Public Administration (MPA)

The MPA program prepares public-servant leaders for careers dedicated to the common good in the public or nonprofit sectors. Specifically, this professional degree equips graduates to:

• Articulate, apply, and advance a public service perspective;
• Lead and manage in the public interest;
• Participate in and contribute to the public policy process;
• Analyze, synthesize, and think critically to solve problems and make evidence-informed decisions in a complex and dynamic environment; and
• Communicate and interact productively and in culturally appropriate ways with a diverse and changing workforce and society.

To receive the Master of Public Administration degree, the student must satisfactorily complete 39 semester hours of coursework with a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or better. The 39 hours of coursework will include 9 core courses (27 credits) and 4 elective courses (12 credits). Core courses are:

• MPA 500: Public Administration
• MPA 551: Introduction to Public Policy OR MPA 504: State & Local Government
• MPA 510: Quantitative Methods in Public Administration
• MPA 511: Applied Research Techniques
• MPA 520: Organization Theory
• MPA 524: Ethics in Public Administration OR MPA 526: Leadership in Building Communities
• MPA 530: Public Budgeting
• MPA 540: Public Sector Human Resource Management
• MPA 599: Public Administration Capstone

The remaining 12 hours will consist of elective MPA courses or, with the approval of the MPA Program Director, relevant courses offered by other graduate programs. Students may choose to apply the elective hours to the completion of a Graduate Certificate, such as Nonprofit and Community Leadership or a Certificate offered by another Department. Pre-service students are encouraged, but not required, to complete an internship for 3 or 6 hours of elective credit. Students must seek approval to enroll in the MPA 595 Internship course. Additionally, students may seek approval for tailored course options using the MPA 593 Independent Study or MPA 597 Public Service Project courses — both are also limited to no more than 6 hours. Students should generally wait to enroll in MPA 593, MPA 595, or MPA 597 only after completing 18 hours of regular courses.

Students may seek to transfer up to 9 hours of relevant coursework completed at another university. All core courses are eligible, with approval, to be fulfilled by the transfer of the equivalent outside course – with the exceptions of MPA 500 and MPA 599, which must be completed within the MPA program. Transfer courses may not have been used as part of the completion of another degree at the other institution.

Visit the Catalog to view additional details about the Master of Public Administration, including degree requirements and course descriptions.

Applicants interested in beginning the MPA Program should contact the program director to discuss the program and submit an online application through the Admission Account. The program director and Faculty Admissions Committee will review each application holistically, looking for evidence of the applicant's demonstration of public service motivation and alignment with our program's mission and the potential for academic success in the program.

Applicants must submit the following materials:

• Official academic transcripts
• Current resume
• A career trajectory statement of 500-750 words addressing why you think you would be a successful candidate for the M.P.A. program, what has led you to pursue a master's degree in public administration, your career aspirations in the public or nonprofit sectors, and how you think this degree will help you reach them
• Two letters of recommendation from professors and/or employers

Additional requirements apply for international students.

Current undergraduate students can work toward an MPA degree through the Bachelor's Plus Master's program.

Core MPA Faculty

• Joshua Ambrosius, Ph.D., MPA Program Director; Associate Professor
• Nancy Miller, Ph.D., Chair, Department of Political Science; Professor
• Grant Neeley, Ph.D., Director, Center for Cybersecurity & Data Intelligence; Professor
• Li-Yin Liu, Ph.D., Associate Professor
• Dongfang Gaozhao, Ph.D., Assistant Professor
• Michelle Pautz, Ph.D., Professor
• Christopher Brough, Ph.D., Assistant Professor

Additional Faculty and Staff

• Dan Birdsong, Ph.D., Coordinator of Political Science Experiential Learning; Senior Lecturer
• Eileen Maloney, Administrative Support Staff

• Health Communication (Graduate Certificate)
• Marianist Studies (Graduate Certificate)
• Nonprofit and Community Leadership (Graduate Certificate)
• Strategic Public Relations (Graduate Certificate)

Rooted in our Catholic, Marianist traditions, the University of Dayton is dedicated to being transparent and ensuring student success.

Financial aid may be available for degree-seeking graduate students, file the FAFSA to be considered. Once you have applied and been accepted to a graduate program, we will prepare your applicable aid for the upcoming year.

Graduate assistantships are available for MPA students. While the Department of Political Science does not offer its own GA positions, MPA students may apply independently to other GA opportunities on campus.