The MPA program is a higher professional degree and a
postgraduate degree for the public sector and it prepares individuals to serve as managers, executives and policy analysts in the executive arm of local, state/provincial, and federal/national government, and increasingly in
non-governmental organization (NGO) and
nonprofit sectors; it places a focus on the practices of executive organization and management. Instruction includes the roles, development, and principles of public administration;
public policy management and implementation. Through its history, the MPA degree has become more interdisciplinary by drawing from fields such as economics, sociology, law, anthropology, organizational development, political science, and regional planning in order to equip MPA graduates with skills and knowledge covering a broad range of topics and disciplines relevant to the public sector. A core curriculum of a typical MPA program usually includes courses on
microeconomics,
public finance, research methods, statistics,
policy analysis,
managerial accounting, ethics,
public management,
geographic information systems (GIS), and program evaluation. MPA students may focus their studies on public sector fields such as
urban planning,
emergency management,
transportation, health care (especially
public health),
economic development,
community development,
non-profit management,
environmental policy,
cultural policy,
international affairs, and
criminal justice. MPA graduates currently serve in some important positions within the public sector including the former Prime Minister of Singapore
Lee Hsien Loong, the
Nobel Peace Prize laureate and former President of Colombia
Juan Manuel Santos, former UN Secretary-General
Ban Ki-moon, three former presidents of Mexico (
Felipe Calderón,
Carlos Salinas de Gortari and
Miguel de la Madrid), former Canadian Prime Minister
Pierre Elliott Trudeau, former President of Bolivia
Eduardo Rodríguez Veltzé, former President of Ecuador
Jamil Mahuad Witt (MPA '89), former President of Costa Rica
José María Figueres Olsen, former
CIA Director David Petraeus, former president of Liberia
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Foreign Minister of Serbia
Vuk Jeremić, former New York City Police Commissioner
Raymond Kelly, former
Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius, and former Treasurer of Australia
Josh Frydenberg. Other notable MPA graduates include actress
Ashley Judd,
U.S. Representative Dan Crenshaw, New York City Mayor
Eric Adams,
Bill O'Reilly and pilot
Chesley Sullenberger. A Master of Public Administration can be acquired at various institutions. See
List of schools offering MPA degrees. == See also ==