Public Administration (MPA)

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Offered by the Department of Public Administration and Policy , School of Public Affairs , the Public Administration (MPA) program instills the knowledge, skills, and values necessary to manage and lead with distinction in government and related organizations that serve the public good in the U.S. democratic context and abroad.

Admission to the Program

Applicants must meet the minimum university requirements for graduate study. Admission decisions are based on each applicant’s academic record, two letters of recommendation, test scores from the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), and an essay written by the applicant on his or her background and career interests. Applicants may substitute test scores from similar tests, such as the GMAT or LSAT, for the GRE where appropriate. Applicants who received their undergraduate degree more than five years prior to their date of application may waive the requirement for test scores by submitting a statement describing their professional experience. The department values applicants who have acquired practical experience before beginning their professional degree program. Admission decisions are based on each applicant’s total record and not on any single strength or deficiency.

Degree Requirements

39 credit hours of approved graduate work
- Students who successfully complete the SPA Key Executive Leadership Development Program may apply to reduce the overall degree requirement for the 39-credit hour MPA by up to 6 credit hours
- Up to 6 credit hours may be waived for qualifying courses and/or transfer credit from another academic institution. Students who avail themselves of this provision will be encouraged to take advanced level work in designated areas as a consequence
- No combination of qualifying course waivers or credit hour reductions may reduce the total completed credit hours below 30 credit hours
Capstone Experience: PUAD-610 Public Administration Capstone (3)

Course Requirements

Core (24 credit hours)

Required

Quantitative Methods

Complete 3 credit hours from the following:

Note: Students may test out of PUAD-601 and PUAD-605 and subsitute other courses with approval.

Economics

Complete 3 credit hours from the following:

Note: Students with completed equivalents to PUAD-630 and PUAD-670 may substitute other courses with approval.

Finance

Complete 3 credit hours from the following:

PUAD-631 Financing Government Services (3)
PUAD-633 Budgeting and Financial Management (3)
PUAD-685 Topics in Policy Analysis and Management (1-3) : Public Finance in Developing Countries

Additional

Complete 6 credit hours from the following:

Capstone (3 credit hours)

PUAD-610 Public Administration Capstone (3)

Concentration (12 credit hours)

12 credit hours in an area of concentration. Areas include: nonprofit management (with optional arts management focus); international management; public management (with optional management consulting or human resources focus); state and local management; public financial management; policy analysis; policy and management (with optional social policy or health policy or environmental policy or science and technology focus); and applied politics. Students may create special areas of concentration by consulting their academic counselor

Internship

Students without a significant professional work background participate in either a for-credit or non-credit internship. Students taking a for-credit internship complete PUAD-691 as part of the concentration; students taking a non-credit internship complete a survey on the experience

Combined (BA) and Public Administration (MPA)

American University offers students the opportunity to earn both undergraduate and graduate degrees through its combined bachelor’s/master’s programs. See Combined Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees for more information.

In addition to meeting the minimum university requirements for combined bachelor’s/master’s programs:

Admission requires a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.00, a completed application form (available from the Department of Public Administration and Policy (DPAP) and submitted to the BA/MPA advisor), a written faculty recommendation, an essay on the student’s interests and abilities in public administration, and an interview with an academic advisor
Undergraduate students may apply up to 15 credit hours of approved graduate-level coursework to satisfy the requirements for both degrees. Students take courses in statistics, economics, public administration, and other courses approved by DPAP

Public Administration (MPA) and Washington College of Law JD or LLM

For approved dual degree programs, see Public Administration (MPA) and Juris Doctor (JD) and Public Administration (MPA) and Master of Laws (LLM) .

Education Policy and Leadership (MEd) and Public Administration (MPA)

For approved dual degree program, see Education Policy and Leadership (MEd) and Public Administration (MPA) .