Online Master of Public Administration (MPA)
At-A-Glance Heading link
Curriculum Heading link
The Online Master of Public Administration (MPA) program provides graduates with the core knowledge and skills needed by leaders of public organizations. The program is housed within UIC’s College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs, and the curriculum incorporates emerging topics in public service and recent research in the field. With accelerated 8-week terms you can complete the degree fast while working.
The program provides students with a comprehensive understanding of public management, policy analysis, budgeting, financial management, and organizational leadership. These skills assist graduates in becoming effective leaders and problem solvers in their communities.
The Online MPA offers two concentrations, allowing students to develop a deep understanding of public or nonprofit management.
Concentrations Heading link
- The Public Management concentration provides students with generalized knowledge in organizational theory, principles of management, program evaluation, and special topics in decision-making, strategic management, project management, and leadership in public organizations.
- The Nonprofit Management concentration provides specialized expertise in the nonprofit sector including theory, history, management, fundraising, and financial management. Students examine the relationships between nonprofit organizations and government entities, such as the civic base of the nonprofit sector, intergovernmental and inter-sectoral relations, advocacy, lobbying, and budgeting for contracts and grants.
Learning Outcomes Heading link
- Lead and manage in the public interest
- Participate in, and contribute to, the policy process
- Analyze, synthesize, think critically, solve problems and make evidence-informed decisions in a complex and dynamic environment
- Articulate, apply, and advance a public service perspective
- Communicate and interact productively and in culturally responsive ways with a diverse and changing workforce and society at large
Courses Heading link
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13 courses total Students have the option of completing the program at a pace that fits their needs.
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16 months Full-time students can complete the entire program in as little as seven consecutive 8-week terms, or 16 months.
Courses Heading link
The MPA program provides students with a range of skills that can be applied in various fields and sectors. Here are some of the skills that students may gain from the online MPA program: analytics, communication, leadership, management, policy analysis, and ethics and accountability.
The online MPA program consists of 13 courses (plus two 1 credit professional development seminars), and students have the option of completing the program –with a public management or nonprofit management concentration – at a pace that fits their needs.
All courses are offered in convenient, accelerated 8-week terms throughout the year, giving students maximum flexibility. Full-time students typically take two 8-week courses at a time, and part-time students complete one 8-week course at a time. Full-time students can complete the entire program in as little as seven consecutive 8-week terms, or 16 months.
Click the arrows below to view MPA program requirements and elective courses for the concentrations.
Core Courses Heading link
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MPA Core Courses
Course # Course Title Credit Hours Course Description PA 401 Foundations of Public Service 4 hours Examines political, legal, economic and social environment of public service, internal dynamics of public organizations, relationship between public organizations and external stakeholders, and ethical and moral challenges. PA 402 Principles of Data Analysis 4 hours Topics and methods of analyzing information relevant to the administration and management of public programs and organizations. Includes causation, univariate statistics, significance testing, correlation, and regression. PA 403 Economics for Management and Policy 4 hours Basic economic tools and methods relevant to public admin and current policy: opportunity cost, supply and demand, rational choice, production costs, competition vs monopoly, and economic efficiency versus equity, market failure, and public goods. PA 504 Principles of Financial Management and Budgeting 4 hours Processes and methods relevant to government finances and fiscal health: revenues, taxation, budget formulation, operating budgets, cost analysis, planning and performance, budget reforms, politics, capital budgeting, role of budgeting in management. PA 505 Public Management Practices 4 hours Current issues and challenges in public management as embedded in the disciplines of organization theory, economics, psychology, ethics, and law. Must be taken within first 3 semesters in program. PA 506 Public Policy Development and Process 4 hours Examines the process by which public policies are formulated, decided on, implemented, and evaluated. Students learn techniques to appropriately structure, analyze, and communicate policy issues, as well as the economic rationale for public policy. Course Information: Prerequisite(s): Grade of C or better in PA 402; and PA 403. PA 590 Public Administration Capstone 4 hours Integration of classroom learning with practical experience. Students will work in groups to solve real problems for public and non-profit organizations. Course Information: Extensive collaboration required among group members outside of class time. Students should expect significant field work at their assigned organizations. Students are responsible to the course professor and to the project supervisor in their assigned organizations. Because the coursework is team-based, students are not allowed to drop this course once teams are created. Course must be taken in the last two semesters in the MPA program or consent of the instructor. PA 591 Managing Your Career 1 hour Preparation of a personalized strategy to optimize MPA program outcomes. Course Information: Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory grading only. PA 592 Professional Portfolio 1 hour Preparation of a student portfolio based on work completed in other courses to demonstrate competencies gained in MPA program. The portfolio will contain a reflective essay on the role of the program in meeting the student’s individual profession. Course Information: Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory grading only.
Public Management Concentration Heading link
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Required Courses for Public Management Concentration
Course # Course Title Credit Hours Course Description PA 422 Project Management 4 hours A comprehensive review of project management practices and techniques necessary to successfully manage projects in government and non-profit organizations which is rooted largely in Project Management Institute (PMI) standards and practices. PA 431 Civic Technology 4 hours Application of the Internet and related technologies for public management. Topics include, Web-based service delivery, online governance, the technological divide, the use of social media, and the changing role of public managers. PA 433 Data Management 4 hours An overview of the use and leveraging of data in order to allow government and nonprofit organizations to make better decisions and improve operations. Topics to be covered will include the concepts of data management and governance. PA 521 Strategic Management: Planning and Measurement 4 hours This course addresses strategies and issues relating to the strategic management of public and quasi-public organizations. It addresses strategic planning and performance measurement processes within organizations. -
Elective Courses for Public Management Concentration
Course # Course Title Credit Hours Course Description PA 563 Local Government Management 4 hours Operations of local governments, including council-management relations; budget and finance, service delivery, infrastructure, economic development, and public engagement. PA 571 Nonprofit Management 4 hours Topics include governance roles and responsibilities, ethics, accountability, liability and risk management, resource generation, managing staff and volunteers, marketing and public relations, performance measurement/program evaluation and advocacy.
Nonprofit Management Concentration Heading link
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Required Courses for Nonprofit Management Concentration
Course # Course Title Credit Hours Course Description PA 422 Project Management 4 hours A comprehensive review of project management practices and techniques necessary to successfully manage projects in government and non-profit organizations which is rooted largely in Project Management Institute (PMI) standards and practices. PA 431 Civic Technology 4 hours Application of the Internet and related technologies for public management. Topics include, Web-based service delivery, online governance, the technological divide, the use of social media, and the changing role of public managers. PA 521 Strategic Management: Planning and Measurement 4 hours This course addresses strategies and issues relating to the strategic management of public and quasi-public organizations. It addresses strategic planning and performance measurement processes within organizations. PA 571 Nonprofit Management 4 hours Topics include governance roles and responsibilities, ethics, accountability, liability and risk management, resource generation, managing staff and volunteers, marketing and public relations, performance measurement/program evaluation and advocacy. -
Elective Courses for Nonprofit Management Concentration
Course # Course Title Credit Hours Course Description PA 433 Data Management 4 hours An overview of the use and leveraging of data in order to allow government and nonprofit organizations to make better decisions and improve operations. Topics to be covered will include the concepts of data management and governance. PA 563 Local Government Management 4 hours Operations of local governments, including council-management relations; budget and finance, service delivery, infrastructure, economic development, and public engagement.
Public Service Careers Heading link
Long considered the public sector equivalent to the private sector’s MBA degree, an MPA degree offers the analytical and leadership skills necessary to pursue a variety of career opportunities. Whether you want to become a city manager, a budget or policy analyst, government services consultant, healthcare administrator, nonprofit director or community leader, an MPA degree from UIC will get you there.
Our graduates currently serve in the following roles:
- Budget/ Financial Analyst
- Chief Executive Officer, Chief Operating Officer or Chief Financial Officer
- City Manager or Commissioner
- Compliance Officer
- Director of Strategic Initiatives or Community Outreach
- Environmental, Economic or Analytics Consultant
- Education or Healthcare Administrator
- Executive Director
- Fundraising or Policy Manager
- Policy, Data, or Management Analyst
- Project Manager or Public Relations Manager
- Urban/Regional Planner
PayScale reports an average annual wage around $70,000 for professionals with an MPA credential. There is the potential to earn more as financial manager, business operation specialist, management analyst, and data analyst averaging over $90,000 according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
NASPAA Accredited Heading link
Our online MPA is accredited by NASPAA, the field standard for academic program review in public affairs. Accreditation signals that a program has undergone a rigorous mission- and outcomes-based process and made a long-term commitment to quality education. Programs seeking accreditation must be in substantial compliance with the standards of the field. The accreditation process is designed to foster continuous assessment and improvement, even after accreditation has been achieved. This review processes helps ensure our program continues to evolve with the needs of public service, providing the strongest possible academic curriculum.
Job Growth Heading link
The demand for graduates with expertise in management, finance, data analysis, project management, and public policy is projected to increase at nearly 6% from 2021 – 2031, faster than the average for all occupations according to the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics.
For financial managers, community service managers, or management analysts the projected growth rate is projected at 11%, with other occupations held by MPA graduates seeing growth rates between 4% and 7% according to the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Job Growth Heading link
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6% Increase Demand for MPA graduates.
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11% Growth Demand for financial managers, community service managers, or management analysts.
Faculty Voices Heading link
The problems we confront have never been more challenging or the need for effective public policies greater. Our MPA graduates make important contributions to governments and nonprofit organizations throughout Chicagoland and Illinois, generally because of the skills and knowledge they gained through this program.
| Professor
An MPA is a versatile degree that allows graduates to pursue careers in the public sector. Graduates of our MPA degree have gone on to careers in education, law enforcement, health, in local, state, and federal government, and in the nonprofit organizations.
| Program Director
The MPA program aims to train professionals who understand the challenges and trade-offs faced by public organizations and are motivated by developing innovative solutions to overcome them. We strive to train students to use appropriate analytical tools to design and evaluate solutions to public problems while fostering their ability to present their ideas effectively to different audiences.
| Assistant Professor
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Disclaimer Heading link
The Online MPA is a Full Cost Recovery Program and is not eligible for tuition waivers by University of Illinois employees.