MPA Public Administration at University of Cincinnati

Programme overview

The Master of Public Administration (MPA) uses a social justice outlook to develop students to be transformative and ethical leaders in the public and non-profit sectors. Students are able to pursue their passion for public policy and social innovation, and prepare themselves to meet the increasing need for leaders in the public sector. In addition to the traditional core competencies, this program centers justice in all levels of government and nonprofit organizations.

Faculty: College of Arts and Sciences | Duration: 2 years | Study mode: full-time | Location: Cincinnati, OH, United States

What you will study

All MPA students complete the MPA Core (24 credit hours) and choose a specialization in Public Management, Social and Urban Policy, or Cyberpolicy. Core classes provide the foundational knowledge and skills in management, budgeting, and administrative law before students move toward more focused areas of study. Elective courses (6 credit hours) can be selected by students across a variety of different courses.

Career pathways

An MPA prepares students for a variety of exciting careers in the public sector. An MPA is a management degree leads to excellent first placement for our students coming directly from undergraduate programs and significant career enhancement for students already at work in public sector positions.

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

Admission requirements for the MPA program: Two letters of recommendation (ideally at least one from a former professor) Minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.0 Respond to an essay prompt provided on the application (between 500 and 750 words) Resume Optional materials – third letter of recommendation, writing sample, any other information to strengthen student’s application NO GRE is required Decision criteria for admissions include demonstrated familiarity with public service/administration topics and interests, demonstrated ability to write and communicate clearly, and evidence of alignment between applicant’s academic goals and the strengths and resources of our MPA program. Tuition Costs: Current Year Costs for Graduate Students - UC Bursar's Office Financial Aid: Very limited opportunities for Graduate Assistantships available through the School of Public and International Affairs or other departments at the University of Cincinnati. Most MPA students do not receive financial aid.

Tuition is charged per credit, so the total depends on the modules you register for each year. Current fees are listed in the official fee schedule.

Graduate applicants select an entry term (semester) when applying; not all programmes start every term, and each programme sets its own start terms.

Graduate application fee: $65 domestic and $70 international for most degree programmes; $75 domestic and $80 international for the College of Engineering & Applied Science; $140 for the MS Physiology.

Graduate applications: programmes set their own deadlines and decision schedules. Most programmes use the UC Graduate Admissions Application; Nursing uses NursingCAS, Occupational Therapy OTCAS, Physical Therapy PTCAS, Athletic Training ATCAS, Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology CSDCAS, and Public Health SOPHAS.

Apply through the official page: https://grad.uc.edu/admissions.html

Explore more study programmes

Business