Master of Public Affairs (MPA)

An innovative, powerful one-year degree

Be part of a small cohort of accomplished policy professionals from around the world. The Ford School's MPA combines training in rigorous applied policy analysis with the development of high-level public and nonprofit management, leadership, and communication skills, while focusing on complex and relevant domestic and international policy issues. The program is designed for seasoned professionals with at least five years of experience in government, military, government affairs in the private sector, or the nonprofit sector—in the U.S. or abroad.

The MPA offers two semesters of carefully designed, challenging coursework in public policy creation and analysis; public sector and nonprofit leadership; economics; policy writing; and the social, political, and ethical aspects of public policies and programs—all crafted to meet the needs and goals of experienced professionals. We offer all of this and the opportunity to take courses from across the University of Michigan. Our MPA graduates are prepared for senior roles in a variety of governmental institutions and public agencies, in the nonprofit sector, and in the private sector, such as:

Leadership positions in government, nonprofit organizations, or within the government affairs team for an engineering firm or other for-profit business.
Leadership roles within governments around the world—in ministries of education, national security, environment, social inclusion, and more.
Senior level positions in U.S. local and state government, such as director of immigrant affairs for a major city, or a state budget director.
"Translational" roles as public affairs specialists working in nonprofits and communications firms, advocating on issues, and translating research into powerful campaigns.

MPA curriculum

Our powerhouse Master of Public Affairs curriculum will...

Broaden your expertise on a wide range of domestic and international affairs in the public domain.
Deepen your understanding of public institutions and political, economic, and social processes and their implications for policy development and implementation.
Teach you the analytic skills necessary for objective policy analysis and evaluation.
Refine and deepen your leadership and management skills.
Enable you to explore and apply the roles of values and ethics in public policy design and decision-making.
Enhance your written and verbal strategic communication skills.

Capstone

The program culminates in a sophisticated applied project for an actual client. Examples might include conducting a landscape analysis of permanent supportive housing projects in the U.S. and making recommendations to a municipal client; crafting a blueprint for how a county could address the opioid epidemic; or identifying/analyzing transportation policy options designed to reduce auto-induced air pollution in a large urban area in a Latin American country.

World-renowned faculty

Faculty expertise

The Ford School boasts a world-renowned faculty comprised of scholars from a variety of fields including economics, political science, sociology, social demography, law, psychology, social work, history, and science and technology studies.

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World-renowned faculty

Research & Impact

Ford School faculty are active researchers who are also heavily engaged in research translation, policy advising/design, and policy evaluation at the local, state, federal, and international levels. Students have opportunities to work with Research Centers while at the Ford School.

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Core requirements

PP 580: Values, Ethics, and Public Policy	3 credits
PP 522: Policy Writing	1 credit
PP 590: Mgmt/Leadership in Public Affairs	3 credits
PP 554: Economics for Public Affairs	3 credits
PP 529: Statistics	3 credits
PP 725: Capstone Project	5 credits
Subtotal of credits for core	18 credits
Electives	12 credits
Total credits	30 credits

* The Ford School follows the Rackham Graduate School's policy on the assignment of credit hours.

Up to 9 credits of electives can be selected from other graduate programs on campus.

Resources and community

Our MPA students will join a welcoming and diverse scholarly community. They will have ready access to all of the outstanding faculty, academic, career, and personal support that is such an important part of our longstanding, top-ranked, two-year Master of Public Policy degree program.

Some fellowship support is available for Master of Public Affairs students.