The MPA program is a
professional degree and a
graduate 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 in
non-governmental organization (NGO) and
nonprofit sectors; it places a focus on the systematic investigation of executive organization and management. Instruction includes the roles, development, and principles of public administration;
public policy management and implementation.
Through its history, the MPA degree has become more interdisciplinary by drawing from fields such as economics, sociology, law, anthropology, 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 on
microeconomics,
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 as
urban planning,
emergency management,
transportation, health care (especially
public health),
economic development,
community development,
non-profit management,
environmental policy,
cultural policy,
international affairs, and
criminal justice.
MPA graduates currently serve in some important positions within the public sector including Prime Minister of Singapore
Lee Hsien Loong, former UN Secretary General
Ban Ki-Moon, former
CIA Director David Petraeus, former president of Liberia
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, former president of Mexico
Felipe Calderón, Foreign Minister of Serbia
Vuk Jeremić, Chairman of the
World Toilet Organization Jack Sim, former New York City Police Commissioner
Raymond Kelly, former
Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius, current Treasurer of Australia
Josh Frydenberg. Other notable MPA graduates include
U.S. Representative Dan Crenshaw,
Bill O'Reilly and pilot
Chesley Sullenberger.
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A Master of Public Administration can be acquired at various institutions. See
List of schools offering MPA degrees.