School of Government - Masters of Public Administration

The MPA program, founded in 1943, is housed within the School of Government at UNC Chapel Hill. The School of Government works to improve the lives of North Carolinians and beyond by engaging in practical scholarship that helps public officials and citizens understand and improve state and local government. The School is the largest university based training facility in the country for public officials.

The MPA is offered in two formats - online and on-campus to accommodate learners on a part time basis and learners looking to return to school full time. We offer concentrations in the areas of local government management, public management, nonprofit administration, community and economic development, public health, and international relations.

Our core curriculum is based on leadership competencies which include:

• To lead, manage, and engage others in public service
• To apply public service values and ethics
• To understand social, economic, and political context
• To effectively communicate
• To analyze information for decision making
• To understand law and legal process
• To manage financial resources
• To manage human capital