Asynchronous Online | Seven-Week Program | Flexible | Complete in Less Than 2 Years
Learn the management, budgeting, financial, and analytical skills necessary to govern effectively and advance in public management, policy analysis, and governance-related positions. Our mission is to impart public service values and knowledge so that graduates are prepared to enrich our communities by leading, managing, and solving public service-related problems with empathy, integrity, and excellence.
URI’s Master of Public Administration is a fully-online accelerated degree program that includes a curriculum of core courses and stackable certificates. All accelerated online classes are offered in convenient 7-week modules designed to allow students the flexibility needed to successfully complete coursework while meeting professional and/or personal obligations. Students typically complete the program in under two years, with some securing their MPA degree in as little as one year.
Program Structure
All students completing the full 36-credit program will complete the Public Administration and Policy Professional Certificate along with the MPA Capstone and at least one of three MPA certificates. Students must complete the Policy Analysis Certificate, Public Management Certificate, and/or Ocean Science Graduate Certificate. If only one MPA certificate is chosen to be completed by the student, then the student must choose any 12 graduate-level elective credits, which can include other online graduate-level certificate programs.
All students completing the full 36-credit program will complete:
- The Public Administration and Policy Professional Certificate (12 credits)
MPA students are also required to complete the MPA Capstone and at least one of two MPA certificates:
- The Policy Analysis certificate (12 credits) and/or
- The Public Management certificate (12 credits)
Both pathways have a Blue MPA option available for students.
- Students can choose to layer on the new Ocean Science Graduate Certificate with either the Policy Analysis or Public Management certificate.
Blue MPA
Learn more about the new program track option available.
learn moreSpring 2024 Dates
Upon completion of the MPA, students will be able:
To lead and manage in the public interest
To participate in, and contribute to, the policy process
To analyze, synthesize, think critically, solve problems and make evidence-informed decisions in a complex and dynamic environment
To articulate and apply a public service perspective
To communicate and interact productively in culturally responsive ways with a diverse and changing workforce and society at large
Our students and graduates work in government relations for non-profit agencies, non-profit management and grant writing, municipal government, planning, housing policy, environmental policy, education policy, health policy, energy policy, and election administration.
Students who complete the URI Master of Public Administration degree will advance to positions requiring financial and budgetary expertise, leadership skills, knowledge of administrative law and procedure, the management of agency personnel, policy and grant writing, and analytics skills.
Graduates of the program during ’21-’22 were employed full-time by the following organizations:
Federal Government
State Government
Local Government
Domestic Non-Profits
Private Sector Research and/or Consulting
Military Services
For Summer ’22, Fall ’22, and Spring ’23, students had the opportunity to be placed for internships at a variety of organizations including:
- Rhode Island Secretary of State
- State of Rhode Island Internship Program
- City of Cranston Planning Department
- Community College of Rhode Island Division of Workforce Partnerships
- Town of Barrington Planning Department
- Rhode Island Attorney General’s Office
- Town of Westerly Planning Department
Request Information
Get in touch.
URI Online Student Support Center
online@uri.edu
401.874.5280
Program Director
Aaron Ley
ajley@uri.edu
