Master of Arts in Administration
The Master of Arts in Administration generally consists of 30 semester hours of graduate coursework and includes 15 hours of core courses, 12 hours of concentration courses, and a capstone course.
The Master of Arts in Administration program is unique among graduate programs in South Texas in that it provides participants with core competencies in administration as well as essential knowledge, skills, and abilities in the specialty areas listed below. The curriculum is designed to develop ethical and accountable administrators who are able to conceptualize and critically analyze complex organizational issues within their specialty areas and who are able to persuasively communicate toward a course of action that is in the best interests of those they serve.
The Master of Arts in Administration offers concentrations in these fields:
— Applied Administration
— Communication Arts
— Criminal Justice Leadership
— Healthcare Administration
— Industrial and Organizational Psychology
Admission Requirements
Students applying for entry into the School of Professional Studies master's and doctoral level programs must fulfill the General Requirements and Application Procedures for graduate admissions at UIW and the special requirements for admission to the Master of Arts in Administration program.
Tier I
Unconditional Admission to the MAA program will be granted to applicants who satisfy all general requirements for admission to graduate studies to include:
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Baccalaureate degree with a minimum GPA of 3.0
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Official transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate work
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A completed application
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GRE not required for unconditional applicants
Tier II
Conditional Admission (2.5-2.99 GPA) to the MAA program will be granted to applicants who satisfy all general requirements for admission noted above but who have a GPA of 2.50 but less than 3.0. Those granted Conditional Admission will be required to complete the first four courses with a “B” or better. Neither the GRE nor the GMAT is required.
Tier III
Conditional Admission (2.0-2.49 GPA) to the MAA program will be granted to applicants who satisfy all general requirements for admission noted above but who have a GPA of 2.00 but less than 2.5. Applicants with a GPA above 2.0 but less than 2.5 MUST take the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) General Test or the Graduate Management Aptitude Test (GMAT). Applicants must achieve a minimum verbal score of 150 and a minimum quantitative score of 144 or higher and an analytical writing score of at least 3.5 on the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) General Test OR a 450 or higher on the Graduate Management Aptitude Test (GMAT) before they can be admitted into the MAA program. Those achieving these scores will be granted Conditional Admission and and will be required to complete the first four courses with a “B” or better.
As a general rule, applicants with an earned baccalaureate degree with an overall GPA less than 2.0 will not be admitted.
Master of Arts in Administration Degree Plan
The Master of Arts in Administration generally consists of 30 semester hours of graduate coursework and includes 15 hours of core courses, 12 hours of concentration courses, and a capstone course.
Administration Program Core Courses
Capstone Course
The capstone is an integrative problem-solving course, combining the functional areas of the Master of Arts in Administration core courses with the areas of expertise developed in the individual concentrations.
| ORGD 63CS | Master of Arts in Administration Capstone: Integrative Analysis of Organizational Development | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 3 |
Applied Administration Concentration
The Applied Administration concentration is designed to offer a program of study that allows students to personalize their degrees in order to gain the knowledge and skills required of their career fields. This concentration also allows students to avoid duplication of previous coursework, training or experience by permitting them to select courses from up to two of the Master of Arts in Administration concentrations: Communication Arts, Criminal Justice, Healthcare Administration, and Industrial and Organizational Psychology.
To fulfill the requirements for this program concentration, students complete the 15 semester hours of core courses, the Master of Arts in Administration Capstone ORGD 63CS, and 12 hours of coursework selected from Master of Arts in Administration concentrations.
The area of concentration can be selected from any discipline, except Business, which has a limit of 4 courses allowed in a Master of Arts in Administration program. The graduate advisor and the Dean of the School within which the area of concentration resides must approve student concentrations.
Communication Arts Concentration
The concentration in Communication Arts is designed to help students gain knowledge in their chosen degree field and to prepare them to serve as ethical and accountable administrators who are able to conceptualize and critically analyze complex organizational issues, and who are able to persuasively communicate a course of action that is in the best interest of those they serve.
The degree requirements of this concentration include the 15 semester hours of core courses, the Master of Arts in Administration Capstone ORGD 63CS, and 12 hours of Communication Arts concentration courses:
Criminal Justice Administration Concentration
The Criminal Justice Leadership concentration prepares students to examine the important psychological processes that criminal justice personnel use in interacting with the public; students are also prepared to evaluate the various methods of critical decision-making and innovation in day-to-day criminal justice operations in dealing with controversies. They will also be challenged to evaluate the public perception phenomenon concerned with fact-based truth and virtual truth shaped by popular opinion, media coverage, and reputation.
The degree requirements of this concentration include the 15 semester hours of core courses, the Master of Arts in Administration Capstone ORGD 63CS, and 12 hours of Criminal Justice Leadership concentration courses:
| CRIJ 6301 | The Psychology of Criminal Justice Leadership | 3 |
| CRIJ 6302 | Managing Controversies: The Courage to Lead | 3 |
| CRIJ 6303 | Ethical Decision Making: Understanding Biases and Public Perception | 3 |
| CRIJ 6304 | Assessing Crime, Criminal Justice and the Community | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 12 |
Healthcare Administration Concentration
The concentration in Healthcare Administration provides unique expertise in health services management that will prepare students to serve in a variety of healthcare organizations, including those in hospital, group practice, health insurance and other clinical and administrative settings.
The degree requirements of this concentration include the 15 semester hours of core courses, the Master of Arts in Administration Capstone ORGD 63CS, and 12 hours of Healthcare Administration concentration courses:
| HCAD 6305 | Healthcare Finance I | 3 |
| HCAD 6330 | Legal and Ethical Issues in Healthcare | 3 |
| HCAD 6340 | Quality and Continuous Improvement in Healthcare Organizations | 3 |
| HCAD 6360 | Managing Healthcare Organizations | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 12 |
Industrial and Organizational Psychology Concentration
Industrial and organizational psychology is the science of human behavior as it relates to the well-being of people in organizations. Graduates will apply psychological principles and research methods to the workplace with the goal of improving productivity, health and the quality of work life. Additionally, they may design new ways to increase productivity, improve personnel selection or enhance job satisfaction. They are prepared for positions as human resource specialists, helping organizations with staffing, training and employee development. They may provide employers with testing and other valid selection methods in their hiring and promotion processes. Some individuals may secure employment as management consultants in areas such as quality management, strategic planning or organizational change.
The degree requirements of this concentration include the 15 semester hours of core courses, the Master of Arts in Administration Capstone ORGD 63CS, and 12 hours of Industrial and Organizational Psychology concentration courses: