Public Administration, MPA

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CSSH Graduate Programs General Regulations

The Master of Public Administration is the management and leadership degree for those seeking to serve the public good. The program seeks to equip its students with skills in policy analysis, program evaluation, research methods, and written and verbal communications.

Students have an opportunity to develop competencies in budgeting and human resources, organizational management and leadership, and the interplay between ethics and accountability in a diverse society.

Throughout the degree program, students gain career-oriented experience through internships, small group projects, and other interactions with professionals in the field. These experiences are designed to enable the Northeastern University MPA graduate to move into a wide array of public and nonprofit sector positions at the local, state, national, and international levels. The Northeastern MPA program is nationally accredited by NASPAA.

Mission Statement

The mission of the MPA program at Northeastern is to serve the needs of the public affairs community, including students, working professionals, faculty, and researchers, by providing a practice-oriented and research-based graduate educational experience. The faculty pledges the best instruction available in a set of courses designed to integrate theoretical foundations with practical skills. The MPA program is designed to prepare students to be effective in a dynamic and increasingly diverse professional environment. We also commit ourselves to assisting students in every possible way to secure internships, postgraduate employment, and overall career advancement. Students, in turn, are expected to meet high levels of academic excellence combined with ethical and professional integrity. Committed to the ideals of public service and advancing the public interest, we seek students who share the same enthusiasm.

The MPA program requires all students to pursue an internship experience and offers an optional cooperative education experience to eligible students. Co-op is central to both the Northeastern experience and to the experiential liberal arts framework of the College of Social Sciences and Humanities. Northeastern’s signature co-op ecosystem provides qualified master's students with six-month work experiences in businesses, nonprofits, and government agencies in Boston and across the United States.

Healthcare Management and Policy Concentration

This graduate concentration is available to students in the MPA program in the School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs. It is designed to enable students in the MPA program to develop a deeper understanding of the contemporary healthcare sector, including the intricacies of U.S. health policy, and competencies in healthcare management. The concentration is comprised of three courses, one from each of three focus areas, and an elective.

Please review the tuition and fees page as credit costs differ depending on the college that offers the course.

Academic Standing/Progress 

Students in the program are monitored for academic progress. Those students whose cumulative GPA falls below 3.000 are notified by and meet with the director of academic programs. They are counseled that if their GPA does not rise to 3.000 or higher, they run the risk of not graduating and are advised on strategies for improvement. 

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• Concentrations and course offerings may vary by campus and/or by program modality.  Please consult with your advisor or admissions coach for the course availability each term at your campus or within your program modality. 
• Certain options within the program may be required at certain campuses or for certain program modalities.  Please consult with your advisor or admissions coach for requirements at your campus or for your program modality. 

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Complete all courses and requirements listed below unless otherwise indicated.

Core Requirements

A cumulative 3.000 grade-point average is required for the core requirements.

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Quantitative Techniques
INSH 6500	Statistical Analysis	4
Analysis
PPUA 6502	Economic Analysis for Policy and Planning	4
PPUA 6506	Techniques of Policy Analysis	4
Administration and Management
PPUA 6500	Principles of Public Administration	4
PPUA 6505	Public Budgeting and Financial Management	4
PPUA 6507	Institutional Leadership and the Public Manager	4
Capstone
PPUA 7673	Capstone in Public Policy and Urban Affairs	4

Internship Requirement

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
PPUA 6861	Internship	0

Concentration or Electives Option

A concentration is not required. Students may complete electives (from the elective list below) in lieu of a concentration.

• Healthcare Management and Policy 
• Electives 

Optional Co-op Experience

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Four-month co-ops require registration at 1 semester hour for one term. Longer co-ops require registration at 1 semester hour per term for two consecutive terms. Both of the following courses must be taken during each co-op semester:		2
PPUA 6964 and INSH 6864	Co-op Work Experience and Experiential Integration

Program Credit/GPA Requirements

40 total semester hours required (41–42 with optional co-op)
Minimum 3.000 GPA

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Healthcare Management and Policy Concentration

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Health Management
Complete one of the following:		3-4
HRMG 6220	Health Organization Management
PPUA 5220	How Healthcare Works: Business and Policy Innovations
STRT 6220	Strategic Management for Healthcare Organizations
Health Policy
Complete one of the following:		3-4
PHTH 5212	Public Health Administration and Policy
PHTH 5234	Economic Perspectives on Health Policy
PPUA 5240	Health Policy and Politics
Electives
Health Elective
Complete one of the following:		3
PHTH 5120	Race, Ethnicity, and Health in the United States
PHTH 5212	Public Health Administration and Policy
PHTH 5214	Environmental Health
PHTH 5222	Health Advocacy
PHTH 5230	Global Health
PHTH 6200	Principles and History of Urban Health
PHTH 6204	Society, Behavior, and Health
General Elective
Complete an additional course from the health elective list above or one of the following:		2-3
PPUA 6212	Research Toolkit for Urban and Regional Policy: Project Management
PPUA 6216	Research Toolkit for Urban and Regional Policy: Grant Writing

Electives Option

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Complete 12 semester hours from the following:		12
CRIM 5000 to CRIM 7999 (by advisement only)
ECON 5000 to ECON 7999 (by advisement only)
ENGL 5000 to ENGL 7999 (by advisement only)
HIST 5000 to HIST 7999 (by advisement only)
LPSC 5000 to LPSC 7999
POLS 5000 to POLS 7999 (by advisement only)
PPUA 5000 to PPUA 7999
SOCL 5000 to SOCL 7999 (by advisement only)