Online MPA Degree With a Government and Policy Emphasis

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Overview

Serve Others With an MPA: Government and Policy Emphasis

Prepare for a career in service to others by earning your Master of Public Administration (MPA) degree with an Emphasis in Government and Policy, offered by the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at GCU. Explore ways of recognizing and addressing modern issues pertaining to policy and governance, leadership and human capital development. Cultivate your leadership style, ethical decision-making and problem-solving capabilities as you examine core issues in public sector organizations.

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Why GCU

Benefits of Studying Public Policy at GCU

In this program, you will study crucial competencies in the inner workings of local, state and federal government agencies. In these courses, you will be taught ways for driving reform and forward progress to better serve the diverse needs of modern society. This MPA degree with a government and policy emphasis focuses on law and administrative processes, public governance and strategic solutions.

All Public Administration Emphases

Healthcare Management
Nonprofit Management
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Earn Your Master’s in Public Administration Online 

To enable working professionals to pursue higher education, GCU offers the Master of Public Administration with a Government and Policy emphasis through our dynamic online platform. Learn from knowledgeable faculty members and adjunct instructors. 

You will have the opportunity to benefit from engaging and intellectually stimulating discussions with your peers, who will contribute a diverse range of perspectives and worldviews. As a Christian university, GCU promotes a keen focus on the creation of interdependency through ethical servant leadership.

Coursework

Course Topics in the MPA Degree With an Emphasis in Government and Policy 

In this program, you will receive the tools to help serve the public in local, state or federal government positions. Graduates with an MPA degree with government and policy emphasis have the opportunity to learn how to recognize and solve problems that affect the government programs that the public relies on. The Master of Public Administration with an emphasis in Government and Policy includes coursework that teaches a broad range of topics. 

These topics include:

Economics for public administrators

Public administration influence and the role politics plays 

Acquiring, developing and leveraging human capital

Public and nonprofit administration

Public financial management and budgeting

Concepts in Leadership

During your coursework for the master’s degree in public administration with a government and policy emphasis, you will explore key concepts in leadership, including best practices in human capital development. Delve into the details of far-reaching policy issues, including education, healthcare and social services. Develop critical thinking skills as you consider how policy decisions affect various populations

Other knowledge areas you will examine while earning this degree include:

  • Science of organizational behavior
  • Best practices in governmental transparency, participation and accountability
  • Ethical use of power and effective influencing of stakeholders
  • Allocation of goods and services

You will have the opportunity to deepen your understanding of constitutional law and public administration during the MPA degree program with a government and policy emphasis. You will examine how public and governmental entities execute their missions, manage resources and provide services to the public. You will also explore the role of regulatory powers and the importance of servant leadership.

Careers

Career Options With a Master’s Degree in Public Administration

A master’s degree in public administration with government and policy emphasis may prepare you to pursue a career in a variety of settings, including nonprofit agencies, government agencies and non-governmental consulting and lobbying firms.

Some of the careers that may be related to this degree include the following:

Chief executive

General and operations manager

Legislator

Transportation, storage and distribution manager

Postmaster or mail superintendent

Social and community service manager

Manager

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

To learn more about this master’s degree program, please read through our answers to these frequently asked questions.

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Start Your Journey Today

Prepare for a future in government and policy with an MPA. 

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