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Offered by the oldest public administration department in the San Francisco Bay Area, the Master of Public Administration (MPA) is for working students interested in a thorough understanding of the processes, issues, policies, and practices associated with the management of inclusive, diverse, and equitable public service and nonprofit organizations at the city, county, state, federal and international levels of governance. The MPA also prepares students for government relations, consulting, lobbying, and liaison positions that the private sector requires to interface with government at all levels. The MPA will introduce students to real-world, real-time knowledge and skills required to function effectively in a managerial or executive role within such organizational settings. The program will expose students to best practices in resilient leadership, succession planning, benchmarking, intergovernmental relations, results-based budgeting, anti-corruption and ethics, privacy and cybersecurity, as well as business and community engagement.

The MPA program is accelerated, rigorous, and taught by professors who all have extensive public service experiences. These seasoned professor-practitioners provide in-depth, real-time exposure to executive and supervisory skills and knowledge common to middle and upper-level management in all public and nonprofit organizations. This includes city and urban planning; financial management; human resources and labor relations; organizational development and adaptive leadership; law and social justice; policy formulation, and implementation; accountability and ethics.

The goal of the MPA program is to provide students with the leadership, organizational, analytical and communication skills, problem-solving techniques and subject-based knowledge required to manage effectively complex organizations. In addition, the program provides a critical understanding of the cross-cutting political, social, economic and environmental problems confronted by communities and citizens particularly the poor, at-risk, minorities, and marginalized. A strong sense of professional commitment to the highest standards of ethical behavior, respect for others, and the core values upon which the profession of public administration is founded on are important goals of GGU’s MPA program. For the opportunity to socialize and network within their fields, students are encouraged to join the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) and the International City/County Management Association (ICMA). GGU also has a chapter of the national public administration honor society, Pi Alpha Alpha and ICMA and has been an institutional member of the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration (NASPAA) since 1973.

Graduates will be able to demonstrate knowledge of the theory and practice of:

• Ethics and accountability;
• Policymaking and intergovernmental relations;
• Leadership and organizational resilience;
• Business and community engagement;
• Public finance and budgeting;
• Law and social justice;
• Urban planning and innovations;
• Law enforcement and security;
• Digital technology and security;
• Human resource management and labor relations; and
• Policy research, analytics, and communications.

For details about admission requirements, please check the 51ÉçÇø page.

Students may declare up to two concentrations in a given degree program. Students seeking to declare more than two concentrations will be required to appeal to the dean for approval. Students’ diplomas will list the concentrations that they had successfully completed at the time their degrees were conferred. Students may not declare additional concentrations after their degrees have been conferred.

Students may select from the following concentrations: