Master of Public Administration

Earn a marketable MPA degree that equips you to succeed as a public servant and community leader.

Oakland University has one of Michigan’s oldest and best master of public administration programs. Alumni of our MPA degree have provided decades of effective government and nonprofit leadership throughout the state. Offered in full-time, part-time, and online formats, our accredited MPA degree reflects the practical realities of public administration in the trenches. You’ll learn from seasoned faculty who teach from direct experience, cultivating useful expertise that translates directly to the real world. Whether you’re a midcareer adult or a recent college graduate who’s just entering the workforce, our MPA degree will help you raise your professional trajectory and get results you can be proud of in your public administration career.

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Oakland University has one of Michigan’s oldest and best master of public administration programs. Alumni of our MPA degree have provided decades of effective government and nonprofit leadership throughout the state. Offered in full-time, part-time, and online formats, our accredited MPA degree reflects the practical realities of public administration in the trenches. You’ll learn from seasoned faculty who teach from direct experience, cultivating useful expertise that translates directly to the real world. Whether you’re a midcareer adult or a recent college graduate who’s just entering the workforce, our MPA degree will help you raise your professional trajectory and get results you can be proud of in your public administration career.

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MPA Degree: The Oakland University Advantage

Oakland’s master of public administration program has educated multiple generations of excellent public administrators. Accredited by the National Association of Schools of Public Administration and Affairs (NASPAA).

The MPA degree supports your career success by offering:

Comprehensive professional training. Our MPA degree equips you with a soup-to-nuts toolkit that includes budgeting, human resources, information management, data analysis, program assessment, and more. Depending on your career objectives, you can focus the program on local government, nonprofit leadership, court administration, criminal justice, or health care.
Direct public engagement. You’ll get a real-world education in our master of public administration program, with coursework that reflects what’s happening in your community. The MPA degree culminates in a research thesis or immersive internship that lets you address a specific issue you care about, while gaining direct experience to boost your resume.
Expert faculty. In our MPA program you’ll learn from active researchers with big-picture academic expertise, as well as working pros who understand the ins and outs of public administration as it’s practiced today.
Career connections. Oakland graduates hold high-level positions throughout the state, so you’ll earn an MPA degree that employers recognize and respect. You’ll also enjoy a built-in professional network of fellow alumni.
Flexible formats. In addition to our full-time and part-time options, we offer a fully online MPA degree that’s designed for working adults. All three options feature the same rigorous academics, excellent faculty, practical skill development, and job-market advantages.

What Can You Do With an MPA Degree?

Graduates of Oakland’s MPA degree have an impressive record of government and nonprofit leadership, with high-impact achievements throughout Michigan and beyond. Our alumni have gone on to diverse types of public administration careers in local government, nonprofit leadership, criminal justice, health care, and other specialties. Our MPA program can qualify you for job titles such as:

City manager
Finance director
Human resources administrator
Nonprofit executive director
Court administrator
Health care administrator
Departmental director
Program director

MPA Degree Curriculum

Oakland’s master of public administration degree requires 36 credits of coursework. All students complete 20 credits of core coursework in the following areas:

Accounting
Budgeting and finance
Human resources
Quantitative methods
Information systems
Program evaluation

You’ll also take 12 credits of electives. Course options vary depending on your choice of academic concentration; the five options are court administration, criminal justice, health care, local government, nonprofit management.

The MPA degree culminates in either a research thesis or semester-long internship.