Online Master of Public Administration (M.P.A.) (2024)

The Online Master of Public Administration program (MPA) offers you the opportunity to learn the skills you need in all aspects of public and nonprofit management including leadership, program evaluation, budgeting, planning, personnel management, collective bargaining, and policy analysis. Professionals with five or more years of relevant work experience can enroll in the 12-month Executive MPA program with reduced degree requirements and lower tuition cost.

Our MPA graduates are prepared to engage with their communities, ensure accountability, and have the administrative skills to achieve their organization's mission in an effective and sustainable manner.

• The MPA program is fully online and is ideal for working professionals
• Study with public service professionals and professors who bring strong analysis and best practices to your learning
• Start in the fall or spring and graduate in as little as 12 months (Executive MPA) or 16 months (MPA)
• Choose your MPA Capstone Experience Track: Management and Leadership or Program Planning and Development
• The GRE isnotrequired to apply for this degree program

Program Delivery & Location: Core academic courses for the MPA program are offered entirely online with choices for taking optional elective courses in person on the UNH campuses.

EXECUTIVE MPA Sample Degree Plan (30 Credits)

CAPSTONE TRACK: MANAGEMENT AND LEADERSHIP

¹

A range of MPA ADVANCED Corecourses are offered each term and vary each year. ADVANCED Core courses can also be taken as ELECTIVE courses.Students may also propose additional ELECTIVE courses if they make sense in terms of the student’s interests and academic plan. Discussion with your MPA Graduate Academic Advisor should inform this choice.

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.

EXECUTIVE MPA Sample Degree Plan (30 Credits)

CAPSTONE TRACK: program planning AND development

¹

A range of MPA ADVANCED Corecourses are offered each term and vary each year. ADVANCED Core courses can also be taken as ELECTIVE courses.Students may also propose additional ELECTIVE courses if they make sense in terms of the student’s interests and academic plan. Discussion with your MPA Graduate Academic Advisor should inform this choice.

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.

MPA Sample Degree Plan (36 Credits)

CAPSTONE TRACK: MANAGEMENT AND LEADERSHIP

¹

A range of MPA ADVANCED Corecourses are offered each term and vary each year. ADVANCED Core courses can also be taken as ELECTIVE courses.Students may also propose additional ELECTIVE courses if they make sense in terms of the student’s interests and academic plan. Discussion with your MPA Graduate Academic Advisor should inform this choice.

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.

MPA Sample Degree Plan (36 Credits)

CAPSTONE TRACK: PROGRAM PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT

¹

A range of MPA ADVANCED Corecourses are offered each term and vary each year. ADVANCED Core courses can also be taken as ELECTIVE courses.Students may also propose additional ELECTIVE courses if they make sense in terms of the student’s interests and academic plan. Discussion with your MPA Graduate Academic Advisor should inform this choice.

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.

Executive MPA Requirements

Students enrolled in the Carsey School's Executive Master of Public Administration program are required to complete a thirty (30) credit program, consisting of:

• Three (3) BASIC CoreCurriculum Courses
• Three (3) ADVANCED CoreCurriculum Courses
• MPA CAPSTONE EXPERIENCE Track:
  • Management and Leadership Track: Two (2) Capstone Project Courses + Two (2) Elective Courses
    OR
  • Program Planning and Development Track: Four (4) Capstone Project Courses

These providestudents 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 ADVANCED Core and ELECTIVE courses which vary by semester. For a culminating graduate experience, students choose an MPA capstone experience to match theirinterests in Management and Leadership or Program Planning and Development, enabling students to directly apply what they've learned throughout their MPA program.

¹

A range of MPA ADVANCED Corecourses are offered each term and vary each year. ADVANCED Core courses can also be taken as ELECTIVE courses.Students may also propose additional ELECTIVE courses if they make sense in terms of the student’s interests and academic plan. Discussion with your MPA Graduate Academic Advisor should inform this choice.

²

As a culmination of their graduate work, students in the Master of Public Administration'sManagement and Leadership Trackare 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.

See Also

Take a Course & Expand Your Opportunities!Earning Your Behavioral Neuroscience Degree at UNH COLSA

³

Students in the Master of Public Administration'sProgram Planning and Development Trackcomplete 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.

MPA Requirements

Students enrolled in the Carsey School's Master of Public Administration program are required to complete a thirty-six (36) credit program, consisting of:

• Three (3) BASIC Core Curriculum Courses
• Three (3) ADVANCED Core Curriculum Courses
• MPA CAPSTONE EXPERIENCE Track:
  • Management and Leadership Track: Two (2) Capstone Project Courses + Four (4) Elective Courses
    OR
  • Program Planning and Development Track: Four (4) Capstone Project Courses + Two (2) Elective Courses

These providestudents 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 ADVANCED Core and ELECTIVE courses which vary by semester. For a culminating graduate experience, students choose an MPA capstone experience to match theirinterests in Management and Leadership or Program Planning and Development, enabling students to directly apply what they've learned throughout their MPA program.

¹

A range of MPA ADVANCED Corecourses are offered each term and vary each year. ADVANCED Core courses can also be taken as ELECTIVE courses.Students may also propose additional ELECTIVE courses if they make sense in terms of the student’s interests and academic plan. Discussion with your MPA Graduate Academic Advisor should inform this choice.

²

As a culmination of their graduate work, students in the Master of Public Administration'sManagement and Leadership Trackare 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'sProgram Planning and Development Trackcomplete 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.

This graduate program is approved to be taken on an accelerated basis in articulation with certain undergraduate degree programs.

General Accelerated Master's policy, note that some programs have additional requirements (e.g. higher grade expectations) compared to the policy.

Please see the Graduate School website and contact the department directly for more information.

Accelerated Master's Progam Eligible:Yes-MPA Only (not applicable for the Executive MPA program)

TheMaster of Public Administration's 36-Creditprogram (MPA) allows students who are undergraduate seniors to take graduate level courses which count for both their undergraduate and graduate degree programs. Students must apply to the MPP program and be accepted as an Accelerated Master's student. Details on eligibility requirements for admission.

Eligible students who are admitted to the AcceleratedMaster's program may complete up to 12 credits at the 800-level during their undergraduate senior year, earning dual credit toward their Bachelor's and MPA degrees. Accelerated Master's students should always consult with their Graduate Academic Advisor for guidance.

Accelerated Master's students may register for a maximum of 12 credits of graduate-­level courses prior to completing their bachelor's degree.

The MPA program is approved to be taken on an accelerated basis in articulation with the following undergraduate programs:

CyberSecurity Policy Minor & MPA

Global Studies Minor (Manchester) & MPA

Political Science (B.A.) & MPA

Public Service and Nonprofit Leadership (B.S.) & MPA

• 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

Apply now

Note:

The Public Administration M.P.A program will be converting to an online only version effective Fall 2021. If you have questions about this change please contact the department directly.

Deadlines

Applications must be completed by the following deadlines in order to be reviewed for admission:

• Fall: August 1
• Spring: December 15
• Summer: N/A
• Special: N/A

Application fee: $65

Campus: Online

New England Regional: No

Accelerated Masters: Yes (for more details see the accelerated masters information page)

Transcripts

If you attended UNH or Granite State College (GSC) after September 1, 1991, and have indicated so on your online application, we will retrieve your transcript internally; this includes UNH-Durham, UNH-Manchester, UNH Non-Degree work and GSC.

If you did not attend UNH, or attended prior to September 1, 1991, then you must upload a copy (PDF) of your transcript in the application form.International transcripts must be translated into English.

If admitted, you must then request an official transcript be sent directly to our office from the Registrar's Office of each college/university attended. We accept transcripts both electronically and in hard copy:

• Electronic Transcripts: Please have your institution send the transcript directly to grad.school@unh.edu. Please note that we can only accept copies sent directly from the institution.
• Paper Transcripts: Please send hard copies of transcripts to: UNH Graduate School, Thompson Hall- 105 Main Street, Durham, NH 03824. You may request transcripts be sent to us directly from the institution or you may send them yourself as long as they remain sealed in the original university envelope.

Transcripts from all previous post-secondary institutions must be submitted and applicants must disclose any previous academic or disciplinary sanctions that resulted in their temporary or permanent separation from a previous post-secondary institution. If it is found that previous academic or disciplinary separations were not disclosed, applicants may face denial and admitted students may face dismissal from their academic program.

Letters of recommendation: 3 required

Recommendation letters submitted by relatives or friends, as well as letters older than one year, will not be accepted.

Personal Statement/Essay Questions

Prepare a brief but careful statement regarding: 1) reasons you wish to do graduate work in this field, including your immediate and long-range objectives, and 2) your specific research or professional interest and experiences in this field. In addition, applicants seeking a graduate assistantship or tuition assistance also must note this request in their personal statement.

Statements must be included with your submitted application.

Resume

Resume is optional but recommended.

Additional Department Requirements

If you are requesting a graduate assistantship or tuition assistance from the department then they require that you also submit GRE test scores. Please send a photo-copy of your test scores directly to the department (they do not require an official copy). For further details please contact the department.

Important Notes

All applicants are encouraged to contact programs directly to discuss program-specific application questions.

International Applicants

Due to program requirements and restrictions, the MPA Program is unable to admit international students who require F-1 visa sponsorship. The program will gladly accept applications for applicants who are working in the United States full-time on a different visa type and do not require F-1 visa support.

Prospective international students are strongly encouraged to contact Carsey Admissions prior to starting their application. All international applicants are required to submit TOEFL, IELTS, or equivalentexamination scores. Please note that English Language Examsmay be waived if English is your first language. If you wish to request a waiver, then please visit ourTest Scores webpagefor more information.

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