Contact

Admissions: Emily Rutherford, Associate Director of Admissions, 315-443-2319 maxenroll@syr.edu

Advising: Emily Alber Chase, Associate Director of Student Services, Public Administration and International Affairs 315-443-4000 paia@syr.edu

Program Director: Saba Siddiki: Professor, Public Administration and International Affairs ssiddiki@syr.edu

Program Description

The Master of Public Administration M.P.A. degree emphasizes professional education for future public service leaders. The degree responds to the needs of tomorrow’s managers and policy analysts by offering a variety of fields in which a student can gain substantive focus while obtaining training in public administration and policy.

Students have access to courses in the department of Public Administration and International Affairs as well as across the Maxwell School and Syracuse University graduate course offerings. Working with faculty and advisors, students have ample opportunity to create an individualized program of study.

Student Learning Outcomes

1. Lead and manage in the public interest.
2. Participate in, and contribute to, the policy process.
3. Analyze, synthesize, think critically, solve problems and make evidence-informed decisions in a complex and dynamic environment.
4. Articulate, apply, and advance a public service perspective.
5. Communicate and interact productively and in culturally responsive ways with a diverse and changing workforce and society at large.

Requirements

The MPA degree requires 40 credits of coursework and can be completed in 12 to 18 months of full-time study.

The required coursework for the M.P.A. degree includes:

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
PAI 600	Selected Topics (Public Affairs Colloquium)	1-6
PAI 712	Managing and Leading Public Organizations	3
PAI 721	Introduction to Statistics	3
PAI 723	Economics for Public Decisions	3
PAI 734	Budgeting and Fiscal Policy	3
PAI 752	MPA Workshop	3
PAI 755	Public Administration and Democracy	3

Students may specialize in a public administration field by selecting one of the following tracks. Students must take the required 9 credits of coursework associated with their identified track. Some students may find it beneficial to have a broader or more general course of study in the M.P.A. program. Students who do not select a track will choose three courses (9 credits) from across the track course offerings.

Public and Nonprofit Management

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
PAI 725	Contemporary Government Approaches	3
PAI 726	Managing People, Groups, & Teams	3
PAI 728	Organization Theory & Behavior	3

Public Finance

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
PAI 722	Quantitative Analysis	3
PAI 731	Public and Nonprofit Financial Management	3
PAI 754	Government Revenue Analysis	3

Policy Analysis

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
PAI 722	Quantitative Analysis	3
PAI 758	Cost-Benefit Analysis	3
PAI 774	Public Policy and Program Evaluation	3

Policy Process and Design

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
PAI 722	Quantitative Analysis	3
PAI 760	Public Policy Process	3
PAI 798	Behavioral Public Policy	3

Remaining Credits

The remaining 12 credits will be elective courses from the Public Administration and International Affairs department. A student may take up to 6 credits outside the Public Administration and International Affairs department with consultation with their academic advisor.