Master of Public Administration (MPA)

The Ford School’s Master of Public Administration (MPA) program is designed for professionals with at least five years working experience in the public sector or a related field.

Program Overview

This one-year (ten month) program helps students to strengthen their analytical abilities and core technical skills while offering the opportunity to explore a policy field in depth. The 30 hours of course work required of MPA students includes the Integrated Policy Exercise and at least 15 additional hours from the MPP core curriculum.

Course of Study

Students generally complete 24 hours of credit in the fall and winter terms and take the final 6 hours in the U-M’s spring term (May-June) either as courses from other schools at the University or as directed research with a faculty member. We encourage students interested in the directed research option to work closely with faculty during the winter term to identify an appropriate project.