Master of Public Administration

San Jose State University

The program leads to the professional degree of Master of Public Administration. It provides pre-service students with the knowledge and skills necessary for effective administration of local, state, and federal government agencies and of nonprofit organizations. It also offers mid-career administrators and professionals in public service an opportunity to improve their management skills and qualifications. For the convenience of students who are employed full-time, all courses are offered in the evening. Alumni assist with orientation and mentoring activities.The MPA program, offered by the Department of Political Science, provides each student with a basic understanding of the environment of public policy and the ability to deal with:Political and legal institutions and processesEconomic and social institutions and processesOrganization and management concepts, and human resource administrationConcepts and techniques of budgeting and financial administrationApplication of quantitative and qualitative techniques of analysis in policy and program formulation, implementation and evaluation, and decision making and problem-solving

College of Social Sciences