The Master of Public Administration (MPA) degree is one of several master level professional public affairs degrees that provides training in public policy and project/program implementation (more recently known as public management). A masters degree is an academic degree usually awarded for completion of a postgraduate course of one or two years in duration. ... A professional degree is an academic degree designed to prepare the holder for a particular career or profession, fields where scholarly research and academic activity are not the work, but rather a profession such as law, medicine, engineering, religious ministry, or education. ... The two best known types of degrees in public affairs are the Master of Public Administration (M.P.A.) and the Master of Public Policy (M.P.P.). Other degrees include the Master of Public Management (M.P.M.) and the Master of Public Affairs (M.P.Aff. ... Public policy is a course of action or inaction chosen by public authorities to address a problem. ... Public administration includes many routine concerns that are only distinct from private management in the goals advanced, the types of infrastructure used, and the scale. ...

MPA programs focus on public administration at the local, state/provincial, national/federal and supranational levels, as well as in the nonprofit sector. Through its history, the MPA degree has become more interdisciplinary by drawing from fields such as economics, sociology, anthropology, political science, and regional planning in order to equip MPA graduates with skills and knowledge covering a broad range of topics and disciplines relevant to the public sector. A core curriculum of a typical MPA program usually includes courses on microeconomics, public finance, research methods/statistics, policy process and policy analysis, ethics, public management, leadership, planning & GIS, and program evaluation/performance measurement. Depending on their interest, MPA students can focus their studies on a variety of public sector fields such as urban planning, transportation, health care, economic development, community development, education, non-profits, information technology, environmental policy, etc. The Politics series Politics Portal This box:      Public administration can be broadly described as the study and implementation of policy. ... Urban planning is concerned with the ordering and design of settlements, from the smallest towns to the worlds largest cities. ... A non-profit organization (often called non-profit org or simply non-profit or not-for-profit) can be seen as an organization that doesnt have a goal to make a profit. ... Environmental policy refers to the laws, regulations, and other policy mechanisms concerning environmental issues and sustainability. ...

In recent years, there has been a gradual convergence between the MPA and the master of public policy (MPP) degree after the realization that policy/project/program implementation could benefit from an understanding of policy analysis, and vice versa. Today, the course offerings of most MPA and MPP programs overlap to some degree, but MPP programs tend to provide more focused training in policy analysis and policy design, while MPA programs usually still provide more focused coursework in program implementation and public management. The Master of Public Policy (M.P.P.) is a professional Masters degree that traditionally provided training in policy analysis and program evaluation at public policy schools. ... Look up policy in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Policy analysis is the systematic evaluation of alternative means of achieving social goals. ... Policy analysis is the systematic evaluation of alternative means of achieving social goals. ...

Some educational institutions are now offering MPA degrees via online instruction. Though these programs may have regional accreditation many lack accreditation by the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration (NASPAA), the preeminent accrediting authority in this field. Regional accreditation is a term used in the United States to refer to the process by which one of six accrediting bodies, each serving an area of the country, accredits schools, colleges, and universities. ... The National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration (NASPAA) is a Washington, D.C. non-profit organization that exists to: >Ensure excellence in education and training for public service >Promote the ideal of public service >Accredit master degrees in public administration, including Master of Public Administration (MPA) and...

See also

• Master of Public Affairs
• Master of Public Policy
• Master of Public Policy and Administration
• Master of Public Service and Administration
• Public policy schools

The Master of Public Administration (M.P.A.) historically has been a professional Masters degree that provides training in public policy, project and program implementation - that is, public management. ... The Master of Public Policy (M.P.P.) is a professional Masters degree that traditionally provided training in policy analysis and program evaluation at public policy schools. ... Public policy schools teach students policy analysis, public policy, public administration, and public affairs. ...

External links

• National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration - Accrediting body for MPA programs in the United States
• Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management
• European Association for Public Administration Accreditation - Accrediting body for MPA programs in Europe
• Global MPA web portal - the most extensive database of available MPA programs on the web