Master of Public Administration Program

The 10-Month MPA is created specifically to meet the needs of active professionals. Offered in a fully online format, completed in less than 10 months, and competitively priced, this program will prepare you for upper management positions in your field.

The purpose of Gardner-Webb University’s Master of Public Administration program is to prepare the student for a successful career in public administration in local, state, federal, and non-profit agencies. This program will emphasize instruction and applications in public administration competencies that allow students to enhance skills or develop new ones.

The MPA-10 is a 36-semester hour master’s degree in Public Administration that can be completed in less than 10 months. MPA courses will be delivered in 8-week terms and includes a capstone course. Class size limited to 20 students.

*First Responders grant available for those who qualify.

Curriculum

What You’ll Learn

The 10-month Master of Public Administration will allow students to acquire the ability to perform administrative functions, organizational tasks, leadership roles, and additional skills necessary to be successful in public administration.

Students will learn how to:

• Address public administration issues facing society and demonstrate a professional competency which includes major social, political and historical context of cultures with a focus on race, diversity and poverty.
• Demonstrate organizational behavior skills to adapt to advanced professional career positions in public administration agencies fostering competent, responsible, citizenship.
• Employ advanced research skills to identify, analyze and present solutions to public administration problems that require the use of technology and advanced computerized programs to arrive at solutions.
• Explain the importance of personal responsibility and accountability for professional, ethical decision making and incorporate professional, Christian-centered values within the ethical and legal guidelines of public administration.
• Understand and respond to the challenges of an ever-changing public administrative environment with global competence and high Christian ethical standards.

AVAILABLE PROGRAMS

Accelerated Master of Public Administration

The MPA-AMP allows undergraduate-level students to begin work in the MPA program while completing their undergraduate degree at GWU. Students must be registered for at least 60 credit hours (junior year status) to apply to the program. Credit hours may include both transfer credit hours accepted by GWU and institutional credit hours.

Students enrolled in this program can take up to two graduate courses (6 hours) towards the MPA while completing their undergraduate degree at GWU, if they earn a B (3.0) or better in each graduate course. Up to 6 hours of graduate courses will count in both the undergraduate and the graduate programs.

Graduate courses in this program are fully online.  For a more in-depth look at program requirements, visit our Academic Catalog.

Courses You Will Take

Students in the 10-month MPA program will take the following courses:

• Public Administration Institutions & Values
• Leadership in Public Administration
• Legal & Political Aspects for the Public Service Official
• Law and Management in Public Administration
• Organizational Theory in Public Management
• Human Resource Management in Public Administration
• Public Budgeting and Fiscal Administration
• Public Policy Analysis & Evaluation
• Grant Writing for Public Administrators
  • Funding Sources
  • Grant Research
  • Grant Writing
  • Implementation and Evaluation
• Capstone Preparation – Literature Review and Topic of Proposal
• Capstone Course – Thesis Proposal Research and Defense

For a more in-depth look at program requirements, visit our Academic Catalog.

Outcomes

What You’ll Do

A Master of Public Administration prepares you to gain employment or advance your career in the following types of jobs:

• Town, City, or County Manager
• Local, state, or federal government management
• Director of multi-county agencies; Council of Governments
• Public Housing Authority Director
• Public Works Director; Personnel
• Budget, or Utilities Managers in a town, city, county, state or federal government positions
• Police Chief; Prison Manager
• Director of Public Service, or management positions in non-profit organizations
• United States Secret Service – USSS
• United States Marshal Service – USMS
• Homeland Security – DHS
• Federal Bureau of Investigation – FBI
• Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives – ATF
• Central Intelligence Agency – CIA
• United States Border Patrol – CBP