北肯塔基大學

The Master of Public Administration (MPA) is an applied 39 credit hour degree designed to prepare students for careers in public service and public management. Classes are small, permitting faculty to personalize instruction and allowing students to develop interpersonal, technical, and quantitative skills necessary for competitive employment in the public and related sectors, including government agencies, hospitals, universities, and other nonprofit organizations. It is the only MPA program in the Northern Kentucky and Greater Cincinnati region. Also, it is accredited by the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration (NASPAA), one of only seven in the state of Kentucky.

The MPA program takes approximately two-and-a-half years with students enrolling in six credit hours per semester in the fall, spring and summer semesters. Students can accelerate this pace by attending full-time (9+ hours per semester), or students can slow that pace to three years or longer by not enrolling in summer sessions. Note that all courses counting towards the MPA degree must be taken within eight years of completing the program.

The program is suited for mature, career-oriented persons committed to working in the public, nonprofit or related sectors. To accommodate students’ work schedules, many courses are taught on weekday evenings in three hour blocks, and they include a mix of lecture, seminar, small group, laboratory, and/or field work. Some courses are offered via alternative formats including online, independent research, and study abroad.

In addition to the MPA degree, the department offers Nonprofit Management and Emergency Management graduate certificates. Each certificate requires a total of 18 semester hours consisting of nine semester hours in core courses and nine semester hours in electives selected by the student from a variety of offerings.

Program Mission Statement

The MPA program provides professional managerial, communication and human relations skills and knowledge in preparation for or advancement in a variety of public sector and related careers.

The goal of the program is to develop competent public service practitioners to serve governments, nonprofit organizations and citizens in the Northern Kentucky and Greater Cincinnati metropolitan region and beyond.

Objectives

The MPA program’s core objectives are to:

Provide fundamental managerial and analytical skills to be applied to the public sector in the areas of policy evaluation, human resource management, organizational development and behavior, and financial management and budgeting.

Develop analytical competencies including thinking critically about social issues and potential strategies to address them, collecting and analyzing relevant information, and communicating it effectively.

Cultivate a strong sense of public sector values and ethical behavior within the public sector work environment.

Enhance abilities to organize information and ideas and to communicate them effectively, both in written reports and in oral presentations.

Provide certain specialized skills, knowledge and competency in the areas of concentration.