Public Administration, MPA

Program Description

The Masters of Public Administration (MPA) degree is a professional, applied MS degree designed to meet the needs of students who are working professionals. This degree prepares students for careers at all levels of the public and non-profit sector. The majority of students in the program are working public administrators or nonprofit professionals with professional expertise in local government, state agencies, nonprofit organizations or non-governmental organizations. All courses are offered in a live (and recorded) online, synchronous platform. The online format gives students greater professional and personal flexibility while still allowing students to have a face-to-face learning experience and participate in group activities. The online format has provided the Clemson MPA program with the opportunity to grow from a regional onsite program, to a national program.

The program has five specialization areas that students may pursue: (1) Emergency Management; (2) Homeland Defense and Security; (3) Local and State Government; (4) Non-Profit Management; and (5) Regional Sustainability. Flexibility permits the individual development of a student’s elective choices. Students are not required to declare a specialization and are encouraged to mix and match courses across specialization areas to meet individual academic and professional needs. This is a non-thesis program but students interested in a research track may chose the Capstone option as their final program requirement. A Capstone project is a substantive research project completed in collaboration with a committee of selected faculty members.

In addition to the MPA degree, the program offers a Public Administration certificate for students interested in gaining additional knowledge in specific areas of public administration to meet specific professional and academic goals.