Public Administration: Executive (M.P.A.)
https://www.unh.edu/program/master-public-administration/public-administration-executive
What the Program Covers
The online Executive Master of Public Administration (MPA) program prepares students for leadership roles in public and nonprofit organizations. The curriculum builds skills in program evaluation, budgeting, planning, personnel management, and policy analysis. This reduced-credit program for experienced professionals—or those with a Certified Public Manager credential—can be completed in just one year. Note that the GRE is not required for admission to this program.
Public Administration graduates learn how to apply evidence-based decision-making to improve public sector and nonprofit organizations.
Program Highlights
- Earn your public administration master’s degree fully online and asynchronously
- Study with public service professionals and professors who bring strong analysis and best practices to your learning
- Start in the fall, spring, or summer and graduate in just 12 months
Choose between two capstone tracks:
- Management and Leadership – focusing on organizational strategy and public sector leadership. Students may add the optional Recreation Management and Policy track to focus on recreation administration within public service.
- Program Planning and Development – focusing on program design, evaluation, and implementation.
Program Delivery and Options
All core courses are delivered online asynchronously. Students may take optional electives in person on UNH campuses. An optional Washington, DC Colloquium brings students to Washington, DC for a week of meetings with policymakers and practitioners.
Executive MPA Requirements
Students enrolled in the Carsey School's Executive Master of Public Administration program are required to complete a 30-credit program, consisting of 10 courses as follows:
- 3 MPA BASIC Core Curriculum Courses
- 3 MPA ADVANCED Core Curriculum Courses
- 4 MPA CAPSTONE EXPERIENCE Track Courses:
- Management and Leadership Track: 2 Capstone Courses + 2 Elective Courses
Optional: Recreation Management and Policy Track can be added to focus on recreation administration by choosing a minimum of 3 RMP courses from the MPA ADVANCED Core course list to fulfill Elective and MPA Advanced Core program requirements
OR
- Program Planning and Development Track: 4 Applied Project Capstone Courses
These provide students with a strong foundation in theory and the applied skills necessary to foster democratic involvement, accountability and administrative competency in the provision and delivery of public services in towns, cities, state agencies, and a wide range of nonprofit and non-governmental organizations. Further opportunities for depth and specialization are provided through a broad range of MPA ADVANCED Core and MPA-Approved Elective courses which vary each term. For a culminating graduate experience, students choose an MPA capstone experience to match their interests (Management and Leadership Track or Program Planning and Development Track). Students pursuing additional specialization in recreation administration can add the optional Recreation Management and Policy Track to the Management and Leadership Track.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| MPA BASIC Core Curriculum Courses (3 Courses) | ||
| PA 800 | Foundations and Theories of Public Administration | 3 |
| PA 805 | Introduction to Statistical Analysis | 3 |
| PA 809 | Organization and Management in Public and Non-profit Sectors | 3 |
| MPA ADVANCED Core Curriculum Courses (3 Courses) 1,4 | ||
| Select three courses from the following: | 9 | |
| Grant-writing for Public and Non-profit Sectors | ||
| Administrative Law | ||
| Leadership Theory and Practice | ||
| Human Resource Management in Public and Non-profit Sectors | ||
| Financial Management and Budgeting in the Public Sector | ||
| Public Management Techniques | ||
| Non-Profit Management | ||
| Managing Conflict and Change in Nonprofit and Public Organizations | ||
| Strategic Communications for Public and Non-profit Sectors | ||
| Effective Change Management in Nonprofit and Public Organizations | ||
| Integrative Approaches to Development Policy and Practice | ||
| Economic Analysis for Development | ||
| Fiscal Management for Development Organizations | ||
| Policy Seminar | ||
| Community Development Finance | ||
| Conflict & Human Security | ||
| Global Governance | ||
| International Development & Human Security | ||
| Sustainable Development: Gender-Environment Nexus | ||
| Peace and Human Security in the Post-Atrocity State | ||
| Fundamentals of Policy Analysis | ||
| Policy Across Borders | ||
| Strategies for Policy Impact | ||
| Media Strategy and Skills | ||
| Advanced Special Topics | ||
| Recreation Resource Management | ||
| Adaptive Sport Facilitation for Recreation Therapy and Related Professions | ||
| Research, Evaluation, and Data-Driven Decisions | ||
| Therapeutic Recreation Service Delivery in Community Settings | ||
| Theories and Philosophies of Youth Development | ||
| Law and Public Policy in Leisure Services | ||
| Entrepreneurial and Commercial Recreation | ||
| Human Dimensions of Natural Environments | ||
| Non-Profit Administration and Leadership | ||
| Fund Development and Grantwriting | ||
| MPA CAPSTONE EXPERIENCE Track (4 Courses) | 12 | |
| Select a track from the following: | ||
Management and Leadership Track: 2, 4 | ||
| Policy and Program Evaluation | ||
| Capstone in Public Administration | ||
Two (2) MPA-Approved Elective Courses (these can include RMP courses if pursuing the Recreation Management and Policy Track) 1,4 | ||
Program Planning and Development Track: 3 | ||
| Introduction to Community Development Projects | ||
| Project Design and Planning | ||
| Project Implementation and Monitoring | ||
| Project Evaluation | ||
| Total Credits | 30 | |
- 1
A range of MPA ADVANCED Core courses are offered each term and vary each year. ADVANCED Core courses can also be taken as Elective courses. Students may also propose relevant Elective courses based upon their interests. Consult with your Graduate Academic Advisor for guidance and course selections.
- 2
As a culmination of their graduate work, students in the Master of Public Administration's Management and Leadership Track are tasked with reflecting upon the professional applicability of their MPA skillset and drawing from the ePortfolio that they built throughout the program. Students are presented with a real-world problem in public administration and asked to write a paper exploring the problem and proposing recommended solutions.
- 3
Students in the Master of Public Administration's Program Planning and Development Track complete a four-term capstone project as the culmination of their graduate work. This capstone experience is designed to provide an opportunity to directly apply theories learned in the classroom to a major applied project within a community.
- 4
Students pursuing the Recreation Management and Policy Track should select a minimum of 3 RMP courses from the list of MPA ADVANCED Core courses to meet MPA ADVANCED Core and/or MPA-Approved Elective program requirements. Students should consult with their departmental Graduate Academic Advisors at the Carsey School and Recreation Management & Policy for guidance on which RMP courses are relevant based upon their interests.
EXECUTIVE MPA Sample Degree Plans (30 Credits): Fall Start
CAPSTONE TRACK: MANAGEMENT AND LEADERSHIP
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | |
| Term 1 | ||
| PA 800 | Foundations and Theories of Public Administration | 3 |
| MPA ADVANCED Core Course 1,3 | 3 | |
| Term 2 | ||
| MPA ADVANCED Core Course 1,3 | 3 | |
| MPA ADVANCED Core Course 1,3 | 3 | |
| Credits | 12 | |
| Spring | ||
| Term 3 | ||
| PA 804 | Policy and Program Evaluation 2 | 3 |
| PA 809 | Organization and Management in Public and Non-profit Sectors | 3 |
| Term 4 | ||
| PA 805 | Introduction to Statistical Analysis | 3 |
| PA 908A | Capstone in Public Administration 2 | 3 |
| Credits | 12 | |
| Summer | ||
| Term 5 | ||
| MPA-Approved Elective Course 1,3 | 3 | |
| MPA-Approved Elective Course 1,3 | 3 | |
| Credits | 6 | |
| Total Credits | 30 | |
- 1
A range of MPA ADVANCED Core courses are offered each term and vary each year. ADVANCED Core courses can also be taken as Elective courses. Students may also propose relevant Elective courses based upon their interests. Consult with your Graduate Academic Advisor for guidance and course selections.
- 2
As a culmination of their graduate work, students in the Master of Public Administration's Management and Leadership Track are tasked with reflecting upon the professional applicability of their MPA skillset and drawing from the ePortfolio that they built throughout the program. Students are presented with a real-world problem in public administration and asked to write a paper exploring the problem and proposing recommended solutions.
- 3
Students pursuing the Recreation Management and Policy Track should select a minimum of 3 RMP courses from the list of MPA ADVANCED Core courses to meet their ADVANCED Core and/or Elective program requirements. Students should consult with their departmental Graduate Academic Advisors at the Carsey School and Recreation Management & Policy for guidance on which RMP courses are relevant based upon their interests.
CAPSTONE TRACK: program planning AND development
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | |
| Term 1 | ||
| DPP 980 | Introduction to Community Development Projects 2 | 3 |
| PA 800 | Foundations and Theories of Public Administration | 3 |
| Term 2 | ||
| DPP 981 | Project Design and Planning 2 | 3 |
| MPA ADVANCED Core Course 1 | 3 | |
| Credits | 12 | |
| Spring | ||
| Term 3 | ||
| DPP 982 | Project Implementation and Monitoring 2 | 3 |
| PA 809 | Organization and Management in Public and Non-profit Sectors | 3 |
| Term 4 | ||
| DPP 983 | Project Evaluation 2 | 3 |
| PA 805 | Introduction to Statistical Analysis | 3 |
| Credits | 12 | |
| Summer | ||
| Term 5 | ||
| MPA ADVANCED Core Course 1 | 3 | |
| MPA ADVANCED Core Course 1 | 3 | |
| Credits | 6 | |
| Total Credits | 30 | |
- 1
A range of MPA ADVANCED Core courses are offered each term and vary each year. ADVANCED Core courses can also be taken as Elective courses. Students may also propose relevant Elective courses based upon their interests. Consult with your Graduate Academic Advisor for guidance and course selections. Note that the optional Recreation Management and Policy Track cannot be added to this Program Planning and Development Track.
- 2
Students in the Master of Public Administration's Program Planning and Development Track complete a four-term capstone project as the culmination of their graduate work. This capstone experience is designed to provide an opportunity to directly apply theories learned in the classroom to a major applied project within a community.
- Develop in-depth understanding of the structure of public sector organizations and common issues faced by public and nonprofit managers
- Communicate effectively with public managers, policymakers, and the general public
- Manage organizations, processes, and people in the public and nonprofit sectors
- Apply critical thinking skills to address public issues and solve problems
- Collect and analyze data to inform public decision-making