UIC’s PPMA Department to Offer Fully Online MPA Degree
The Department of Public Policy, Management, and Analytics (PPMA) at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) is set to offer a fully online option for its highly rated, sought-after, NASPAA-accredited Master of Public Administration (MPA) degree. Classes for the online program start in January 2024. UIC's PPMA is recognized as the top public administration graduate program in Illinois, with several top 25 specializations.
The MPA degree from UIC prepares students for public service careers in government at the federal, state, and local levels, as well as nonprofit organizations, research and policy institutes, and other agencies devoted to meaningful societal change. Long considered the public sector equivalent to the private sector’s MBA degree, an MPA degree offers the analytical and leadership skills necessary to pursue a variety of career opportunities by providing students with a comprehensive understanding of public management, policy analysis, budgeting, financial management, and organizational leadership. These skills offer UIC MPA graduates a competitive advantage in the job market for employment positions in need of effective leaders and problem solvers.
The Online MPA degree consists of 13 courses plus two 1 credit professional development seminars. Students have the option of completing the fully asynchronous online degree at a pace that fits their needs. All courses are offered in convenient, accelerated 8-week terms throughout the year, giving students maximum flexibility. Full-time students typically take two 8-week courses at a time, and part-time students complete one 8-week course at a time. Full-time students can complete the entire degree in as little as seven consecutive 8-week terms, or 15 months.
“Providing an online option to students who want more opportunities, to move quicker, or to attend class anytime, anywhere was a priority for us, and our faculty recognize the importance of providing this option to expand access to our highly ranked MPA program to more people,” said Jered Carr, PPMA department head.
The UIC MPA degree is one of only 192 programs worldwide that are fully accredited by the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration (NASPPA). The content of courses offered through the fully online program is developed by the same faculty who teach the same courses in the traditional onsite program, Carr explained.
“This ensures that students in the Online MPA will receive the same high-quality content as our MPA students taking onsite courses,” he said.
The UIC MPA program was founded in 1975 and has prepared thousands of alumni for rewarding public service careers. UIC MPA graduates can be found in metropolitan and municipal management positions, regional planning organizations, nonprofits, state and federal agencies, government consultancies, public safety, and elected leadership positions. The UIC name is highly respected throughout the country, and alumni regularly recruit UIC MPA graduates into permanent employment positions and internships.
MPA faculty are field-leading experts, regularly winning national awards for excellence in research and service to prominent organizations. Their academic training and research interests cover a broad range of topics including public and nonprofit management, public policy, statistics and research methods, survey research, economics, organizational theory and decision making, human resources, budgeting and finance, and information technology.
Deborah A. Carroll, incoming PPMA department head, said, “I was drawn to UIC because of the department’s stature in public management, finance, and governance and because of the high caliber of its faculty. It seems natural to offer our courses and degree programs in a variety of delivery options from onsite to online to accelerated.”
The Online MPA program will host an informational session online on September 6. Registration is available on their website at https://onlinempa.uic.edu/events/info-session-program-overview-sept6/.