirement:


This major requires a minor. A minor is to be selected in consultation with a public administration advisor, recommended choices include: Aging Studies Communication ​, Computer Science Conservation and Resource Use Criminology and Criminal Justice ​, Economics ​, Environmental Analysis ​, General Business ​, Health Administration ​, Historic Preservation Journalism Management ​, Military Science and Leadership ​, Public Law and Government ​, Social Work Urban and Regional Planning ​, or Writing .

A student cannot pursue this major and the Public and Nonprofit Administration Minor .

Program Total:


Students must earn a minimum total of 120 credits at the 100-level or above.

Critical Graduation Information


Each undergraduate student will be responsible for fulfilling the requirements (or their equivalents) of the Eastern Michigan University catalog in force at the time of their initial registration at a college or university or a subsequent catalog, including the one in effect at the time of their graduation.

In the event an undergraduate student does not complete the degree requirements within seven years of the date of their original registration at a college or university, the student may be required to have their credits re-evaluated by the academic department(s) of their major/minor in keeping with catalog requirements in force during the year of their graduation.

Minimum requirements for all bachelor’s degrees awarded by Eastern Michigan University

Some majors and minors require more than the minimum in one or more of the areas below; students are urged to consult this catalog for the requirements of their particular programs.

  • Earn a minimum total of 120 credit hours at the 100-level and above.
    • Courses numbered below 100 are not counted toward this degree requirement.
    • At most, eight credit hours of physical education (PEGN) activity courses are counted toward this requirement.
  • Meet the requirements of the General Education program (see information below), including completing a Writing Intensive (GEWI) course in the student’s major.
  • Earn a minimum of 60 credits from a four-year college or university; courses taken at community colleges cannot be used to meet this requirement (Some formal program-to-program articulation agreements modify this requirement. See specific agreements for details).
  • Earn a minimum of 30 credits from courses taken at EMU.
  • Complete 10 of the last 30 hours for the degree from courses taken at EMU.
  • Have a minimum of 30 unique credit hours in their major and 20 unique credit hours in their minor for a total of at least 50 unique credit hours between them. Some majors that require 50 or more hours themselves do not require a minor. A double major automatically satisfies the need for a minor unless one of the two majors requires a specific minor. Students should check the requirements of the selected major in the undergraduate catalog to see if a minor is required. 
  • Earn no more than 60 credit hours in one subject area (prefix). Credits over the 60 maximum will not be counted toward the minimum of 120 credits required for a bachelor’s degree.
  • Earn the minimum number of credits in 300-level and above courses in each major and minor as specified below - these credits must be earned in distinct courses; that is, no course can be used to fulfill this requirement in more than one major or minor.
    • Earn a minimum of 6 credits in 300-level or higher courses at EMU in each minor
    • Earn a minimum of 9 credits in 300-level or higher courses at EMU in each major that requires a minor.
    • Earn a minimum of 15 credits in 300-level or higher courses at EMU in each major that does not require a minor
  • Transfer credit will be awarded for courses taken at colleges and universities that are accredited by one of the recognized regional accrediting bodies only if the courses are college-level (equated to 100-level or above at EMU) and the student earned a “C” (or 2.0 on a 4 point scale) or better. Transfer credit may be awarded on a case-by-case basis for college-level courses in which a “C” (2.0) or better was earned at institutions outside the U.S. or at non-accredited U.S. institutions; individual departments/schools conduct the internal review of such courses within EMU, and additional documentation may be required. Please note: EMU awards only credit for transferred courses; grades are not used to calculate an EMU GPA.
  • Earn a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 in courses taken at EMU to graduate. In addition, a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 must be reached in each major and minor. Only courses a student takes at EMU and those applied to their major or minor are used to calculate their major and minor cumulative GPAs. (Note: some programs may require a higher GPA - check with your program advisor.)

General Education Requirements - EMU’s General Education Program requires students to choose from a menu of approved courses in several different areas; do not assume that other courses in the same department or similar names will fulfill these requirements. A detailed description of General Education requirements is available in the General Education  section of the catalog.

Students who transferred to EMU may have modified general education requirements based on Michigan Transfer Agreement (MTA) or articulation agreements; consult your academic advisor for additional information.