Public Service Leadership (MPS)
The program broadens the concept of public service, with a specific emphasis on leadership within governmental, non-profit, and human service organizations. Through assignments, exercises, and engaging discussions with fellow students and expert faculty, you will reflect critically on your “reason for being” and discern your unique gifts to put into service for others. This introspection, paired with practical skill-building, helps students achieve their personal and professional goals while addressing critical societal needs.
The program is problem- and solution-focused, emphasizing leadership roles across overlapping health and social sectors. It offers students adaptable values and skills suited to a wide variety of organizations, including public-private partnerships. By navigating the challenges of the modern world, students emerge as thoughtful, justice-oriented leaders prepared to tackle societal challenges.
The Public Service Leadership (MPS) also offers an Accelerated Master's Pathway for Undergraduate students to complete their Graduate studies in a fifth year. Further details of the AMP, including the suggested sequence of courses, can be found under the Curriculum tab.
Related Programs
Master's
Curriculum
The MPS in Public Service Leadership comprises of 31 credit hours, 11 courses. Courses are offered in an 8-week session format with online, evening options.
Besides the traditional Master's program, the Public Service Leadership (MPS) is also offered as an Accelerated Master's Pathway where exceptional students can complete the program in a fifth year. A suggested sequence for the AMP can be found below.
Required Courses
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| PSLD 400 | Introduction to Public Service 1 | 3 |
| PSLD 402 | Foundations of Global Strategic Communication 1 | 3 |
| PSLD 403 | Program Management and Development | 3 |
| PSLD 404 | Data, Visualization and Evaluation 1 | 3 |
| PSLD 405 | Design Thinking in Mitigating Complex Social Problems | 3 |
| PSLD 420 | Disaster Operations and Management | 3 |
| PSLD 430 | Understanding and Mitigating Poverty 1 | 3 |
| PSLD 431 | Foundations of Social and Sustainable Development | 3 |
| PSLD 441 | Public Service Leadership Capstone Project Proposal | 2 |
| PSLD 442 | Public Service Leadership Capstone Project Implementation | 2 |
| Elective Course | 3 | |
| Select one of the following: | ||
| Disasters and Vulnerable Populations | ||
| Gender Diversity & Sustainable Social Development | ||
| Social Analysis Inequality Poverty and Development | ||
| Total Hours | 31 | |
- 1
This course may be used by students in the Accelerated Master's Pathway in their senior year.
Suggested Sequence of Courses
Traditional Master's Program
| Year 1 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | |
| PSLD 400 | Introduction to Public Service | 3 |
| PSLD 402 | Foundations of Global Strategic Communication | 3 |
| PSLD 403 | Program Management and Development | 3 |
| PSLD 431 | Foundations of Social and Sustainable Development | 3 |
| Hours | 12 | |
| Spring | ||
| PSLD 404 | Data, Visualization and Evaluation | 3 |
| PSLD 405 | Design Thinking in Mitigating Complex Social Problems | 3 |
| PSLD 420 | Disaster Operations and Management | 3 |
| PSLD 430 | Understanding and Mitigating Poverty | 3 |
| Hours | 12 | |
| Summer | ||
| PSLD 423 | Integrated Social-Medical Issues in Emergency Management | 3 |
| Choose one of the following Elective Courses: | 3 | |
| Disasters and Vulnerable Populations | ||
| Gender Diversity & Sustainable Social Development | ||
| Social Analysis Inequality Poverty and Development | ||
| Hours | 6 | |
| Total Hours | 30 | |
Accelerated Master's Pathway
Students can take up to 12 credit hours in the senior year with admission to the AMP. These credits are shared between the Bachelor's and Master's programs.
| Senior | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | |
| PSLD 400 | Introduction to Public Service | 3 |
| PSLD 402 | Foundations of Global Strategic Communication | 3 |
| Hours | 6 | |
| Spring | ||
| PSLD 404 | Data, Visualization and Evaluation | 3 |
| PSLD 430 | Understanding and Mitigating Poverty | 3 |
| Hours | 6 | |
| Master's | ||
| Summer | ||
| PSLD 423 | Integrated Social-Medical Issues in Emergency Management | 3 |
| Choose one of the following Elective Courses: | 3 | |
| Disasters and Vulnerable Populations | ||
| Gender Diversity & Sustainable Social Development | ||
| Social Analysis Inequality Poverty and Development | ||
| Hours | 6 | |
| Fall | ||
| PSLD 403 | Program Management and Development | 3 |
| PSLD 431 | Foundations of Social and Sustainable Development | 3 |
| Hours | 6 | |
| Spring | ||
| PSLD 405 | Design Thinking in Mitigating Complex Social Problems | 3 |
| PSLD 420 | Disaster Operations and Management | 3 |
| Hours | 6 | |
| Total Hours | 30 | |
Guidelines for Accelerated Master's Pathways
In Accelerated Master’s Pathways, students share limited, authorized credits between their Undergraduate and Graduate degrees to facilitate completion of both degrees in a shorter amount of time. Shared credits are Graduate level credit hours (400-level or higher) taken during the Undergraduate career and then applied both to the Undergraduate degree and towards Graduate program requirements.
Admission and Matriculation
Accelerated Master's Pathways are designed to enhance opportunities for advanced training for Loyola’s Undergraduates. Admission to these programs is competitive and will depend upon a positive review of credentials by the Graduate program. Accordingly, the admission requirements for these programs may be higher than those required if the Master’s degree were pursued entirely after the receipt of a Bachelor’s degree.
Students enrolled in an Accelerated Master's Pathway who choose not to continue to the Master’s degree program upon completion of the Bachelor’s degree will face no consequences.
Ideally, a student will apply for admission to an AMP program as they approach 90 credit hours in their Undergraduate career.
Students will not officially matriculate into the Master’s degree program and be labeled as a Graduate student by the university, with accompanying changes to tuition and Financial Aid (see below), until the Undergraduate degree has been awarded. Once admitted to the Graduate program, students must meet the academic standing requirements of their Graduate program as they complete the program curriculum.
Advising and Registration
Students in their final Undergraduate year will work with Advising in the home School of their Bachelor's program(s), as well as the Graduate Program Director of the Master’s program. Any 400-level or higher courses that the student plans to enroll in should be reviewed by both advisors to ensure that these courses will complete requirements for both degrees.
Registration in Graduate level courses during the Undergraduate year may require assistance from the Graduate Program Director and/or the student’s current academic advisor to enroll.
Shared Credits
Only courses taken at the 400-level or higher will count toward the Graduate program. At the Undergraduate level, students are restricted to enrolling in and sharing up to the number of Graduate level credits explicitly indicated in the catalog for their selected AMP program.
In general, Graduate level coursework should not be taken prior to admission into the Accelerated Master's Pathway. Exceptions may be granted for professional programs where curriculum for the Accelerated Master's Pathway is designed to begin earlier. On the recommendation of the program’s Graduate Program Director, students may take one of their Graduate level courses before they are admitted to the Accelerated Master’s Pathway if they have advanced abilities in their discipline and course offerings warrant such an exception.
Degree Requirements and Conferral
Undergraduate degree requirements are in no way impacted by admission to an Accelerated Master’s Pathway. Students should not, for example, attempt to negotiate themselves out of a writing intensive requirement on the basis of admission to a Graduate program.
The program’s Graduate Program Director will designate credit hours to be shared through the advising form and Master’s degree conferral review process. Graduate credit hours taken during the Undergraduate career will not be included in the Graduate GPA calculation.
If students wish to transfer credits from another university to Loyola University Chicago, the program’s Graduate Program Director will review the relevant syllabus or syllabi to determine whether it meets the criteria for a 400-level course or higher.
Programs with specialized accreditation requirements that allow programs to offer Graduate curriculum to Undergraduate students will conform to those specialized accreditation requirements.
Degrees are awarded sequentially. All details of Undergraduate commencement are handled in the ordinary way as for all students in the School/College/Institute. Once matriculated in the Graduate program, students abide by the graduation deadlines set forth by the Graduate program. Students in these programs must be continuously enrolled from Undergraduate to Graduate degree program unless given explicit permission by their program for a gap year or approved leave of absence. In offering the option of an Accelerated Master’s Pathway, the university is making possible the acceleration of a student’s Graduate degree completion. It should be understood that students may not request deferral of their matriculation into the Master’s degree program. If students would like to delay their Graduate studies after earning the Undergraduate degree, they may apply for admission to the traditional Master’s degree program. Any application of Graduate credit earned while in the Undergraduate program is subject to the policies of the Graduate degree granting school.
Graduate & Professional Standards and Regulations
Students in graduate and professional programs can find their Academic Policies in Graduate and Professional Academic Standards and Regulations under their school. Any additional University Policies supersede school policies.
Learning Outcomes
Upon your successful completion of the MPS in Public Service Leadership program, you will have proven your ability to:
- Describe components and levels of leadership across public sectors
- Apply ethical reasoning to administrative design and decision-making in the current realm of public service leadership
- Analyze how systems of power, privilege, and oppression (e.g., racism, sexism, heterosexism, ableism) operate to create and maintain inequality as well as how resistance to these systems is enacted.
- Describe the experiences of underrepresented, marginalized, or oppressed communities within various contexts, including inequality in outcomes and resistance to systems of oppression.
- Collect and apply data in problem identification and problem solving
- Differentiate between non-crisis leadership and leadership in emergencies among public, social and economic sectors
- Apply fundamentals of communication appropriate to situation in both local and global situations.