Applied Professional Studies (MA)

Department website

College: College of Social Sciences & Professional Studies

Program Overview

The master of arts in applied professional studies (MAPS) is an applied professional program with workforce development, organizational leadership and personal development at the core of its vision. The mission of the program is to develop advanced skill sets in multiple subject areas to meet emerging workforce development needs.  The graduate degree is designed to provide students an accessible, online, and affordable opportunity to achieve professional and personal goals that align with potential for career advancement and upskilling needs.   

This program is an interdisciplinary master's degree combining the academic social sciences and applied professional experience with a common set of Core courses (15 credits) and a self-selected Concentration (15 credits). There are four separate and unique concentrations within the degree for students to choose graduate level courses: Leadership in Public Service, Smart City Policy and Planning, Content Expertise for the Professional Educator and Individualized Degree Plan.  Students have the unique opportunity to select graduate coursework individually suited to their chosen area of concentration.   

Goals of the Program

All participating students will integrate theory, research and practice to render professional judgement and choice in applied contexts. This will result in decisions and actions that effectively and ethically promote the viability of organizations and activities in the private and/or public sector.  

MAPS Program Outcomes

Graduates will:

1. Evaluate and critique existing structures in the public or private sector
2. Produce a problem solving policy based on evidence, professional inquiry, and decisive action
3. Plan effective implementation strategies

Core outcomes:

1. Develop strategies to resolve value-based conflict
2. Analyze and interpret data in the professional setting
3. Consider organizational change in the context of a dynamic society
4. Employ effective communication strategies for diverse settings and audiences

Concentration Area Learning Outcomes

Leadership in Public Service

1. Apply ethical principles to leadership practice in the public and private sectors
2. Conduct successful research in public policy analysis
3. Develop a public policy position, taking into account both scholarship and interest group narrative
4. Apply critical theory to questions of social justice in community and economic development
5. Utilize conflict management and resolution strategies in a variety of situations

Smart City Policy and Planning

1. Acquire the breadth and application of interdisciplinary knowledge supporting smart cities across new technologies, social sciences and management disciplines.
2. Develop an attitude of innovation, creativity, and curiosity demonstrated through active questioning, discussion, and the acceptance of new ideas.
3. Understand the benefits and challenges of partnerships for smart city initiatives
4. Understand the conceptual framework for the formation and management of P3 
5. Develop a holistic and system-level perspective on smart sustainable cities that takes an integrative approach towards complex problems leveraging Big Data analytics and strategies related to planning, and public policy.
6. Access, use, and manage information towards identifying and solving public challenges.
7. Practice collaborative skills and decentralized (parallel) decision making

Content Expertise for the Professional Educator

1. Effectively communicate the subject matter of their discipline with other professionals
2. Understand current research approaches in their discipline
3. Utilize advanced knowledge in the subject matter of their discipline to address a practical challenge
4. Articulate the significance of the subject matter of their discipline in an applied setting
5. Demonstrate mastery of the subject matter of the discipline through its integration with other disciplines

Structure of the Program

This 30-credit online degree requires a combination of 1) core courses (15 credits) designed to ensure that all graduates have the basic, requisite skills needed to succeed in the fast-paced, ever evolving professional world and 2) concentration courses (15 credits).  There are four concentration areas (15 credits) where students will have their choice to hone their professional skills further as they relate to their professional career.  The concentration areas are Leadership in Public Service, Smart City Policy and Planning, Content Expertise for the Professional Educator and an Individualized Degree Plan.  As part of the Core, all students in the MAPS are required to complete a Practicum, an applied learning opportunity to continue to demonstrate the skills learned in the MAPS. The Practicum is a faculty supervised project that identifies a business or community partner problem and a solution created by the MAPS student.

Students also have the opportunity to explore graduate level coursework across the concentrations for a self-designed degree. Students who wish to design their own program of study to achieve a Master of Arts in Applied Professional Studies degree are able to graduate with a unique skill set that does not exist in a current degree program. Students who wish to design their own degree program are required to complete the core courses and an additional 15 credits of graduate level electives within the MAPS program. Self-designed degree programs must be created in consultation with a MAPS advisor and require an approved Individualized Degree Plan.

Degree Completion

Students entering without deficiencies and who enroll full-time can complete all degree requirements within one year of first enrollment. Students may take no more than seven years to complete a degree, beginning with the semester in which they complete their first course as a UW-Parkside degree-seeking graduate student, unless they apply for and receive an extension through the appropriate graduate program.

1. Evaluate and critique existing structures in the public or private sector.
2. Produce a problem-solving policy based on evidence, professional inquiry, and decisive action.
3. Consider organizational change in the context of a dynamic society.
4. Develop strategies to resolve value-based conflict.
5. Analyze and interpret data in the professional setting.
6. Plan effective implementation strategies.
7. Employ effective communication strategies for diverse settings and audiences.

Requirements for the Master of Arts in Applied Professional Studies

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
Required Core Courses
MAPS 700	Formal Organization	3
MAPS 701	Applied Research For Professionals	3
MAPS 702	Professional Ethics	3
MAPS 703	Professional Communication	3
MAPS 705	Practicum	3
Concentration Area Courses
Choose one concentration with at least 15 credits		15
Total Credits		30

Concentration Options

A course cannot be used to satisfy requirements in more than one concentration.

Leadership in Public Service

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
Required Courses
MAPS 720	Foundations of Public Service	3
MAPS 721	Public Policy 1	3
or MAPS 741	Smart Policy-Making
Elective Courses
Select three courses from the following:		9
MAPS 512	Global Warming Policy and Governance
MAPS 517	Strategic Decision Making
MAPS 523	Institutional Racism in America
MAPS 606	Advanced Program Evaluation
MAPS 640	Smart Cities & Communities
MAPS 710	The Global City
MAPS 721	Public Policy 1
MAPS 722	Social Justice and Public Service
MAPS 729	Special Topics in Public Service
MAPS 741	Smart Policy-Making 1
MAPS 742	Public Private Partnerships
MAPS 743	Civic Technology
MAPS 799	Independent Study
Total Credits		15

¹

A course can be applied to only one requirement within the concentration.

Smart City Policy and Planning

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
Required Courses
MAPS 640	Smart Cities & Communities	3
MAPS 741	Smart Policy-Making	3
Elective Courses
Select three courses from the following:		9
MAPS 606	Advanced Program Evaluation
MAPS 634	Ethics and Data Technology
MAPS 721	Public Policy
MAPS 742	Public Private Partnerships
MAPS 743	Civic Technology
MAPS 744	Human Machine Interface
MAPS 799	Independent Study
Total Credits		15

Content Expertise for Professional Educators

This concentration was designed to assist educators develop deeper content expertise in a specific subject area.

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
Choose one content area		15
Political Science/Government
Required Course
MAPS 721	Public Policy 1
or MAPS 741	Smart Policy-Making
Elective Courses
Select four courses from the following:
MAPS 512	Global Warming Policy and Governance
MAPS 517	Strategic Decision Making
MAPS 523	Institutional Racism in America
MAPS 710	The Global City
MAPS 720	Foundations of Public Service
MAPS 721	Public Policy 1
MAPS 729	Special Topics in Public Service
MAPS 741	Smart Policy-Making 1
MAPS 769	Special Topics in Content Expertise for Professional Educators:
MAPS 770	Exploring Place-Based Education
MAPS 799	Independent Study
Sociology
Required Course
MAPS 722	Social Justice and Public Service
Elective Courses
Select four courses from the following:
MAPS 523	Institutional Racism in America
MAPS 606	Advanced Program Evaluation
MAPS 710	The Global City
MAPS 720	Foundations of Public Service
MAPS 721	Public Policy
MAPS 729	Special Topics in Public Service
MAPS 744	Human Machine Interface
MAPS 769	Special Topics in Content Expertise for Professional Educators:
MAPS 770	Exploring Place-Based Education
MAPS 799	Independent Study
Total Credits		15

¹

A course can be applied to only one requirement within the certificate.

Individualized Degree Plan

Students who wish to design their own degree program are required to complete the core courses and an additional 15 credits of graduate level electives within the MAPS program. Self-designed degree programs must be created in consultation with a MAPS advisor and requires an approved Individualized Degree Plan.

University Requirements for Master’s Degree Programs

To receive a master’s degree from UW-Parkside, students must meet the following minimum requirements (note that individual programs may impose more stringent requirements):

1. Complete at least 30 graduate credits, of which no more than 12 may be transferred from another institution.
2. Have an overall GPA of at least 3.00 for all graduate work taken at UW-Parkside that is applicable to the degree program.
3. Satisfy all requirements of the graduate degree program.

Students may take no more than seven years to complete a degree, beginning with the semester in which they complete their first course as a UW-Parkside degree-seeking graduate student, unless they apply for and receive an extension through the appropriate graduate program. Some programs may impose a shorter time limit. To graduate, students must file a request for graduation. The request form, signed by the student’s advisor and filed in the appropriate graduate program office, initiates the final review of the candidate’s records. Students also need to apply to graduate with the Office of the Registrar.

Admission applications will be accepted on a rolling basis. Applicants are required to have an undergraduate degree with a cumulative GPA of 2.75, or if the applicants have a graduate degree the GPA requirement is waived. Applicants are also required to submit all undergraduate and graduate transcripts, a current resume/CV, and two letters of recommendation, preferably one from a current supervisor if employed.  

For applicants who do not meet the admission criteria, admission with probationary status may be granted after taking into consideration the applicant’s special qualifications and circumstances. Students admitted on probation will be on probation for their first 9 semester credits. A student who is admitted on probation is required to attain a minimum GPA of 3.00 on the first 9 credits hours of course work completed at UW-Parkside. For continuing students refer to the Graduate Academic Standing Policy. Students who do not meet the above requirement will be dropped from the program.

Applicants are not required to take the GRE or MAT assessment for admission to the program.

International students from non-English-speaking countries must demonstrate proficiency in English. 

Official TOEFL scores must meet or exceed the below requirements:

• Paper-based: a minimum score of 525
• Computer-based: a minimum score of 197
• Internet-based: a minimum score of 71

Official IELTS scores that meet or exceed the below requirements: 

• A minimum score of 6.0

For students from English-speaking countries, no English Proficiency Examination Scores are required.

Smart City Policy and Civic Partnership Certificate Eligibility
Students who complete courses in a certificate program and are later admitted to the MAPS degree program will be able to use the credits earned in the certificate program toward the degree.

Courses in Applied Professional Studies