Master of Public Administration

Become an ethically responsible public servant with a Master of Public Administration degree from Clayton State University.

Fast-track your career career in public policy with a 36-credit hour degree program you can earn in as few as 12 months. Courses include foundational work in local government administration, research and applied statistics, human resource management, organizational theory, as well as ethics and legal issues. You can also gain practical experience in the public sector through a supervised field experience in a governmental or non-profit agency.

Mission and Goals

The mission of the MPA program is to prepare students to be ethical and effective leaders in public, governmental, and non-profit agencies. Students will develop skills in human resource management, ethical decision making, local government administration and finance, and organizational management. Students can choose electives that focus on general administration and policy to develop additional skills like policy analysis, program evaluation and leadership. Alternatively, students can choose the criminal justice electives to develop skills applicable to the administration of justice in law enforcement, correctional, or judicial agencies.

Learning Outcomes

All graduates of the program will be able to:

• Explain the issues that face public administrators using knowledge of the practice of public administration
• Evaluate the ethical implications of decisions made by public administrators in the public interest
• Analyze public policy, public programs, and/or public services using critical thinking skills
• Apply financial knowledge to make economically sound and ethical decisions in the public interest
• Demonstrate the decision-making skills necessary for leadership in the public sector

Contact Us

Program Director