MPA Program Details
MPA Program Details and Requirements
About the Program
The MPA degree is multidisciplinary and designed to provide graduate professional education for individuals who wish to prepare themselves for administrative and/or policy careers in public, nonprofit, national security and criminal justice systems. In addition to a solid core curriculum covering essential problem-solving and decision-making skills and diverse elective choices, students with less professional experience participate in internships with public and nonprofit agencies.
Program Requirements
The MPA requires a minimum of 36 semester hours, to include:
- 18 credit hours of core courses
- 15 credit hours of electives
- 3 credit hours of capstone
Pre-service students, those without at least a year of full-time relevant professional experience, are required to complete a 3 credit hour internship in the public or nonprofit sector in addition to the above requirements. This brings the total number of semester hours required for pre-service students to 39. The internship requirement is determined at the time of admission.
Some students may substitute a thesis for capstone as a culminating project. A thesis requires 6 credit hours spread over two semesters and decreases the number of electives credit hours to 12.
Average time of completion is between two and four years, depending on full- or part-time status. Courses can be completed online, on campus, or in combination.
Additional information regarding electives, transfer credits, and other curriculum questions may be found in the MPA Handbook