Master of Public Administration (MPA)

The Master of Public Administration Program is designed to train and educate individuals for careers in public service, whether that is in the public, private, or non-profit sectors. This interdisciplinary degree focuses on the intellectual foundations of public administration, including quantitative analysis, management and professional skills. Students will be prepared for careers in nonprofit organizations, federal, state, and local governments, and for profit organizations that cooperate with the public sector.

Rockefeller’s MPA may be completed on a full-time or part-time basis. Full-time students should plan to commit two years to complete the program and required internship. Part-time, working professionals can take advantage of evening courses to complete the degree. The MPA is a 49 credit hour program that allows students to focus the degree towards their personal career goals. The three components of the Rockefeller MPA are:

• A core curriculum including public management, analytic methods, financial management, and microeconomics (28 credits)
• Concentration area(s) consisting of five elective courses chosen from Rockefeller College and across the University
• An internship or career experience

Core Curriculum

The core consists of six semester-length courses, two professional applications modules, and a capstone course connected to an internship.  Core courses are required of all students.  MPA students are required to take all their core courses prior to enrolling in a concentration course.

PAD 500:  Institutional Foundations of Public Administration
PAD 501:  Public and Nonprofit Financial Management
PAD 503:  Principles of Public Economics
PAD 504:  Data, Models, and Decisions I
PAD 505:  Data, Models, and Decisions II
PAD 506:  Foundations of Public Management
PAD 507:  Professional Applications I
PAD 508:  Professional Applications II
PAD 509:  Career Capstone Experience

Concentration Areas

Rockefeller offers concentrations in multiple fields including public management (ranked #8 nationally); public finance and budgeting (ranked #7 nationally); policy analysis and information systems (ranked #2 nationally); politics, policy and institutions; and multiple substantive public policy areas.

Students take at least five concentration courses, which should be chosen based on long-term professional interests.  Depending on the concentration, students can choose to take two, three, or five courses within one or more concentrations.  Students should choose concentrations based on their career goals and should work closely with an advisor to determine which concentrations best match their professional interests and to identify the specific courses they will take within a concentration.  Where appropriate, a student working closely with his or her advisor may design a unique concentration. 

• Nonprofit Management
• Local Government Management
• Homeland Security
• Health Policy
• Information Strategy and Management
• Policy Analytic Models
• Organizational Behavior and Theory
• Financial Management and Public Economics
• Human Resources Management
• Financial Market Regulation
• Information Policy

• Crime and Justice Policy
• Education Policy
• Global Affairs
• History and Policy
• Urban Planning and Policy
• Social Welfare Policy
• Women and Policy

Gain valuable real-world experience through internships in both the public and private sector. Recent graduates have held internships or found full-time employment in:
 

• New York State Intelligence Center
  
• New York State Office of Homeland Security
  
• U.S. Department of Homeland Security

• City of Springfield, Massachusetts
  
• Downtown Albany Business Improvement District
  
• Schenectady County

• New York State Assembly Ways and Means Committee
  
• New York State Department of Civil Service
  
• New York State Senate Finance Committee
  

• Moody’s
• New York State Division of the Budget
• Public Financial Management Group
  

• Government Accountability Office
  
• Social Security Administration
• U.S. Housing and Urban Development

• New York State Association of Health Care Providers
• U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
• U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

• American Red Cross
• Community Builders
• Hope International