The MPA Program provides a diverse student population with the knowledge and core competencies to become effective public administrators. Using a standardized public administration curriculum and interdisciplinary cooperation, our program prepares students for leadership roles in various public and non-profit organizations. Utilizing traditional classroom and online formats, our program provides a quality graduate education that promotes the values and ideals of public service to all students.
The Generalist concentration offers students maximum flexibility to tailor their graduate education across multiple public administration disciplines. By combining core administrative competencies with a customized selection of electives, students gain broad-based expertise suitable for diverse leadership roles in public, non-profit, and governmental sectors. All courses in the Generalist concentration are available in flexible online and traditional formats.
Potential Careers
Public administration is an incredibly widespread field that influences many different public organizations. The skills learned throughout degree programs in this subject can be applicable to many different professional areas, including those that apply indirect skills in this program.
Graduates of the MPA Generalist concentration are prepared for versatile roles across municipal, state, federal, and non-profit settings, including policy analysis, program management, community leadership, and administrative direction.
- Federal, State, and Local Government Administration
- Non-Profit & Community Organization Leadership
- Public Policy & Administrative Analysis
- Program Operations & Public Sector Management
Median Annual Salary
Earning a master’s degree in public administration will generally result in higher wages for you over time compared to only a bachelor’s degree.
| Operations Manager |
$60,900 |
| Program Manager |
$52,000 |
| Executive Director |
$72,700 |
| Social and Community Service Manager |
$65,000 |
| Program Coordinator |
$43,100 |
| Director of Development |
$66,700 |
| Public Policy Analyst |
$68,500 |
*Median annual salaries are from The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and Payscale.com
Additional Facts
Top Three Reasons to Choose JSU for your MPA degree:
- NASPAA Accreditation - The Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs and Administration (NASPAA) ensures the quality of our program. Our program meets the same accreditation standards as many larger schools, but with more student-teacher interaction. Our low student-to-teacher ratio ensures that you will get the highest quality courses taught by qualified area subject experts in a much more conducive environment.
- Choice of Concentrations - The MPA degree at JSU offers you 6 different concentration areas. This allows you to focus your career to what you want to do in the public sector. We offer concentrations in Administrative Management, Criminal Justice, Emergency Management, Geographic Information Systems Technology, Political Science and Generalist.
- Convenient Course Offerings - Whether you are wanting to take classes on campus or online, our program can meet your needs. No matter how you choose to take your classes, the quality of instruction meets NASPAA standards. We understand that many students have fulltime careers already and want the MPA to advance in their career. We offer on-campus courses, hybrid courses (partially on campus and partially online) and 100% online courses.
Departmental Information
Online Program Contact
Dr. Gorgin Mansourian
gmansourian@jsu.edu
(256) 782-5937
