Public Administration, M.P.A.

The General MPA track is comprised of students currently working in the public sector as well as students with no experience. The General MPA track is the largest track with nearly one hundred and ninety (190) full and part-time students. That track admits an average of fifty-five (55) students on an annual basis. Classes are conducted in the evening Monday thru Thursday and completion typically takes from 24 to 30 months.

The Executive MPA track is limited to candidates with four (4) years of full time professional, executive or supervisory experience in the public, private or nonprofit sectors. The Executive MPA track students range from thirty (30) to fifty-five (55) years old and generally have ten (10) or more years of work experience.

EMPA students continue their employment while completing their course of study in an 18-month period. The EMPA for North Carolina Central University is offered during two (2) required summer experiences and three (3) full semester experiences. Class sessions are held on weekends. Classes begin on Friday at 3:00 p.m. and are held for eight (8) hours on Saturday. The second summer experience includes a mandatory trip abroad that is paid for as a part of a student’s tuition.

The MPA learning experience is a composite of the 5 major components that provide students with the opportunity to develop and demonstrate the competencies that are a part of the program design.

These components are:

1. MPA Core Courses
2. Professional Development Elective Courses
3. Elective/Cognate Courses
4. Capstone Courses
5. Student Learning Portfolio

This course of study requires students to complete a minimum of 47 semester hours to obtain the MPA degree. The credit hours are distributed according to the following course groupings.

All students must submit a Student Learning Portfolio in order to graduate. The Student Learning Portfolio takes the place of the Master’s Written Examination in the North Carolina Central University Master’s of Public Administration Program requirements. Consistent with the program’s mission to develop in students the knowledge and skills necessary to lead or manage a public sector organization, the portfolio measures individual student growth against each student’s personal goals as well as standard programmatic professional competencies and expectations. The Portfolio is comprised of materials that are representative of a student’s learning, growth and development, both educationally and professionally.