Southern Utah University

Course Syllabus

Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University
Fall Semester 2025

MPA Professional Project

PADM 6950-70I

Course: PADM 6950-70I
Credits: 3
Term: Fall Semester 2025
Department: PSCJ
CRN: 32452

Course Description

All MPA students must complete six (6) credit hours of experiential learning courses. The Professional Project is one of two options available to meet the experiential learning requirement besides the MPA Internship. Students write a proposal for a project that benefits a public or nonprofit organization. Students complete the project and submit a final project report. Students are encouraged to orally present the results to the supervising official along with the written report. The project may be completed for the student’s current employer, but cannot be a part of the student’s day-to-day work responsibilities. Course is repeatable for six (6) total credit hours. Pre-service MPA students must complete either an MPA Professional Project or an MPA internship (internship may be substituted for an in-field project with prior permission of the MPA Director). Pre-service students are defined as those having less than one year of full-time equivalent work experience in the public sector. Non-resident students must be in-service professionals and exempt from the MPA Internship. (Fall, Spring, Summer) [Graded (Standard Letter)] Prerequisite(s): Instructor permission Repeatable for Add’l Credit? Yes - Total Credits: 6 Registration Restriction(s): MPA majors only 

Required Texts

There are no required texts for the Professional Project course.  Depending on the project, the professor and student will identify readings or content to supplement the project work as needed.

Learning Outcomes


By the end of this course, students will be able to:
  1. Develop a project proposal and complete tasks related to a problem, policy, or operational issue in the public or nonprofit sector.
  2. Analyze and articulate the real-world context and usefulness of a project as it relates to our SUU Public Service Values and NASPAA Core Competencies.

Course Requirements

Course requirements for the MPA Professional Project include:
  • Initial Project Proposal
  • Course Updates throughout the semester
  • Final Project Deliverable(s)
  • Final Presentation
  • Competency Portfolio update for the Professional Project 

Course Outline

Course Outline for the MPA Professional Project includes:
  • Initial Project Proposal and Pre-Assessment (Due Sept. 7)
  • Course Updates throughout the semester
    • Interim Report #1 (Due Oct. 5)
    • Interim Report #2 (Due Nov. 2)
    • Interim Report #3 (Due Nov. 23)
  • Final Project Deliverable(s) (Due Dec. 7)
  • Final Presentation (Final Week of Classes)
  • Competency Portfolio update for the Professional Project (Due Dec. 7)

Note: This course schedule is subject to change. The professor will notify students and post updates on Canvas regarding any changes necessary during the semester. Students are responsible for staying up-to-date with any changes made. 

Instructor's policies on late assignments and/or makeup work

You are responsible for completing your individual updates, activities, assignments, and final report by the end of the term. Grades of "complete" or "incomplete" will be provided for each update/check in that is provided by students throughout the term as noted in the schedule.  Failure to complete updates in a timely manner by the due dates stated in assignments can result in a failing grade in the course.  Final Deliverables for the project will be due at the end of the term and the Final Project includes completion of the proposal, all check ins, plus final project and assessments for a total of 100 points earned on the Final Project.

Attendance Policy

This is an online course.  Attendance for virtual meetings with the professor and other students taking the class are expected and encouraged but not required. Attendance for virtual class meetings helps build online community, as well as helping you communicate about various aspects of your project with your professor and classmates.  

Course Fees

N/A

ADA Statement

Students with medical, psychological, learning, or other disabilities desiring academic adjustments, accommodations, or auxiliary aids will need to contact the Disability Resource Center, located in Room 206F of the Sharwan Smith Center or by phone at (435) 865-8042. The Disability Resource Center determines eligibility for and authorizes the provision of services.

If your instructor requires attendance, you may need to seek an ADA accommodation to request an exception to this attendance policy. Please contact the Disability Resource Center to determine what, if any, ADA accommodations are reasonable and appropriate.

Academic Credit

According to the federal definition of a Carnegie credit hour: A credit hour of work is the equivalent of approximately 60 minutes of class time or independent study work. A minimum of 45 hours of work by each student is required for each unit of credit. Credit is earned only when course requirements are met. One (1) credit hour is equivalent to 15 contact hours of lecture, discussion, testing, evaluation, or seminar, as well as 30 hours of student homework. An equivalent amount of work is expected for laboratory work, internships, practica, studio, and other academic work leading to the awarding of credit hours. Credit granted for individual courses, labs, or studio classes ranges from 0.5 to 15 credit hours per semester.

Academic Freedom

SUU is operated for the common good of the greater community it serves. The common good depends upon the free search for truth and its free exposition. Academic Freedom is the right of faculty to study, discuss, investigate, teach, and publish. Academic Freedom is essential to these purposes and applies to both teaching and research.

Academic Freedom in the realm of teaching is fundamental for the protection of the rights of the faculty member and of you, the student, with respect to the free pursuit of learning and discovery. Faculty members possess the right to full freedom in the classroom in discussing their subjects. They may present any controversial material relevant to their courses and their intended learning outcomes, but they shall take care not to introduce into their teaching controversial materials which have no relation to the subject being taught or the intended learning outcomes for the course.

As such, students enrolled in any course at SUU may encounter topics, perspectives, and ideas that are unfamiliar or controversial, with the educational intent of providing a meaningful learning environment that fosters your growth and development. These parameters related to Academic Freedom are included in SUU Policy 6.6.

Academic Misconduct

Scholastic honesty is expected of all students. Dishonesty will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent (see SUU Policy 6.33). You are expected to have read and understood the current SUU student conduct code (SUU Policy 11.2) regarding student responsibilities and rights, the intellectual property policy (SUU Policy 5.52), information about procedures, and what constitutes acceptable behavior.

Please Note: The use of websites or services that sell essays is a violation of these policies; likewise, the use of websites or services that provide answers to assignments, quizzes, or tests is also a violation of these policies. Regarding the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), you should check with your individual course instructor.

Emergency Management Statement

In case of an emergency, the University's Emergency Notification System (ENS) will be activated. Students are encouraged to maintain updated contact information using the link on the homepage of the mySUU portal. In addition, students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the Emergency Response Protocols posted in each classroom. Detailed information about the University's emergency management plan can be found at https://www.suu.edu/emergency.

HEOA Compliance Statement

For a full set of Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) compliance statements, please visit https://www.suu.edu/heoa. The sharing of copyrighted material through peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing, except as provided under U.S. copyright law, is prohibited by law; additional information can be found at https://my.suu.edu/help/article/1096/heoa-compliance-plan.

You are also expected to comply with policies regarding intellectual property (SUU Policy 5.52) and copyright (SUU Policy 5.54).

Mandatory Reporting

University policy (SUU Policy 5.60) requires instructors to report disclosures received from students that indicate they have been subjected to sexual misconduct/harassment. The University defines sexual harassment consistent with Federal Regulations (34 C.F.R. Part 106, Subpart D) to include quid pro quo, hostile environment harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking. When students communicate this information to an instructor in-person, by email, or within writing assignments, the instructor will report that to the Title IX Coordinator to ensure students receive support from the Title IX Office. A reporting form is available at https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?SouthernUtahUniv

Non-Discrimination Statement

SUU is committed to fostering an inclusive community of lifelong learners and believes our university's encompassing of different views, beliefs, and identities makes us stronger, more innovative, and better prepared for the global society.

SUU does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, sex (including sex discrimination and sexual harassment), sexual orientation, gender identity, age, ancestry, disability status, pregnancy, pregnancy-related conditions, genetic information, military status, veteran status, or other bases protected by applicable law in employment, treatment, admission, access to educational programs and activities, or other University benefits or services.

SUU strives to cultivate a campus environment that encourages freedom of expression from diverse viewpoints. We encourage all to dialogue within a spirit of respect, civility, and decency.

For additional information on non-discrimination, please see SUU Policy 5.27 and/or visit https://www.suu.edu/nondiscrimination.

Pregnancy

Students who are or become pregnant during this course may receive reasonable modifications to facilitate continued access and participation in the course. Pregnancy and related conditions are broadly defined to include pregnancy, childbirth, termination of pregnancy, lactation, related medical conditions, and recovery. To obtain reasonable modifications, please make a request to title9@suu.edu. To learn more visit: https://www.suu.edu/titleix/pregnancy.html.

Disclaimer Statement

Information contained in this syllabus, other than the grading, late assignments, makeup work, and attendance policies, may be subject to change with advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor.