MPA Proposal Submission Deadlines:

Fall Registration:  April 15
Summer Registration:  April 15
Spring Registration:  November 1

PLEASE FILL OUT THIS SURVEY

If necessary, the MPA Committee will schedule a meeting via MS Teams to discuss the MPA student's proposal.

The MPA Committee will meet to discuss student submissions.  The MPA Committee considers several factors in assigning the first reader, including:

  1. Student faculty preference (if stated)
  2. Faculty expertise in the proposed area of study
  3. Number of projects a faculty member is currently supervising

 

An Investigator's Guide to Research with Human Subjects
 

Institutional Review Board (IRB) Compliance 

Things you should know before submitting an application...

1.  Many MPA Projects must be cleared by the campus IRB.   Your MPA faculty adviser makes this determination based on their knowledge of IRB and consultation (when necessary) with the IRB point person.

2.  IRB applications are submitted via an electronic system.  

3.  Visit this website for details on the electronic IRB submission system:

http://sponsoredprograms.buffalostate.edu/suny-rf-pacs-irb-module

4. You will need to fill out the Protocol Template for Approval to Conduct Research Involving Human Subjects  (revised 5/2022).  

5. CITI Program (download your certificate or take refresher course if your certificate has expired) - required for application to conduct research using human subjects.

Preparing your application:

1. Fill out  Protocol Template for Approval to Conduct Research Involving Human Subjects  download docx (revised 5/2022)
 
2.  A letter from the supervisor/individual to whom you will be reporting at the study site (nonprofit or government agency) granting permission for you to conduct the study.
 
3. Email the filled in protocol template to your MPA project adviser for approval.

4. Once your MPA project adviser approves your protocol template, you can begin the application process.
 

Submitting your application:

1. Include faculty advisor's name as both a "study team member" and "PI Proxy."

2.  Faculty Advisor Approval Process 
Student researchers are required to obtain the approval of their faculty sponsor. The IRB Administrator will not review student research until the protocol has been approved by the faculty sponsor.

3. You need to register for a PACS IRB account.  PACS Login (Look for the large blue button near the top of the page.)
PACS is the web platform used for submitting human subjects application.  Use Google Chrome.

4.  Once you are in the PACS system, you can create and submit a study.

Software Packages and Training

SUNY Buffalo State has licenses for many software applications including Adobe Acrobat DC & Creative Cloud, SPSS, Microsoft, SAS, and R free of charge to matriculated students.   Visit the Software Directory for downloads and instructions.

You can apply for a New York Public Library card and enroll in self-paced Excel learning and other software training.

Linkedin Learning

This is a website offering more than 16,000 courses in several different languages.  Learn software and business skills from experts on your own time, all free with your New York Public Library card.   Apply for a Library Card Online.   (If you are 13 or older and live, work, attend school, or pay property taxes in New York State, you can apply for a free library card using this online application.)

Linkedin Learning offers dozens of Excel training courses, from beginning to advanced.  Some courses are certificate eligible. 

TechConnect - Excel Genius
TechConnect is a service of New York Public Library, accessible with a New York Public Library card.  Apply for a Library Card Online.   (If you are 13 or older and live, work, attend school, or pay property taxes in New York State, you can apply for a free library card using this online application.)

Excel Genius is a set of classes aimed at students who have taken the Beginner and Intermediate Excel courses, or who have good fundamental knowledge of Excel, and who would like to gain a deeper understanding of the world’s most popular spreadsheet application. Each class will cover a topic in depth and then give students exercises that apply that knowledge to real world situations.

All enrolled students may log in to Qualtrics to create surveys.  To publish surveys, students must work with a sponsoring faculty member or supervisor.  
Faculty supervisors must approve the survey content, data collection, and data dissemination methods.  

The MPA Program Committee requires students to use Qualtrics for MPA Project research.  The student must include the faculty member as a "collaborator" on the project.  Collaborating on Survey Projects.

How to collaborate in Qualtrics

Training on the Qualtrics Platform

MPA students are introduced to Qualtrics in PAD 680 Research Methods, but if you have not constructed a survey in Qualtrics in the past, the MPA Program Committee highly recommends you take the time to view Qualtrics tutorial videos.

Questions?
Have a question about Qualtrics?  Support page.

See the policy on Student Access to Institutionally Provided Online Data Collection Software for more information.

If you have received an IP (in progress) grade because you did not complete PAD 690 at the end of the semester, you need to fill out a "Project/Thesis Continuation Courses" form.
 
MPA Students Who Matriculated PRIOR to Fall 2024
If you started the MPA program PRIOR to Fall 2024 and have not completed their MPA project by the end of the term in which they have registered will receive an IP grade on their transcript contingent on development of a completion plan approved by the instructor of record. 
Once a graduate student has received an IP grade in the project course, the student must register for PAD 721 Project Extended non-credit-bearing and nonbillable).  Registering for PAD 721 is permitted in two subsequent semesters after which time the students must register for PAD 722 Project Extended non-credit-bearing and billable for one credit hour.  If a student does not register for the 721 course and the student’s status becomes inactive, the student is required to reapply for admission to graduate studies and pay an application fee before the capstone project or thesis can be completed. 
 
MPA Students Who Matriculated Fall 2024 or Later
Graduate students who do not complete their capstone thesis or project requirement by the end of the term in which they have registered will receive an IP grade on their transcript contingent on development of a completion plan approved by the instructor of record. This policy is applicable to students starting fall 2024 and after.
  • Once a graduate student has received an IP grade in the required thesis or project course(s), the student must register for 722 Thesis/Project Extended * (non-credit-bearing and billable for 1 credit at existing graduate tuition rates) each of the following academic (fall and spring) semesters until the thesis or project has been completed. If a student does not register for the 722 course and the student’s status becomes inactive, the student is required to reapply for admission to graduate studies and pay an application fee before the capstone project or thesis can be completed. Students must also register for the 722 Thesis/Project Extended course the semester they are reapplying. Reapplication must be made in accordance with the established deadline dates and current admission requirements.
  • 722 Thesis/Project Extended courses will receive a grade of NR.
  • Once a student has completed the thesis or project, the thesis or project advisor will submit change of grade request to change the IP to the appropriate grade.
*A list of credits required in each graduate program will be created and reviewed by the academic departments. This list will be maintained and updated as necessary by Academic Affairs.