Top-Ranked, 1-Year Program for Bright Futures in Public Service
Master of Public Administration (MPA) Degree Program
For public service-minded professionals, the M.P.A. program will prepare you to lead public, private and nonprofit organizations aimed at improving the lives of those around you.
Master of Public Administration Program Overview
The nation’s first established and most highly regarded M.P.A. program empowers service-minded professionals to put their creative ideas into action. Integrating theory and practice, you will train to collaborate across sectors, apply public service values and model responsible citizenship as a leader.
Strong policy analysis and public management skills backed by optional areas of study will prepare students with the fundamental foundations and specializations.
Areas of study help you define your focus without narrowing your options
Research centers provide opportunity to work alongside faculty on pressing issues
Certificates of Advanced Study can be earned concurrently with your M.P.A.
Master of Public Administration Core Requirements
The M.P.A. requires 40 credits, 25 of which satisfy the core requirements of the program.
- Public Affairs Colloquium (1 credit)
- Public Budgeting (3 credits)
- Public Administration and Democracy (3 credits)
- Public Organizations and Management (3 credits)
- Economics for Public Decisions (3 credits)
- Introduction to Statistics (3 credits)
- Quantitative Analysis (3 credits)
- M.P.A. Capstone (combined course): Executive Leadership and M.P.A. Workshop (6 credits)
The remaining 15 credits can be selected from the department, other social science programs in the Maxwell School or elsewhere at Syracuse University.
Master of Public Administration Areas of Study
In addition to core courses, many Maxwell M.P.A. students align their electives around one of eight areas of study:
- Data Analytics for Public Policy
- Environmental Policy and Administration
- National and International Security Policy
- Public and Nonprofit Management
- Social Inequality and Policy
- Government Financial Analysis and Management
99% Graduation Rate
How will you change the world?
With a strong foundation in leadership, management and program evaluation and opportunities to build specialized skills and topical knowledge, Maxwell’s M.P.A. will prepare you to make an impact in areas most meaningful to you.
Certificates of Advanced Study
Students enrolled in our M.P.A. programs are also eligible to earn a Certificate of Advanced Study (CAS) in the following areas of specialization as they work toward their degree (concurrently):
- Civil Society Organizations
- Conflict and Collaboration
- Data Analytics for Public Policy
- Health Services Management and Policy
- Post-Conflict Reconstruction
- Security Studies
Not enrolled in a degree program? Stand-alone certificates are also available.
Public Administration Dual Degree Programs
Earn two master’s degrees at once, faster than it take would take to earn them separately. Maxwell’s dual graduate degree options in public administration include:
- M.P.A./M.A. in international relations
- Dual M.P.A./M.A. in international relations, or an M.P.P./M.A. in international relations (Atlantis Program)
- Dual J.D./M.P.A.
Maxwell undergraduates in the following majors can apply to the accelerated B.A./M.P.A. program: anthropology, economics, geography and the environment, history, international relations, policy studies, political science and sociology.
Real clients. Real-world skills.
In the M.P.A. workshop, students work with actual clients to collect and analyze data and formulate a plan for future action, while learning to address the very real and complex challenges that organizations face. The range of clients across sectors have included NASA, Save the Children, the City of Philadelphia and RAND Corporation, to name a few.
Midcareer Executive M.P.A., Online or On Campus
Designed for public service-oriented professionals with managerial and budgeting experience looking to advance in their career or make a career change, the E.M.P.A offers the flexibility and efficiency you need to take the next big leap.
I am Maxwell.
While earning my M.P.A. at Maxwell, I worked as a graduate assistant with the Aging Studies Institute and earned a certificate in Health Services Management and Policy. Today, I am pursuing my life’s passion and directing a study that will provide the National Institute on Aging with a 10-year research agenda in behavioral and social sciences focused on Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.”
Molly Checksfield ’16 (M.P.A.)
Program Officer, National Academy of Sciences, Washington, D.C.
Schedule a One-on-One Meeting
Tailor a path that’s right for you. Contact us for an in-person or virtual conversation with the associate director of admission and financial aid.
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