The program’s dedication to public values permeates all teaching, curriculum, and conduct of students and faculty.  This predominance originates from our mission statement, which emphasizes the following values that distinguish MPA programs from other graduate offerings:

Accountability, Transparency, and Ethical Considerations
Our mission statement specifically identifies the importance of an awareness of ethical concerns and accountability in the public service arena, so the Department operates according to these values.  The Department’s emphasis on accountability, inclusiveness, and transparency ensure all stakeholders are considered and informed of the processes and outcomes of the program.

Professional Competency and Service to the Public Good
The program emphasizes the necessity of professional skills and intellectual capacities to ensure students are capable of serving in government and nonprofits as leaders exemplifying critical thinking, fairness, and decisiveness.  Students are trained in analytic, communicative, and managerial skills that will enable them to become productive public leaders who involve all stakeholders, utilize fact-based evidence to make decisions objectively, and execute public initiatives for the welfare of others.

Upholding Democratic Principles of Equity, Due Process, and Representativeness
Students are trained to appreciate the importance of efficiency and effectiveness in executing public initiatives while maintaining a respect for the rule of law.  The program curriculum focuses on the unique concerns and challenges faced by today’s public administration and policy leaders, such as diversity and equity concerns, distinctive bureaucratic processes, and serving a variety of stakeholders and constituents.

A total of 41 semester credit hours are needed for the completion of the MPA program. A mandatory socialization sequence and five core courses introduce the student to the various fields of public administration and the economic foundations of public policy. In addition, two required courses in research methods assist students in developing a familiarity with quantitative techniques in public decision making. Students must also select six courses from a number of available elective specializations to complete their degree. Students attending full-time can expect to complete the program in two years (four semesters).

The following provides an outline of the MPA Curriculum:

1. MPA Socialization Seminar (1 semester credit hour)

• PADP 6980 Socialization Seminar

2. Public Management Core (15 semester credit hours)

• PADP 6910 Public Administration and Democracy
• PADP 6920 Public Personnel Administration
• PADP 6930 Public Financial Administration
• PADP 6950 Economic Foundations of Policy Analysis
• PADP 6960 Public Management

3. Research Methods Sequence (6 semester credit hours)

• PADP 7110 Research Methods in Public Administration
• PADP 7120 Data Applications in Public Administration

4. Elective Courses (18 semester credit hours)

5. Internship 

6. Capstone Paper and Portfolio (1 semester credit hour)

• PADP 6990 Capstone Paper and Portfolio

Before graduating, the student must complete a public service internship and submit a paper on the experience. Internships must be completed at a public sector government agency or nonprofit organization that is non-partisan and non-sectarian in scope. This requirement helps to ensure that the degree candidate can perform responsibly and proficiently at a professional or managerial level. Additionally, the internship provides students with an experiential basis for linking their coursework to their future careers as public service professionals. Students must intern for a minimum of 300 hours at the same agency. Students will not receive course credit for completing an internship and cannot count as an internship any experience for which they received course credit. Students have completed internships in a wide variety of federal, state, and local government agencies and nonprofit organizations. For examples of specific locations, please visit our Career Services website. If you are interested in learning more about internships through the SPIA Emerging Leaders Program check out the qualifications here.

Most positions with a government agency or a non-profit organization will meet the internship requirement for the MPA Program, but formal approval by the department is required. Internship placements for 2022/23 include a wide range of government and non-profit organizations, including the U.S. Government Accountability Office, the Forsythe (GA) County Government, Extra-Special People, Partnership Gwinnett, Energy Alabama, and many other organizations listed here. Prior to starting the internship, please submit the Internship Approval Form via drop box on ELC Career Services page. Include all necessary information needed before submitting for approval.

Two weeks prior to completing their internship, students should complete the Internship Exit Interview Form with their supervisor and submit via the drop box on ELC Career Services page. Information, like the start and end date, should match the previously submitted approval form. Any questions, please contact Brandon Solie, Career Services and Recruitment Assistant Director.

Students with prior successful experience in a position at a professional or managerial level at a government agency or nonprofit may seek a waiver from the internship requirement. Students desiring such an exemption should complete the Internship Waiver Form and submit it to the MPA Program Director, justifying the waiver. The Program Director will decide whether the applicant’s experience meets departmental requirements. Students who must complete an internship should consult with the MPA Career Services and Recruitment Assistant Director, who will assist the student in arranging to satisfy the requirement.

CAPSTONE PAPER AND PORTFOLIO ASSIGNMENT

See the Capstone Paper and Portfolio Information Document for details on this requirement.

A student may choose either to specialize in a single specific area of study or to complete a generalist degree. Areas of specialization include the following:

• Criminal Justice
• Health Policy and Administration
• Higher Education Administration
• International Policy and Administration
• Local Government Administration
• Nonprofit Administration
• Public Budgeting and Financial Management
• Public Management/Organization Theory
• Public Policy

To achieve a concentration in an area of specialization, an MPA student must take four courses in that area. To complete a generalist degree, students must choose a minimum of two courses from within at least two of the specified areas of specialization. The areas of specialization and a detailed listing of courses are referenced in the MPA Program Guide.

Independent Study courses are available for content not offered through a regularly scheduled course. The use of Independent Study courses to fulfill elective requirements is limited and permitted at the discretion of the MPA Program Director. To request enrollment in an Independent Study course, students must download and complete the appropriate form from the website and obtain signatures of the course instructor and the MPA Program Director.

• Independent Study Form

The MPA degree is designed to be a two-year program (four semesters total) for a full-time student. Of the 71 students who matriculated in the 2017-18 academic year, 50 percent (35 students) completed the degree in two years and 82 percent (58 students) graduated within three years, and 90 percent (64 students) graduated within 4 years, with a total of 93 (66 students) percent graduating and persisting to graduation.

Graduates of the MPA program have obtained administrative and management positions at all levels of government and in nonprofit agencies. For students graduating during the 2020-21 academic year, 93 percent reported employment in the field within six months of graduation. For the 2021 graduates, 63 percent went into public sector employment, 7 percent reported jobs in the non-profit sector, 10 percent went to work in the private sector, 4 percent continued their education, and 3 percent continued military service.

In the 2021-2022 year, job placement for our students who were employed within six months of graduation can be broken down as follows:

The MPA Career Services Coordinator assists students in the placement process. For examples of specific locations where our graduates have accepted employment, please visit our Career Services web page.

Over the past several decades, UGA has become a major center of excellence for public service education. A recent study in the Journal of Public Administration Education ranked the UGA Public Administration and Policy faculty first in the nation in research published in scholarly journals associated with the American Society for Public Administration. The most recent survey from the U.S News & World Report (2025 edition) ranked the Georgia MPA program as a #4 program nationally. The program is fully accredited by the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration.

The MPA Advisory Board, composed of public service professionals from government and nonprofit organizations, helps in evaluating curriculum needs and setting standards and goals. Members of the Board also serve as important resource contacts for internship and employment opportunities.  The current 2023-2024 MPA Advisory Board members are:

• Lori Atkinson – U.S. Government Accountability Office
• Harrison Daniel – Athens-Clarke County Police Department
• Spencer Frye – Athens Area Habitat for Humanity and State Representative District 118
• Amelia Hines Dortch – U.S. Department of Agriculture – Natural Resources Conservation Service
• Jestin Johnson – IBM
• Shayla Lee – City of Sugar Land, Texas
• Mercy Montgomery – City of Chamblee, Georgia
• Caroline Paris Paczkowski – UGA School of Public and International Affairs
• Tiffany Payne – UGA College of Family and Consumer Sciences
• Ted Pestorius – U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Joan Prittie – Project Safe Inc.
• Tracie Sanchez – Georgia Department of Economic Development
• Zane Seals – State of Tennessee, Division of TennCare
• David Tanner – UGA Carl Vinson Institute of Government
• Annelise Wornat – U.S. Department of the Treasury

*denotes new member for 2023-2024