Skip to Main Content
Print Page Report a broken link

College of Health Sciences and Public Policy:
Master of Public Administration (MPA)

As the public and private sectors increasingly evolve and overlap, there will be an increasing demand for leaders and managers who are scholar-practitioners. The Master of Public Administration (MPA) program prepares professionals to excel in this increasingly complex and collaborative environment. The program offers students an opportunity to directly apply academic theories and skills in their own communities, making the learning experience personally meaningful while creating positive social change.

Learning Outcomes

At the end of the program, students will be able to:

  1. Describe key leadership concepts and theories that can be used to effectively lead and manage in the public sector.
  2. Determine appropriate skills needed for participating in and contributing to public and nonprofit policy processes.
  3. Critically evaluate strategies for resolving public policy and administration problems in a global economic and political environment.
  4. Develop ethical solutions to advance and improve the lives of citizens and organizations.
  5. Apply models that represent best practices in utilizing diverse perspectives in local, state, national, and international public agencies.

Degree Requirements

  • 48 total quarter credits
  • Foundation course (3 credits)
  • Core courses (30 credits)
  • Elective courses or optional specialization courses* (10 credits)
  • Capstone course (5 credits)

*Optional specialization courses must be taken in the order shown.

Core Curriculum

Courses are 11 weeks in length.

Foundation Course (3 credits)

Core Courses (30 credits)

  • Students may take this as a non-degree course.
  • Students may take this as a non-degree course.
  • Students may take this as a non-degree course.
  • Students may take this as a non-degree course.
  • Students may take this as a non-degree course.
  • Students may take this as a non-degree course.

Electives or Optional Specialization Courses (10 credits)

Students in the General Program choose two elective courses from any of the MMPA specialization courses. Students undertaking a specialization complete two specfied courses. Specialization courses are dependent upon the particular specialization. Please see the course list on each specialization page.

Specializations Not Currently Accepting New Students

Capstone Course (5 credits)

Course Sequence

Students undertake courses in the following sequence.

Quarter Course Credits
Quarter 1

MMPA 6116 - Foundations of Graduate Study

 3 credits

MMPA 6200 - Principles of Public Administration

 5 credits
Quarter 2

MMPA 6405 - Ethics and Social Justice

 5 credits

MMPA 6451 - Public Policy Analysis

 5 credits
Quarter 3

MMPA 6431 - Finance and Budgeting for the Public Sector

 5 credits

MMPA 6441 - Human Resources Management and Strategic Planning

 5 credits
Quarter 4

MMPA 6480 - Evidence-Based Evaluation Methods

 5 credits
Elective Course 1 / Specialization Course 1 5 credits
Elective Course 2 / Specialization Course 2 5 credits
Quarter 5

MMPA 6910 - Capstone

 5 credits
Walden Staff Login