Master of Public Affairs (MPA)

No matter what specific area of focus you choose (of which the possibilities are nearly endless), your MPA degree will rest on a broad, firm foundation—a group of 10 core courses comprising 24 credit hours. These core curriculum courses will help prepare you as a leader in your field, with an impressive toolkit of analytical and project management skills. You’ll also gain a firm understanding of the public policy process in both U.S. and international contexts, the management of public and other institutions, and the social equity implications of public policy decisions.

Core curriculum

The O’Neill School MPA curriculum prepares future leaders to face vexing societal challenges. The foundational core addresses universal topics of social equity, climate change, ethical responsibilities, racial injustice, and diversity. Through these courses, you’ll learn leadership-focused, applicable skills needed to put knowledge into action.

Curriculum highlights:

• Emphasis on data- and evidence-based problem solving, decision-making and policy-making
• Course-level focus on social equity and justice
• Leadership and project management courses and training workshops
• Wide array of diversity in all courses across authors, readings, case studies, session topics, and guest speakers
• Capstone project with the option for an immersive international experience working with global clients in their home country
• A choice between an international or a domestic context on public institutions, or both
• The necessary economics, law, budgeting, and finance skills needed for professional success

O’Neill offers top-ranked curriculum areas and the #1 MPA Program in the nation.

• #1 Environmental Policy and Management
• #1 Nonprofit Management
• #1 Public Finance and Budgeting
• #2 Public Management and Leadership
• #2 Public Policy Analysis
• #6 Health Policy and Management
• #8 Social Policy
• #9 Local Government Management

To foster a distinguished community of principled, creative, and skilled practitioners and leaders who serve the public good from an interdisciplinary and global perspective.

We will achieve this by

• Instilling the interdisciplinary knowledge and skills needed to effectively address problems through objective and evidence-based analysis, implementation, and evaluation of policies;
• Positioning our graduates to excel in the public, non-profit, and private sectors where they contribute to the public good by addressing social, economic, environmental, and governance challenges efficiently, effectively, and equitably;
• Developing students from diverse backgrounds who can understand and manage the complexity and dynamics of contemporary issues in public affairs;
• Fostering and modeling professional ethics such as fairness, compassion, accountability, transparency, and respect for the rule of law;
• Producing high-quality policy-oriented research and professional service that focuses on significant issues in public affairs and creating innovative opportunities for students to learn from and collaborate with leading scholars and practitioners.

Our public service values

• Being dedicated to service in the public interest and contributing to the public;
• Utilizing skills and creativity to address public problems;
• Exhibiting professional ethics, including accountability and transparency;
• Using resources efficiently and responsibly;
• Acting with caring and compassion, demonstrating equity and fairness, respecting views expressed by citizens and public servants; and
• Upholding the public trust and democratic ideals, such as the rule of law, the protection of individual liberties, and intellectual freedom.

Program core competencies and learning outcomes

Competency #1: To lead and manage in the public interest

Definition: To understand and improve how organizations operate individually and collectively to address social, economic, environmental, and administrative problems. To understand different forms of governance and how they are used in partnerships across public, nonprofit, and private sectors to advance the interest of society.

Learning outcomes:

• To analyze situations that involve interaction between the public, nonprofit, and private sectors.
• To use theory and models of organizational behavior while taking into consideration the political, institutional, legal, and ethical context and other environmental constraints.
• To discern the impact of leadership styles and cultural values on organizational operations.
• To appropriately apply strategic decision-making techniques and models.
• To identify and demonstrate understanding of the characteristics of successful leaders.

Competency #2: To participate in and contribute to the policy process

Definition: To use knowledge and skills to effectively address social, economic, environmental, and administrative problems through appropriate policy processes.

Learning Outcomes:

• To identify the structure, function, and similarities, and differences between the public, nonprofit, and private sectors, the legal frameworks in which the sectors operate, and how each sector affects the public policy process.
• To utilize the results of appropriate quantitative or qualitative methods to inform decision-making in the policymaking process.
• To effectively identify stakeholders and develop strategies to collaborate with them.

Competency #3: To analyze, synthesize, think critically, solve problems, and make evidence-informed decisions in a complex and dynamic environment

Definition: To develop quantitative and qualitative skills to address policy problems and inform decision-making within the policy process.

Learning Outcomes:

• To collect, analyze, interpret, and present data using appropriate models and methods.
• To apply critical-thinking skills to the resolution of public problems.
• To understand the politics of the policymaking process and; role of politics in determining the kinds of policies that are adopted.

Competency #4: To articulate, apply, and advance a public service perspective

Definition: To develop an awareness of individual and organizational responsibility and service to the public and one's organization, and a commitment to ethical practice and professional excellence.

Learning outcomes:

• To recognize legal, political, economic, and cultural constraints on policy formation and program administration.
• To develop the knowledge and skills necessary to take personal responsibility for performing one's work in an ethical and professional manner.

Competency #5: To communicate and interact productively and in culturally responsive ways with a diverse and changing workforce and society at large

Definition: To communicate and work effectively and in diverse settings. Dimensions of diversity include, but are not limited to, age, culture, ideology, race and ethnicity, religion, and sexual orientation.

Learning Outcomes:

• To communicate effectively with an understanding of diverse institutional and cultural norms.
• To work effectively in a diverse team and deal effectively with conflict.
• To comfortably and respectfully discuss societal problems and solutions with diverse groups.

See where recent graduates have started their careers:

• American Red Cross, Manager
• Booz Allen Hamilton, Energy Communication Specialist - Senior Consultant
• Chicago Housing Authority, Senior Energy Analyst
• Crowe Horwath LLP, Healthcare Consultant
• Cummins, Corporate Responsibility Program Manager
• Deloitte, Business Technology Analyst
• Federal Election Commission, Campaign Finance Analyst
• GAO, Analyst
• Grant Thornton, Global Public Sector Associate
• Habitat For Humanity, International Senior Analyst
• Indiana Department of Environmental Management, Project Manager - Wetlands, Lakes, and Streams
• National Alliance on Mental Illness, Development Associate
• Nestle, Safety Health and Environmental Specialist
• New York City Department of Education, Co-Director, Mastery Collaborative
• PWC, Management Consultant Senior Analyst
• The Nature Conservancy, Urban Conservation Program Associate
• U.S. Agency for International Development, South Syrian Assistance Platform Program Management Assistant
• U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Immigration Officer
• United Nations, Project Assistant
• United States Environmental Protection Agency, Presidential Management Fellow and Environmental Protection Specialist

Recent Employers

• Environmental Defense Fund
• Grant Thornton
• Center for Disease Control
• National Park Service
• Kresge Foundation