Online Master of Public Administration (M.P.A.)

The Online Master of Public Administration program (MPA) offers you the opportunity to learn the skills you need in all aspects of public and nonprofit management including leadership, program evaluation, budgeting, planning, personnel management, collective bargaining, and policy analysis. Professionals with five or more years of relevant work experience or an accredited Certified Public Manager (CPM) credential can enroll in the 12-month Executive MPA program with reduced degree requirements and lower tuition cost.

Our MPA graduates are prepared to engage with their communities, ensure accountability, and have the administrative skills to achieve their organization's mission in an effective and sustainable manner.

• The MPA program is fully online and is ideal for working professionals
• Study with public service professionals and professors who bring strong analysis and best practices to your learning
• Start in the fall, spring, or summer and graduate in as little as 12 months (Executive MPA) or 16 months (MPA)
• Choose your MPA Capstone Experience Track: Management and Leadership or Program Planning and Development
• The GRE is not required to apply for this degree program

Program Delivery & Location:  Core academic courses for the MPA program are offered entirely online with choices for taking optional elective courses in person on the UNH campuses. Students who choose to participate in the Washington DC Colloquium experience will join students from other Carsey programs for a week in Washington, DC. 

MPA Sample Degree Plan (36 Credits)

CAPSTONE TRACK: MANAGEMENT AND LEADERSHIP

¹

A range of MPA ADVANCED Core courses are offered each term and vary each year. ADVANCED Core courses can also be taken as ELECTIVE courses. Students may also propose relevant ELECTIVE courses based upon their interests. Consult with your Graduate Academic Advisor for guidance and course selections.

²

As a culmination of their graduate work, students in the Master of Public Administration's Management and Leadership Track are tasked with reflecting upon the professional applicability of their MPA skillset and drawing from the ePortfolio that they built throughout the program. Students are presented with a real-world problem in public administration and asked to write a paper exploring the problem and proposing recommended solutions.

MPA Sample Degree Plan (36 Credits)

CAPSTONE TRACK: PROGRAM PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT

¹

A range of MPA ADVANCED Core courses are offered each term and vary each year. ADVANCED Core courses can also be taken as ELECTIVE courses. Students may also propose relevant ELECTIVE courses based upon their interests. Consult with your Graduate Academic Advisor for guidance and course selections.

²

Students in the Master of Public Administration's Program Planning and Development Track complete a four-term capstone project as the culmination of their graduate work. This capstone experience is designed to provide an opportunity to directly apply theories learned in the classroom to a major applied project within a community.

MPA Requirements

Students enrolled in the Carsey School's Master of Public Administration program are required to complete a thirty-six (36) credit program, consisting of:

• Three (3) BASIC Core Curriculum Courses
• Three (3) ADVANCED Core Curriculum Courses
• MPA CAPSTONE EXPERIENCE Track:
  • Management and Leadership Track: Two (2) Capstone Project Courses + Four (4) Elective Courses
    OR
  • Program Planning and Development Track: Four (4) Capstone Project Courses + Two (2) Elective Courses

These provide students with a strong foundation in theory and the applied skills necessary to foster democratic involvement, accountability and administrative competency in the provision and delivery of public services in towns, cities, state agencies, and a wide range of nonprofit and non-governmental organizations. Further opportunities for depth and specialization are provided through a broad range of ADVANCED Core and ELECTIVE courses which vary by semester. For a culminating graduate experience, students choose an MPA capstone experience to match their interests in Management and Leadership or Program Planning and Development, enabling students to directly apply what they've learned throughout their MPA program.

¹

A range of MPA ADVANCED Core courses are offered each term and vary each year. ADVANCED Core courses can also be taken as ELECTIVE courses. Students may also propose relevant ELECTIVE courses if they make sense in terms of the student’s interests and academic plan. Discussion with your MPA Graduate Academic Advisor should inform this choice.

²

As a culmination of their graduate work, students in the Master of Public Administration's Management and Leadership Track are tasked with reflecting upon the professional applicability of their MPA skillset and drawing from the ePortfolio that they built throughout the program. Students are presented with a real-world problem in public administration and asked to write a paper exploring the problem and proposing recommended solutions.

³

Students in the Master of Public Administration's Program Planning and Development Track complete a four-term capstone project as the culmination of their graduate work. This capstone experience is designed to provide an opportunity to directly apply theories learned in the classroom to a major applied project within a community.

This graduate program is approved to be taken on an accelerated basis in articulation with certain undergraduate degree programs.

General Accelerated Master's policy, note that some programs have additional requirements (e.g. higher grade expectations) compared to the policy.

Please see the Graduate School website and contact the department directly for more information.

Accelerated Master's Progam Eligible: Yes-MPA Only (not applicable for the Executive MPA program)

The Public Administration (M.P.A.) program allows eligible undergraduate seniors to enroll in graduate level courses which can fulfill requirements for both their undergraduate and graduate degree programs. Students can apply to the Accelerated MPA program during their junior or senior year. Please review details on eligibility requirements for admission.

Eligible students who are admitted to the Accelerated Master's MPA program may complete up to 12 credits (four 3-credit courses) at the 800-level during their undergraduate senior year (unless otherwise indicated below). Credit earned counts toward both the undergraduate program and graduate degree.

The Public Administration (M.P.A.) is approved to be taken on an accelerated basis in articulation with the below undergraduate programs.

The graduate 800-level courses listed below have been approved to be completed in the undergraduate senior year and earn credit toward both the undergraduate programs listed below and the Public Administration (M.P.A.) degree program.

Accelerated Master's students should always consult with their Graduate Academic Advisor for course selection guidance.

College of Health and Human Services

College of Liberal Arts

College of Professional Studies - Manchester

 College of Professional Studies - Online

Program Learning Outcomes

• Develop in-depth understanding of the structure of public sector organizations and common issues faced by public and nonprofit managers
• Communicate effectively with public managers, policymakers, and the general public
• Manage organizations, processes, and people in the public and nonprofit sectors
• Apply critical thinking skills to address public issues and solve problems
• Collect and analyze data to inform public decision-making

Apply now

Note:

Deadlines

Applications must be completed by the following deadlines in order to be reviewed for admission:

• Fall:  August 1
• Spring: December 15
• Summer: April 15
• Special: N/A

Application fee: $65

Campus: Online

New England Regional: No

Accelerated Masters: Yes (for more details see the accelerated masters information page)

Transcripts

If you attended UNH or Granite State College (GSC) after September 1, 1991, and have indicated so on your online application, we will retrieve your transcript internally; this includes UNH-Durham, UNH-Manchester, UNH Non-Degree work and GSC. 

If you did not attend UNH, or attended prior to September 1, 1991, then you must upload a copy (PDF) of your transcript in the application form. International transcripts must be translated into English.

If admitted, you must then request an official transcript be sent directly to our office from the Registrar's Office of each college/university attended. We accept transcripts both electronically and in hard copy:

• Electronic Transcripts: Please have your institution send the transcript directly to grad.school@unh.edu. Please note that we can only accept copies sent directly from the institution.
• Paper Transcripts: Please send hard copies of transcripts to: UNH Graduate School, Thompson Hall- 105 Main Street, Durham, NH 03824. You may request transcripts be sent to us directly from the institution or you may send them yourself as long as they remain sealed in the original university envelope.

Transcripts from all previous post-secondary institutions must be submitted and applicants must disclose any previous academic or disciplinary sanctions that resulted in their temporary or permanent separation from a previous post-secondary institution. If it is found that previous academic or disciplinary separations were not disclosed, applicants may face denial and admitted students may face dismissal from their academic program.

Letters of recommendation: 3 required

Recommendation letters submitted by relatives or friends, as well as letters older than one year, will not be accepted.

Personal Statement/Essay Questions

Prepare a brief but careful statement regarding: 1) reasons you wish to do graduate work in this field, including your immediate and long-range objectives, and 2) your specific research or professional interest and experiences in this field. In addition, applicants seeking a graduate assistantship or tuition assistance also must note this request in their personal statement.

Statements must be included with your submitted application.

Resume

Resume is optional but recommended.

Additional Department Requirements

If you are requesting a graduate assistantship or tuition assistance from the department then they require that you also submit GRE test scores. Please send a photo-copy of your test scores directly to the department (they do not require an official copy). For further details please contact the department.

Important Notes

All applicants are encouraged to contact programs directly to discuss program-specific application questions.

International Applicants

Due to program requirements and restrictions, the MPA Program is unable to admit international students who require F-1 visa sponsorship. The program will gladly accept applications for applicants who are working in the United States full-time on a different visa type and do not require F-1 visa support. 

Prospective international students are strongly encouraged to contact Carsey Admissions prior to starting their application. All international applicants are required to submit TOEFL, IELTS, or equivalent examination scores. Please note that English Language Exams may be waived if English is your first language. If you wish to request a waiver, then please visit our Test Scores webpage for more information.