Master of Public Administration
The M.P.A. has career tracks in Criminal Justice, Management and Finance, Nonprofit Management, Planning and Economic Development, Policy Analysis and Evaluation, and Public Health.
Governance for the 21st Century
The master of public administration (MPA) is the degree of choice for individuals with an interest in public affairs and professional management in the public and nonprofit sectors. Whether you’re seeking a first job in government or with a nonprofit organization, or are interested in advancing in an existing career, Georgia State University’s MPA program provides skills and knowledge that government and nonprofit agencies are looking for. Join us as we explore new ideas and perspectives on public and nonprofit administration, policy and governance in the 21st Century.
Our MPA program is fully accredited by the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration (NASPAA). Read the NASPAA Code of Good Practice. AYSPS is also a member of APPAM. Recent national studies have ranked our overall public affairs curriculum in the top 35 programs nationwide, and in the top 10 for public finance and urban policy. The Department of Public Administration and Urban Studies, located in the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies, provides access to a community of research and teaching scholars with national and international reputations for their expertise and contributions to knowledge and practice across a broad range of administrative processes and policy concerns.
Our goals are to enhance the effectiveness of public and nonprofit gencies and to inform ongoing efforts by public, nonprofit, and international agencies to make policy choices that improve the lives of people all over the world. Our students find the MPA program at Georgia State to be both challenging and rewarding.
Moving on and moving up
Many graduates of our MPA program hold top positions in their fields. More than 1,000 alumni work in federal, state, and local agencies, and quasigovernmental and private–sector organizations in the Atlanta area, across the United States, and in many other nations. Our alumni have held or currently hold many responsible positions, including:
• Program Analyst, U.S. General Accounting Office
• Director, Georgia Office of Budget and Planning
• Commissioner, Georgia Dept. of Administrative Ser vices
• Director, Senate Budget Office, Georgia General Assembly
• Comptroller and Chief Financial Officer, Georgia Building Authority
• Director, State of Georgia Dept. of Motor Vehicle Safety
• Tax Commissioner, Gwinnett County, Georgia
• Director of Administration, DeKalb County Health
• Director of Finance and Budget, Morehouse College
• Executive Director, Georgia Municipal Association
• Special Agent, Federal Bureau of Investigation
• Staff Member, Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, U.S. House of Representatives
• Member, Georgia State Legislature
• Administrative Staff, U.S. Centers for Disease Control
• Exhibit Director, High Museum of Art, Atlanta
• Manager of Volunteer Programs, Atlanta Community Food Bank
• Executive Director, Senior Citizens Services of Metropolitan Atlanta
The Department of Public Administration also offers a very active MPA Advisory Board that regularly consults with faculty and students on ways to enrich the program and to improve its connections with the practitioner community. The Board is composed of federal, state, local, and nonprofit administrators, managers, and finance officers who are dedicated to the study and practice of public service in the Atlanta region and beyond. Many of them earned their MPA degree at Georgia State University.
The curriculum
Georgia State’s MPA program includes a required core curriculum supplemented by elective coursework in one of several career tracks. Full–time students should be able to complete the degree within two years. An internship or practicum is required of those without significant administrative experience in a public or nonprofit agency or related organization. For detailed information on the MPA curriculum, core requirements, career tracks, and other matters, please consult the Master's Bulletin - MPA page or the university’s online Graduate Catalog.
Career Tracks in the MPA Program
Each student completes coursework in one of the following career tracks:
• Criminal Justice
• Management and Finance
• Nonprofit Management
• Planning and Economic Development
• Policy Analysis and Evaluation
• Public Health
Students also have an option to develop an individualized track in consultation with their MPA faculty adviser.
The Andrew Young School of Policy Studies
The MPA is offered though the Department of Public Administration and Urban Studies in the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies. The School is one of six colleges of the university and also houses the Department of Economics and several research units. It is a leading regional, national, and international center for policy studies.
The research units operating within the School include: the Domestic Studies Program, the Fiscal Research Center, the Georgia Health Policy Center, the Experimental Economics Center, and the International Studies Program.
Life in the Atlanta Metropolitan Area
The Atlanta region offers a dynamic setting for students interested in a broad range of issues in public policy and public affairs. Located in the heart of downtown Atlanta, Georgia State University’s campus is within easy walking distance of the State Capitol, City Hall, and many other governmental and nonprofit agencies. Like Georgia State University’s student body, ours in the MPA program is diverse and comes from many places, including other countries.
We tailor our MPA program to take advantage of the many opportunities offered by our location.We do our best to be responsive to the needs of both full–time and part–time students. For the convenience of working students, most MPA classes are scheduled in the late afternoon and evening. Core courses are offered at least twice a year.
Internships and research opportunities
The Department of Public Administration and Urban Studies has an extensive internship program to assist students in finding applied work experiences with the many public, private, and nonprofit agencies in metro Atlanta. Often internships lead to full-time jobs for our MPA graduates. Other hands–on experiences are available through the many research centers and community outreach efforts of the Andrew Young School.
Internships typically last approximately three months and require one-half to full-time employment (20 to 40 hours per week). Internships may be paid or unpaid, an arrangement agreed to by the student and employer.
Students often find their own internships, while others work with the department's internship coordinators or their faculty advisor to find an appropriate internship opportunity. Supervision is provided by the internship coordinators and a faculty advisor that is chosen by the student. The school provides a number of search tools on the Internet for finding information about internship opportunities, as well as an E-mail list, which is used to alert students to internship opportunities.
For information about finding an internship, and resources that are available in this search, go to the internship update page.
Financial Assistance
Graduate research assistantships (GRAs) are available to interested full–time MPA students on a competitive basis. These GRA positions provide full tuition waivers and a stipend. Graduate assistants are assigned to faculty members and work on research and instructional projects. Often, they have an opportunity to work on research projects with issues and problems confronting city, county, and state policy makers.
Admission Requirements
Applicants must have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in an appropriate field or discipline.
Applicants to the MPA program are required to submit application forms, an application fee, two official transcripts from each institution of higher learning they have attended, scores on the GRE that they have taken within the past five years, three letters of recommendation, and a professional goals statement. International applicants may also be required to submit TOEFL scores and financial documentation. Online application and instructions are available.
Admission to the MPA program is very competitive. Normally an undergraduate grade point average of 3.0 or higher and a combined verbal and quantitative score of 1,000 or higher on the GRE are required for an application to be considered for admission. Work experience and professional objectives may be weighed as part of this admission decision as well.
Applications are accepted for the fall and spring semesters; a file that is not complete at the deadline may be updated for consideration the following admissions term. The application deadline for the fall semester is April 1. It is October 1 for the spring term.
Questions?
For additional information or application, contact the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies’ Office of Academic Assistance:
Office of Academic Assistance
Andrew Young School of Policy Studies
Georgia State University
Atlanta, GA 30303-3083
Phone: 404-413-0013
Fax: 404-413-0023
E-mail the Office of Academic Assistance
Visit OAA online
To learn more about the Andrew Young School, visit
the AYSPS website: http://www.andrewyoungschool.org/.
To learn more about the Department of Public Administration and Urban Studies: aysps.gsu.edu/paus.
