Department of Public Administration, SUNY Brockport

About the Program

The mission of the Master of Public Administration Program at The College at Brockport is to prepare leaders and managers in public, health care, and non-profit organizations. The program maintains close student faculty interaction that enables graduates to:

1. Lead and manage in diverse organizational contexts.
2. Participate and contribute to public policy in the student’s chosen emphasis: Public, Health Care, or Non-Profit Management.
3. Analyze to make informed decisions.
4. Articulate the public service concerns associated with the distribution of scarce resources.
5. Communicate productively in settings characterized by diversity.

Public administration is a program of graduate professional study for the Master of Public Administration (MPA). It is nationally accredited by the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration (NASPAA). As an institutional member of NASPAA, the program is committed to quality in public affairs education and ascribes to the NASPAA Member Code of Good Practice.

The program, instituted in 1974, develops competencies in management and governance for governmental, nonprofit and other public service organizations. Students acquire basic knowledge and skills through the program’s core courses, while individual career objectives are met through one of three emphases: general public administration, health care management, and nonprofit management. To receive the MPA, students complete 39 credits of graduate course work including the Portfolio or Project Paper. Any undergraduate major course of study provides acceptable preparation for the study of public administration.

The Department of Public Administration also offers two graduate certificate programs: a Certificate in Non-Profit Management, which is available to MPA students and as a stand-alone certificate, and a Certificate in Arts Administration (in conjunction with the MFA degree offered by the Visual Studies Workshop).

MPA courses are three credits, meeting once a week for a semester. Some courses are offered online. Courses are generally offered in the evening in downtown Rochester at The College at Brockport MetroCenter.