What is a Learning Management System?

As you journey through Kent State University’s online public administration program, whether you choose a Master’s Degree or a Postbaccalaureate Certificate, you’ll find your roadmap to success in the innovative Canvas learning management system (LMS). This user-friendly digital platform features intuitive, easy-to-use navigation and structure, and it elevates your online experience with multimedia tools, interactive features and opportunities for real-time feedback.

Making the Most of Online Programs

By navigating Canvas from course to course—and taking full advantage of its many features—you will quickly unlock the vast benefits of our online learning management system, including schedule flexibility, pacing to match your learning style, content on demand, and real-time engagement with faculty and peers. Throughout the online public administration program, Canvas will give you direct access to course syllabi and schedules, individual course outlines, weekly assignments, discussion forums, and more. Whether you’re studying at home, on the road or from your favorite coffee shop, everything you need to complete your online graduate degree will be at your fingertips.

View of the Canvas online classroom

Navigate the Course Content With Ease

Each of your courses is structured around its own homepage, where you can find information about your instructor, a course overview, the syllabus and schedule, as well as a link to the weekly modules you’ll work through over the length of the term. Also included on this page is a short video overview of everything you’ll need to access during the course and how to find it.

Exploring Weekly Modules

The number of weekly modules you’ll need to complete will vary from course to course, but the elements within each module will remain essentially the same. When you click into a new module, you will be greeted immediately by the Module Learning Objectives and important assignment due dates, and you’ll also find links to the following:

  • Video lectures and transcripts
  • Printable presentations
  • Required and recommended readings
  • Self-check quizzes
  • Discussion board prompts
  • Individual assignments
Woman in suit smiles head on

Stay Connected to Faculty and Peers

A powerful and effective learning management system like Canvas can help you stay closely connected to those who share your virtual classroom. At Kent State, we understand the value of collaboration and feedback, and we leverage Canvas to facilitate numerous opportunities for this kind of engagement throughout the program:

  • Introduce yourself to the class at the beginning of each new course and discover what others are hoping to learn
  • Collaborate with your cohort peers in guided discussion forums or strike up more casual conversation in the peer-to-peer forum
  • Participate in live check-ins with professors at scheduled times throughout the program
  • Engage one-on-one with a private messaging feature that lets you connect directly with others while keeping your contact information secure

View Master's Courses    View Certificate Courses

Kent State Values Student Input

At the end of each module, students are invited to participate in an anonymous survey about that module’s content, including how much time was required for individual lectures and assignments and which were most useful for helping students learn and apply the module objectives.

When students take advantage of this opportunity to share their thoughts and experiences, Kent State is better-equipped to enhance the benefits of online learning and improve student outcomes.

HEAR FROM OUR STUDENTS

brighter iconography arch 281.png

Leslie Bowser, '19

“As a mom with a full-time job, I could not have managed a degree program that was not online. I love being able to plan my coursework around the rest of my life, and the flexibility to do my coursework from home—or anywhere in the world (since I travel for my job)—is what makes it possible for me.”

Meet Our Experts

Study with specialists, published authors and leaders in public administration and policy.

Need Help Getting Started?

Our step-by-step application checklist will help ensure the success of your application submission.

Gain Career Traction

Make your success your top priority. Apply today.

Featured Article

March 23, 2022
The World Bank explains ‘big data’ as, “a term widely used to describe the exponential growth of data, particularly the data flowing from ubiquitous mobile phones, satellites, ground sensors, vehicles and social media. It also explains the rise of the computing technologies and algorithms that harness big data for valuable insights.”
March 02, 2022
Daniel Hawes, MPA Coordinator and Associate Professor in Kent State University’s Department of Political Science, recently published a study titled “Representative Bureaucracy, Institutional Support, and Clientele Need: The Case of Undocumented Students” in the Administration and Society journal. Read a synopsis of his research and background on the subject here.
January 12, 2022
Earning your degree as a part-time student means you can continue to work while you gain relevant skills to move your public sector career forward. But there’s more to it than just avoiding a break in your resume.
January 11, 2022
Between websites, social media, emails and snail-mail, the sheer volume of available information about master’s degree programs can make a prospective student’s head spin—or, worse, they can overwhelm that candidate into forgoing graduate school altogether. There’s an easier, much more productive way forward.
November 22, 2021
Nonprofits are allowed to advocate for social issues but how far can they go to change public policy? Kent State MPA faculty researched this topic studying immigrant-serving organizations to find out how nonprofits are using their status to make changes for the people who depend on them.
October 11, 2021
MPA stands for Master of Public Administration. As the name suggests, most people who pursue this degree work in the public sector which includes any part of a state or national economy that is tied to public programs or services and is controlled by the government.
September 28, 2021
An online MPA degree will substantially increase your earning potential and prepare you to be a top-tier agent of positive change. Keep reading to learn all the details about earning an online Master of Public Administration or MPA degree, from a full program description to the excellent career options you can look forward to as a master of public administration.
September 27, 2021
Grad school can open a world of opportunities. People interested in strengthening skills to head an organization might need to make a decision between more than one degree, specifically: a Master of Public Administration (MPA) or Master of Business Administration (MBA).
August 23, 2021
As with jobs in all industries, jobs in the public sector have certain advantages and disadvantages. While each person might have their own opinion of what constitutes a positive or negative aspect of any career, read on for our take on the pros and cons of working in the public sector.
June 24, 2021
In 2020, the nature of work changed rapidly. The pace of change has only continued to accelerate in 2021, with many companies keeping hybrid work schedules—a reality that seemed a distant dream prior to the pandemic. Fortunately for many learners hoping to achieve greater economic prosperity, higher education is changing, as well.
June 23, 2021
If recent newspaper headlines are to be believed, many people are wondering if the U.S. government is getting too large. While it’s true that over 15% of the workforce is involved in the military, public and national service, the size of the U.S. government proportionate to the total population has actually shrunk in the last 50 years.
June 11, 2021
The terms ‘public sector’ and ‘private sector’ appear frequently in the news. Reports on the pandemic, the economy and employment numbers, among other topics, often discuss how each sector will be affected by recent developments. Exactly what are the private and public sectors, and how do they differ from each other?
Admissions and Application Deadlines
Jul
5
Priority Application Deadline
Fall 2023 Semester
Aug
7
Application Deadline
Fall 2023 Semester
Aug
21
First Day of Class
Fall 2023 Semester