Online Master of Public Administration

Create Solutions for Your Community

Your vocation is calling you to make a positive impact in your community. You want to participate actively in your organization’s progress, or, you strive to empower those around you to advocate for a cause. However you envision a better and brighter future, The University of Texas at Tyler’s Master of Public Administration can help you get there. Shape the direction of local, national and even global public policy and management with our top-rated online degree.

Why Earn an MPA From UT Tyler?

Housed in The University of Texas at Tyler’s Department of Social Sciences, the Master of Public Administration is an interdisciplinary degree that prepares you for leadership positions in public institutions, government and nonprofit organizations. Explore topics in public administration, policy development and implementation and public affairs to create more effective solutions for some of today’s most pressing social and political challenges.

UT Tyler designed the online MPA with the working professional in mind. Transform your passion into a meaningful career in public service:

Flexible: Learn from anywhere and take courses around your schedule with a 100% online format. Each student works with a faculty advisor to determine the best course scheduling to maximize each student’s success. You can complete requirements at your own pace — with the possibility of finishing the degree in two years.
Tailored to Your Goals: Customize your degree and advance your unique career interests with electives that span concentrations in criminal justice, local government and nonprofit administration.
Hands-on Learning: Apply social science research methods, professional software and statistical analyses to resolve problems in public administration. For your capstone project, use the advanced skills you’ve learned in class to develop a recommended plan of action to address a policy issue.
Individualized Attention: We purposefully keep the student-to-faculty ratio low, limiting the number of students in any given course. Our classes have an average enrollment around 15 students, allowing for one-on-one interactions with professors.
Affordable: Enroll in one of the most cost-effective programs of its kind in the state. Reduce the cost of your education through scholarships and graduate assistantships.

Curriculum

The Master of Public Administration degree consists of 36 credit hours of coursework. Through core courses, develop a multifaceted foundation in organizational behavior, resource allocation, ethics and regulations, research methods and statistics and the role of information technology in public administration.

Gain competencies in:

Leadership skills that allow you to evaluate and supervise staff, as well as motivate them to achieve an organization’s objectives.
Effective application of information software and advanced technologies in public service spaces.
Budget and finance management, balancing sound investments with fiscal responsibility.
Decision-making that aligns with the highest ethical standards and prioritizes the common good.
Advanced research methods and statistical analysis.
Directing and implementing solutions-oriented policies.

Specializations add focus to your degree:

Criminal Justice: Strengthen community safety policies and reform ineffective, outdated approaches to address crime. Courses examine judicial policy and criminal law, criminology, criminal justice policy and theory, policing practices and strategies and other topics relating to the criminal justice system.
Local Government: Learn to enact solutions-oriented policies that improve the quality of life for your community. Expand what you know about housing, transportation and community safety through coursework that tackles urban and regional planning, evolving populations and the role of state and local government.
Nonprofit: Become a more effective advocate with a theoretical and practical foundation in social issues, strategic planning and nonprofit management. Hone your financial skills to make organizations sustainable and impactful.

Review All MPA Course Descriptions Visit the Social Sciences Department

Careers in Public Administration

Due to its interdisciplinary nature and practical applications, an MPA degree opens the doors to a wide variety of careers. Careers in public administration are experiencing steady or rapid growth.

How to Apply

Graduate Admission Requirements

To apply, you must meet the following requirements:

A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university.
A minimum grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale for the last 60 hours of undergraduate and/or graduate coursework. Candidates with advanced degrees are given preference.
Three years of full-time employment in a public or nonprofit organization is required. Submit a curriculum vitae to document employment in a public or nonprofit organization. A satisfactory score on the verbal and quantitative sections of the Graduate Record Examinations may be substituted for the employment requirement. The GRE requirement is waived if the applicant earned a 3.25 overall undergraduate GPA or has previously earned a graduate degree from an accredited university.
Submit a letter expressing interest and motivation for pursuing the degree.
Consideration is also given to one or more of the following: the applicant’s demonstrated commitment to their chosen field of study, socioeconomic background, first-generation college graduate, multilingual proficiency, geographic region of residence and level of responsibility in other matters, including extracurricular activities, employment, community service and family responsibilities.
A course in research methods is recommended before admission.

Application Instructions

Follow the step-by-step process below:

Click the orange Apply Now button on The Graduate School home page.
Click “Create Account.”
After filling out your profile and creating a username/password, log in.
Click “Start Application.”
Those seeking an F or J visa should choose “International;” for all others, choose “U.S. Graduate.”
Answer all questions.
Submit the application fee to complete the application.

Applicants should receive an email from the Office of Graduate Admissions once their application is processed, which typically occurs over the next business day. This email explains each document needed in order to complete the application.

Students can check the status of submitted admission materials in their myUTTyler account. Login information for this account is emailed to applicants about two business days after the application is submitted. Once all items are received, the university forwards files to the academic department for review. The academic departments make graduate admission decisions.

Deadlines

Aug. 15 (Fall)
Dec. 20 (Spring)
April 15 (Summer)

The academic departments make decisions on a rolling basis, reviewing applications when completed, with decisions issued in about seven days.

Tuition

Estimated tuition for full-time, in-state, online enrollment is $16,164. Tuition varies by delivery method and hours taken per semester. Calculate your estimated tuition with the tuition calculator.

We also offer scholarships and assistantships to help offset the cost of your education. Explore financial aid options for graduate students.