The A-State Online MPA Public Management Degree
The Master of Public Administration (MPA) Public Management track is designed to enhance the careers of law enforcement and public sector professionals in order to affordably achieve management-, director- or executive-level positions.
$11,916
Total Tuition
As few as 18 months*
Program Duration
36
Credit Hours
$11,916
Total Tuition
As few as 18 months*
Program Duration
36
Credit Hours
Created by working professionals seeking to give back to their community, the Arkansas State University MPA program is fully accredited through the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration (NASPAA).
Unlike most MPAs, A-State’s 100% online program allows you to focus on specifics of management within public administration and gain hands-on experience through internship opportunities. The online MPA Public Management track offers courses that focus on the skills required for effective public administration, from managing people and money to resources and programs. All Arkansas State online courses are taught by committed and professional faculty members and combine real world experience and academic expertise.
MISSION STATEMENT The Master of Public Administration at Arkansas State University exists to enhance individual, organizational, social and governmental capacity in the public and non-profit sectors by equipping pre-service and mid-career students with sound management skills and a public/non-profit philosophy to lead public institutions of the future with integrity, innovation, excellence, and professionalism.
Students are required to complete 36 hours of coursework. With the capstone option, internships are strongly encouraged for all pre-service students. Internships are normally undertaken after a student has completed 18 credit hours. Internships are open only to students with a grade point average of no less than 3.0.
Within the MPA online core courses, you will focus on area of learning, including:
- Developing dispositions, knowledge and skills for rigorous problem analysis and successful collaboration leading to comprehensive solutions
- Building communities and social infrastructures through the use of clear communication and ethical and effective management techniques
- Integrating theory and practice through authentic, performance-based field activities
Within the Public Management track, you will:
- Examine administrative structures and patterns of behavior in public sector organizations
- Develop a theoretical and technical framework for understanding the fundamentals of policy analysis and evaluation and political processes
- Gain an understanding of administrative methods associated with governmental revenues, expenditures and fiscal control of public organizations
MPA Guide Online Edition (.PDF)
State Program Approvals (.PDF)
Also available:
"Now I’m in a position where I wouldn’t have even conceived of as a career path…and it’s because of the MPA program."
–Isaac White, A-State online MPA student, the first to be selected to the prestigious Presidential Management Fellows Program.
Find Out How and When to Pay Your Tuition
Our MPA online program offers the same affordable tuition to in-state and out-of-state students. All fees are included in the total tuition.
| Per Credit Hour | Per Course | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Resident Tuition | Required Fees | Total | U.S. Resident Tuition | Required Fees | Total |
| $291.00 | $40.00 | $331.00 | $873.00 | $120.00 | $993.00 |
Ready for the next step—Master of Public Administration Online
Important Dates for Our Students
Our MPA online program is designed to be flexible and convenient for working professionals, with accelerated coursework and multiple start dates a year.
Next Start & Application Due Dates:
| Term | Length | Course Begin | Course End | Application Deadline | Document Deadline | Registration Deadline | Payment Deadline | Last Day to Withdraw |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summer 2023 | 7 wk | 05/08/2023 | 06/23/2023 | 04/24/2023 | 04/28/2023 | 05/04/2023 | 05/05/2023 | 06/09/2023 |
| 7 wk | 06/26/2023 | 08/11/2023 | 06/12/2023 | 06/16/2023 | 06/22/2023 | 06/23/2023 | 07/28/2023 | |
| Fall 2023 | 7 wk | 08/21/2023 | 10/06/2023 | 08/07/2023 | 08/11/2023 | 08/17/2023 | 08/18/2023 | 09/22/2023 |
| 7 wk | 10/16/2023 | 12/08/2023 | 10/02/2023 | 10/06/2023 | 10/12/2023 | 10/13/2023 | 11/17/2023 | |
| Spring 2024 | 7 wk | 01/08/2024 | 02/23/2024 | 12/15/2023 | 12/19/2023 | 01/04/2024 | 01/05/2024 | 02/09/2024 |
| 7 wk | 03/04/2024 | 04/26/2024 | 02/19/2024 | 02/23/2024 | 02/29/2024 | 03/01/2024 | 04/05/2024 | |
| Summer 2024 | 7 wk | 05/06/2024 | 06/20/2024 | 04/22/2024 | 04/26/2024 | 05/02/2024 | 05/03/2024 | 06/07/2024 |
| 7 wk | 06/24/2024 | 08/07/2024 | 06/10/2024 | 06/14/2024 | 06/20/2024 | 06/21/2024 | 08/02/2024 |
Steps to Being Admitted to Our Online Public Management Program
A-State Online offers a streamlined admission process for both new students and transfers. Students who are interested in the MPA online program must have a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution. Review full admission requirements below.
- Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution with at least 3.0 cumulative GPA on a 4.0 scale or at least a 3.2 GPA on a 4.0 scale in the last 60 hours
- 3 professional/ academic references
- 2-3 page Statement of Purpose
Note: If you have a 3.0 – 3.199 cumulative GPA, you must make a grade of B or better during the first 9 hours of graduate work at Arkansas State University.
If your transcript(s) do not reflect grades of “C” or higher in courses on American national government and Research Methods, you will be required to take these courses prior to or during the first graduate enrollment period.
- Complete online application.
- Pay the nonrefundable $30 application fee.
- Send official transcript(s) from the college/university attended. Official transcripts are sealed transcripts sent from the sending institution.
- Provide names and contact information for 3 professional/academic references who would be willing to complete a recommendation form.
- Submit a 2-3 page Statement of Purpose.
Additional Information
Applicants with prior "F" or "D" grades at the graduate level in any graduate program will not be admitted to the A-State MPA program. In addition, students who earn failing ("F") grades in the A-State MPA program are ineligible for readmission to the program. The only exception is with the Capstone.
Up to 9 graduate hours from A-State or other higher education institutions may be credited toward a program. No course can be older than six years by graduation time. Transfer credit will be evaluated by the Director of the Program. To request prior credit be evaluated, please complete the Graduate Transfer Credit Evaluation Form.
Submit all documents to:
A-State OnlineP.O. Box 2520
State University, AR 72467
Fax: 870-972-3548
Email: [email protected]
For Non-US Postal Mail Overnight Delivery Only:
Academic Partnershipsc/o Central Receiving
2713 Pawnee St.
Jonesboro, AR 72401
Ranked #2
A-State's MPA Ranked #2 in the Most Affordable Online MPA Programs by GetEducated (2022).
A Look at the Online MPA in Public Management Curriculum
Students pursuing this degree must complete 36 credit hours, which includes co-requisite courses (as required), MPA courses (21 hours) and Public Management track courses (15 hours) listed below.
POSC 2103: Introduction to US Government
Duration: 7 weeks | Credit Hours: 3
The constitution, government, and politics of the United States.
POSC 3003: Introduction to Political Analysis
Duration: 7 weeks | Credit Hours: 3
Introduction to the discipline of political science, its subfields, and to the use of the social scientific method and logical inquiry.
POSC 6003: Techniques of Political and Public Administration Research
Duration: 7 weeks | Credit Hours: 3
Develops a working knowledge of the substance of contemporary research in political science and public administration and of alternative research strategies and techniques of data analysis in contemporary research.
POSC 6553: Public Budgeting and Finance
Duration: 7 weeks | Credit Hours: 3
A study of political processes and administrative methods associated with governmental revenues, expenditures, and fiscal control of public organizations.
POSC 6563: Seminar in Public Administration
Duration: 7 weeks | Credit Hours: 3
An examination of the development of public administration as a profession; its history, political environment, ethics, and its method.
POSC 6573: Grant Writing and Administration
Duration: 7 weeks | Credit Hours: 3
Emphasis is placed on a step-by-step process through all stages of writing successful proposals and on providing technical expertise and knowledge through campus outreach efforts of faculty and students to strengthen the nonprofit and nongovernmental organizations that serve the local communities.
POSC 6593: Seminar in Human Resources Management
Duration: 7 weeks | Credit Hours: 3
An examination of policies, procedures, strategies, laws and regulations implemented in human resources management for public and nonprofit organizations.
POSC 6613: Administrative Leadership
Duration: 7 weeks | Credit Hours: 3
A study of the techniques and practices that successful managers employ to get their work done through politicians, subordinates, and citizens. Emphasis is placed on issues that are faced by first time managers.
POSC 6623: Administrative Ethics
Duration: 7 weeks | Credit Hours: 3
An analysis of the theoretical, philosophical, and practical tools needed for making appropriate decisions in the role of an administrator in a public or not for profit organization.
Must complete 15 credit hours, including choosing between POSC 660V or POSC 6473.
POSC 6423: Public Financial Management
Duration: 7 weeks | Credit Hours: 3
This course will emphasize financial planning and management in local government.
POSC 6533: Public Policy Analysis and Evaluation
Duration: 7 weeks | Credit Hours: 3
Provides a theoretical and technical framework for understanding the fundamentals of policy analysis and evaluation.
POSC 6543: Administrative Behavior
Duration: 7 weeks | Credit Hours: 3
An examination of administrative structures and patterns of behavior in public sector organizations.
POSC 660V: Internship in Public Administration
Duration: 7 weeks | Credit Hours: 3
Students are required to complete 36 hours of coursework. With the capstone option, internships are strongly encouraged for all pre-service students. Internships are normally undertaken after a student has completed 18 credit hours. Internships are open only to students with a grade point average of no less than 3.0.
POSC 6473: Strategic Planning, Policy and Management
Duration: 7 weeks | Credit Hours: 3
Methods, elements and specific techniques of strategic planning, policy and management
POSC 6653: MPA Capstone Experience
Duration: 7 weeks | Credit Hours: 3
Designed for students to construct a professional portfolio to showcase, in a single document, the skills, competencies, and knowledge they have developed over their time in the MPA program.
Learn how an A-State online MPA helped shape outdoor enthusiast Jeff Crow’s career in public service.
*In order to complete in 18 months, two courses must be taken each start and must begin program in the first session of the semester.
Next Start Date: