Skip to Main Content

College of Health Sciences and Public Policy:
Master of Public Administration (MPA)

As the public and private sectors increasingly evolve and overlap, there will be an increasing demand for leaders and managers who are scholar-practitioners. The Master of Public Administration (MPA) program prepares professionals to excel in this increasingly complex and collaborative environment. The program offers students an opportunity to directly apply academic theories and skills in their own communities, making the learning experience personally meaningful while creating positive social change.

Learning Outcomes

At the end of the program, students will be able to:

  1. Explain the processes of public policy development, implementation, and evaluation to meet the goals and needs of diverse stakeholders
  2. Critically assess major theories and concepts associated with the development of public policy and public administration
  3. Assess major theories and concepts of public policy and public administration 
  4. Apply methods of scholarly research and data analysis to study public policy issues
  5. Assess ethical strategies for implementing organizational change and development 
  6. Design strategies for diverse and inclusive collaboration across the research, policy, and practice sectors to address complex social problems
  7. Evaluate best practices of inclusive public policy and administration that promote diverse perspectives in local, state, national, and international agencies.

Degree Requirements

  • 48 total quarter credits
  • Foundation course (3 credits)
  • Core courses (30 credits)
  • Elective courses or optional specialization courses* (10 credits)
  • Capstone course (5 credits)

*Optional specialization courses must be taken in the order shown.

Core Curriculum

Courses are 11 weeks in length.

Foundation Course (3 credits)

Core Courses (30 credits)

  • Students may take this as a non-degree course.
  • Students may take this as a non-degree course.
  • Students may take this as a non-degree course.
  • Students may take this as a non-degree course.
  • Students may take this as a non-degree course.
  • Students may take this as a non-degree course.

Electives or Optional Specialization Courses (10 credits)

Students in the General Program choose two elective courses from any of the MMPA specialization courses. Students undertaking a specialization complete two specfied courses. Specialization courses are dependent upon the particular specialization. Please see the course list on each specialization page.

Capstone Course (5 credits)

Course Sequence

Students undertake courses in the following sequence.

Quarter Course Credits
Quarter 1

MMPA 6116 - Foundations of Graduate Study

3 credits

MMPA 6200 - Principles of Public Administration

5 credits
Quarter 2

MMPA 6405 - Ethics and Social Justice

5 credits

MMPA 6451 - Public Policy Analysis

5 credits
Quarter 3

MMPA 6431 - Finance and Budgeting for the Public Sector

5 credits

MMPA 6441 - Human Resources Management and Strategic Planning

5 credits
Quarter 4

MMPA 6480 - Evidence-Based Evaluation Methods

5 credits
Elective Course 1 / Specialization Course 1 5 credits
Elective Course 2 / Specialization Course 2 5 credits
Quarter 5

MMPA 6910 - Capstone

5 credits