Binghamton University Master of Public Administration (MPA) Program

The Master of Public Administration (MPA) program, offered through the College of Community and Public Affairs (CCPA) at Binghamton University is about improving communities; from a local neighborhood to our global village, students learn practical ways to change lives and change the world through hands-on, real-life experiences. An MPA is a marketable professional degree that prepares students for management careers in public and nonprofit organizations. It is ideal for students who are committed to public service, would like to be leaders in public and nonprofit organizations, and want to make a positive difference in the world.

At Binghamton, we focus on community. Everything we teach is designed to produce graduates who are competent and confident applying their skills in the workplace and communities they'll join when they leave our program. To that end, our program is completely structured to emphasize involvement and participation in the local community. In terms of classroom instruction, our full-time faculty members (who each hold doctoral degrees in their respective fields) are joined by local government and non-profit administration experts who work in surrounding areas. Furthermore, our program is housed downtown, right in the heart of the Binghamton community—within walking distance of several non-profit offices as well as city, county and state office buildings. Students in many courses work directly with community organizations to help them address policy and management challenges. And for those individuals interested in gaining a first-hand perspective of our larger, global community, we offer study-abroad opportunities for graduate students.

The MPA program at Binghamton University focuses on preparing students for management careers in local government and community-based nonprofits. While many of our MPA students concentrate their studies on local government or nonprofit management, the interests of our students are diverse. The flexibility of our MPA curriculum enables students to tailor programs of study to fit their needs. Regular courses in the MPA program at Binghamton include the history of public administration, finance, research methods, organization theory, and grant writing, among others. Some coursework even includes student-originated grant-making through The Philanthropy Incubator— a program that has become another distinguishing feature of a Binghamton University education. The Philanthropy Incubator has resulted in over $57,000 in grants to Southern Tier nonprofit organizations since 2009, and demonstrates our commitment to engaged, community-centered learning. Students can also choose to pursue a dual-degree by pairing their MPA with an MS in Nursing, MSW (Social Work), or MS in Student Affairs Administration. And to add even more value to their résumé, Binghamton students also have the option to earn graduate certificates in local government or nonprofit management.

Binghamton aims to keep the MPA program accessible both to full-time students and working professionals. While our program is designed to be completed in two years of full-time study, many students choose to study part-time. A wide selection of evening classes makes it easy to transition from a day on the job to an evening in the classroom.

Combine these benefits with the fact that Binghamton University is ranked among the elite public universities in the nation for challenging students academically, not financially, and you have no reason to not choose Binghamton University as the place to complete your education.