COURSE CURRICULUM

The Master of Public Administration (MPA) program at the Rockefeller College of Public Affairs & Policy at the University at Albany is a structured graduate program designed to prepare students for leadership roles in government, nonprofit organizations, and public service sectors. The program includes a strong core curriculum that builds essential knowledge in public administration, policy analysis, and organizational management. Core courses include Introduction to Foundations of Public Administration, Public and Nonprofit Financial Management, Valuing People in Public and Nonprofit Organizations, Principles of Public Economics, Data, Models, and Decisions, Statistics for Public Managers and Policy Analysts, and Foundations of Public Management. These courses help students develop analytical, financial, and managerial skills needed to understand how public institutions operate and how policies are designed and implemented. The program concludes with an Integrative Capstone, which allows students to apply their learning to real-world public administration challenges. In addition to the core curriculum, students complete concentration courses by selecting at least three courses in a specialized area, along with an additional elective from a related field. Elective options are broad and include areas such as crime and justice policy, education policy, environmental policy and politics, global affairs, healthcare management, health policy, homeland security, human resources management, information policy, diversity management, contracting management, organizational behavior and theory, policy analysis, social welfare policy, urban planning and policy, and women and policy. A major component of the program is the career experience or professional internship, which provides students with hands-on exposure to real-world public service environments. These internships are available in local, national, and international settings and are often paid. Students may work in agencies such as the New York State Senate Finance Committee, the Social Security Administration, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, or nonprofit organizations like the American Red Cross. In some cases, students with relevant professional experience may waive the internship requirement, allowing flexibility for working professionals.