School of Public ServiceMPA Student Info and Resources
Important Information for all MPA Students!
Parking
Current rates are available from the Office of Parking and Transportation Services.
Student Recreation Center
Do you live in the area? The Student Rec Center is a great (and free) benefit to students.
Microsoft Office
All ODU students, staff, and faculty have free access to a copy of Microsoft Office 365.
Books
- If you are a main campus student, books are generally available from the University Bookstore.
- If you are a student at an ODU Higher Education Center, your books will be available at the Center before classes begin.
- If you are a distance student, you may order your books from ODU Express.
- If you do not use the ODU bookstore, please make sure to get the proper edition of the book; your instructor will need to give you that information if it is unavailable via the bookstore. Be aware that promised times by alternative sources (i.e. Amazon Prime) do not always arrive on time and delivery could be off by several weeks. You will typically be expected to have your textbook when class begins.
Course Registration
Please take a mix of core and electives. This will settle out a lot better than taking all of your core classes and then hoping that the elective(s) you want will be available.
Which section is appropriate for me in the registration system?
PADM Courses for MPA students are 600-700 level courses.
- WEB2/WC 2 is for students whose campus assignment is the Norfolk main campus.
- WEB5/WC 5 is for students whose campus assignment is Online in Virginia.
- WEB7/WC 7 is for students whose campus assignment is Online outside Virginia.
- WEB8/WC 8 is for students whose campus assignment is Online outside the United States.
Note: Purely live courses (one room, not streamed) do not have this issue; there is only one section.
Classes have a "total cap" for enrolled students. For example, a section of an online or streaming course may have room in its cap, but the class may be filled in terms of the total cap.
First Class Nights in Live Courses
Live courses are once per week. Therefore (unlike in an undergraduate class), expect to have a full first class session!
When do online courses open up?
Online course openings for a semester are instructor dependent. They may be open early or on the first official day of the semester or during the first full week of classes.
Responsible Conduct of Research!
All graduate students must complete the Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) modules on the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) website within their first 12 credit hours of study. If this is not completed, a hold will be placed on your registration by the Registrar until sometime after you have completed it. More info is available on our MPA RCR site.
Track Your Progress in DegreeWorks!
Students may track their progress towards degree completion on DegreeWorks. DegreeWorks identifies courses that fulfill requirements for your degree completion. It displays graduation requirements that you have met, as well as those you need to complete to graduate.
Academic Honesty
ODU is committed to students' personal and academic success. In order to achieve this vision, students, faculty, and staff work together to create an environment that provides the best opportunity for academic inquiry and learning. All students must be honest and forthright in their academic studies.
