Courses
Master of Public Administration degree program requirements
39 graduate credits (3 credits per course), which includes:
- 21 credits in core courses
- 12 credits in electives
- 3 credits for a capstone course
- 3-credit internship
The range of the core courses is balanced in the areas of managing organizations, making evidence-informed decisions, analyzing policy, and applying analytical methods to understand the dynamics of economic, organizational, political, and societal environments.
The elective course selections can be customized based on the students’ interests, including human resources, nonprofit management, policy analytics and evaluation, public budgeting and financial management, and state-local government and administration.
The capstone course offers students the opportunity to demonstrate competencies in problem identification, problem-solving, professional writing, oral presentation, group research, and presentation skills.
A 3-credit/150-hour internship is required of students who do not have at least two years of full-time relevant work experience that consists of supervisory, managerial, or professional work relevant to serving the public and nonprofit organizations. The internship is waived for students with this experience before they enter the program or who gain it by working full-time or part-time during their enrollment in the program. If this occurs, students must apply for the internship waiver.
Core course topics include:
- research methods
- organizational behavior
- governmental fiscal decision-making
- public organization and management
- human resources in the public and nonprofit sectors
- intro to policy analysis
Students accepted into the program may begin their course work during any academic semester. The typical student course load is expected to be three to four courses per year. At this rate, the MPA degree program can be completed in three to five years of study.
Core Courses (21 credits)
Capstone Course (3 credits)
Internship (3 credits)
Elective Courses (select 12 credits)
Note: Students may customize a focus area by choosing courses that are of special interest to their career. Focus areas are not required and will not appear on a transcript but may be noted on a résumé.
Course Availability
If you're ready to see when your courses will be offered, visit our public LionPATH course search (opens in new window) to start planning ahead.

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