The MPA Program at James Madison University is a graduate program situated in the Department of Political Science, which exists in the College of Arts and Letters. The Program offers the Master of Public Administration degree in an in-person format with full-time students completing 36 credit hours in four semesters. Students without sufficient prior public service employment complete an additional 3 credit hour internship course requirement, usually completed during the summer between the second and third semester.
Students enter the program in a cohort of up to 20 students and work through eight required core courses and four additional elective courses that align with a chosen concentration. Students may select a concentration in Public Management, International Stabilization and Recovery, or an Individualized Concentration with a specific sub-focus. The MPA Program at JMU maintains 35 to 45 active students in any given semester for a core faculty to student ratio of 1:5.
Students enroll either full-time or part-time. Eighty percent of our 2020 cohort consisted of full-time students who all completed the program within four semesters while the twenty percent who were part-time students finished within three years.
Undergraduate students enrolled at JMU May also apply to the Accelerated and Fifth Year MPA Program tracks.
Mission
Through engaged teaching, research, and service, the MPA program equips current and future public service professionals with the capacity to address complex local and global problems.
Goals
To fulfill this mission, the MPA Program at JMU orients its activities around the following goals:
- We produce responsible, effective public service professionals who lead with strong public service values
- We generate positive impact on local, regional, national, and global public service organizations and their communities
- We produce scholarship on public policy and administration that informs and improves its practice
- We continually improve MPA Program efficiency and quality
Student and Alumni Snapshot
The MPA student body consists of a wide array of highly motivated individuals seeking to start or elevate a career in public service across the government, nonprofit, and private employment sectors.
Eleven of our twelve 2025 graduates found or continued public service employment or studies as follows:
- 5 graduates employed in public higher education
- 2 graduates continuing as doctoral students in a public service discipline
- 2 graduates employed with a nonprofit organization
- 2 graduates employed in government, one at the local level with one at the federal level
