Department of Public Affairs and Nonprofit Leadership Master of Public Administration

Required courses: 33 credits

• PUBM 5010 - Foundations of Public Administration
• PUBM 5110 - Understanding Organizations
• PUBM 5120 - Policy Process
• PUBM 5200 - Managing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Workplace
• PUBM 5220 - Human Resource Management
• PUBM 5300 - Budgeting and Financial Management
• PUBM 5430 - Research Design
• PUBM 5440 - Applied Data Analysis
• PUBM 5600 - Ethics and Society
• PUBM 5700 - Economic Analysis
• PUBM 5900 - Capstone in the Public Service

Government or Nonprofit Area of Emphasis: 9 credits

Government Emphasis

• PUBM 5410 - Policy Analysis
• PUBM 5710 - Government Finance
• PUBM 5720 - Administrative Law

Nonprofit Emphasis

• PUBM 5860 - Nonprofit Sector in Society
• PUBM 5870 - Nonprofit Resource Development
• PUBM 5880 - Nonprofit Governance

Elective Courses: 15 credits

Electives vary from year to year and some past examples of electives include:

• Government Relations,
• Collaboration Across Sectors,
• Global Health,
• Campaigns and Elections, and more

Internships

Gain practical skills and forge connections with practitioners in the field. We encourage internships for MPA students with less than one year of work experience in public or nonprofit service, or for experienced students looking to apply their coursework in a new area of professional exploration.

Learn more here.

Learning Outcomes

Seattle University graduate Public Administration students should be able to:

• Effectively utilize established concepts of management and organization to frame and interpret organizational issues
• Utilize reflective action to improve management skills
• Apply, analyze, and evaluate theories of the policy process and economics
• Ability to define and describe public problems and develop plans of action
• Create appropriate research methods and design to support empirical research objectives

Revised by MPA Faculty: May 2018

Our Mission

Seattle University’s Master of Public Administration program educates public service professionals primarily in the Pacific Northwest. We develop our students’ leadership and administrative potential to address public problems in the government and nonprofit sectors. 

Our Values

• Social justice and the engagement of diverse communities through policy and service
• Ethical standards of accountability, integrity and transparency in pursuing the public interest
• Positive relationships that foster respect and fairness for colleagues and community members

Building Your Skills

In our program, students will learn:

• Practical skills to address organizational problems
• Management and leadership skills that incorporate collaboration, teamwork and self- reflection
• Oral and written communication skills that emphasize cogency and professionalism
• Critical thinking skills to competently develop and design empirical research and engage in logical analysis
• Skills and expertise to be more effective participants and advocates in the public policy

MPA Program Outcomes

How much does the degree cost?

MPA tuition for the 2024-2025 academic year is $849 per credit and is subject to change annually by the Seattle University Board of Trustees.

The MPA is a 57-credit program, so the cost for the degree based on the 2024-2025 tuition is $48,393. This number does not include fees, materials, books, etc.

View more about tuition, fees, and charges.

 

How long does it take to graduate?

Our program operates on the quarter system; classes are offered Summer, Fall, Winter, and Spring and take place weekday evenings or on Saturdays.

Most students take two courses per quarter; at that rate, the MPA can be completed in two and a half years.

Completion rates for the 45 MPA students who started the program in 2017-2018 admissions cycle:

Time to Graduation	Number Graduated
Graduated within 2 years	8
Graduated within 3 years	27
Graduated within 4 years	37

 

Are scholarships available?

Yes. In the previous academic year, 100% of our students received a partial tuition scholarship between $1,200-$3,600! All newly admitted MPA students are eligible to apply for the MPA Departmental Scholarship and/or AmeriCorps Alumni Scholarship. Financial need is strongly considered when selecting recipients and the amount of their award. Learn more about departmental scholarships and requirements. Learn more.

What is the MPA Employment Rate?

Below is data for MPA employment rates by sector for the 2022-2023 graduating class six months after graduation:

Sector	Number of respondents who reported employment status six months after graduation
Nonprofit domestic-oriented	1
City, county, or other local government in the same country as the program	8
National or central government in the same country as the program	0
Nonprofit/NGOs internationally-oriented	0
Employed - selected "Other" as their sector of employment	1
Obtaining further education	0
Unemployed, not seeking employment	0
Unemployed, seeking employment	2
Foreign government (all levels) or international quasi-governmental	0
Military Service	0
Private sector - research/consulting	1
Private sector - not research/consulting	2
State, provincial or regional government in the same country as the program	4
Status unknown (did not respond to survey)	2
Total number of respondents	21
Total number of graduates	21