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The academic qualification ofMaster of Public Administration (MPA) is a specializedprofessionalgraduate degree inpublic administration. Its course of studies prepares students for roles asleaders, and resembles or mirrors training for qualification as aMaster of Business Administration, but with an emphasis on issues ofpublic services.
This program covers principles of public administration,policy development, andmanagement. Graduates may work in government,nonprofits, or private companies. The specifics of the program can vary by university or country. It typically requires two years for completion.
The MPA program is a higher professional degree and apostgraduate degree for the public sector and it prepares individuals to serve as managers, executives and policy analysts in the executive arm of local, state/provincial, and federal/national government, and increasingly innon-governmental organization (NGO) andnonprofit sectors; it places a focus on the practices of executive organization and management. Instruction includes the roles, development, and principles of public administration;public policy management and implementation.[1]
Through its history, the MPA degree has become more interdisciplinary by drawing from fields such as economics, sociology, law, anthropology, organizational development, political science, and regional planning in order to equip MPA graduates with skills and knowledge covering a broad range of topics and disciplines relevant to the public sector. A core curriculum of a typical MPA program usually includes courses onmicroeconomics,public finance, research methods, statistics,policy analysis,managerial accounting, ethics,public management,geographic information systems (GIS), and program evaluation. MPA students may focus their studies on public sector fields such asurban planning,emergency management,transportation, health care (especiallypublic health),economic development,community development,non-profit management,environmental policy,cultural policy,international affairs, andcriminal justice.
MPA graduates currently serve in some important positions within the public sector including the former Prime Minister of SingaporeLee Hsien Loong, theNobel Peace Prize laureate and former President of ColombiaJuan Manuel Santos, former UN Secretary-GeneralBan Ki-moon, three former presidents of Mexico (Felipe Calderón,Carlos Salinas de Gortari andMiguel de la Madrid), former Canadian Prime MinisterPierre Elliott Trudeau, former President of BoliviaEduardo Rodríguez Veltzé, former President of EcuadorJamil Mahuad Witt (MPA '89), former President of Costa RicaJosé María Figueres Olsen, formerCIA DirectorDavid Petraeus, former president of LiberiaEllen Johnson Sirleaf, Foreign Minister of SerbiaVuk Jeremić, former New York City Police CommissionerRaymond Kelly, formerSecretary of Health and Human ServicesKathleen Sebelius, and former Treasurer of AustraliaJosh Frydenberg. Other notable MPA graduates include actressAshley Judd,U.S. RepresentativeDan Crenshaw, New York City MayorEric Adams,Bill O'Reilly and pilotChesley Sullenberger.[2]
A Master of Public Administration can be acquired at various institutions. SeeList of schools offering MPA degrees.
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