Program Overview

MPA in Public & Nonprofit Management & Policy

The Master of Public Administration in Public and Nonprofit Management and Policy (MPA-PNP) is a 45-credit degree program made up of core courses, a required specialization, electives, capstone, and the Professional Experience Requirement (PER).

TOTAL CREDITS REQUIRED: 45

I. DEGREE CORE (15 CREDITS)

• Statistical Methods
• Microeconomics
• Management and Leadership
• Financial Management
• Introduction to Public Policy

II. SPECIALIZATION REQUIREMENTS (9 credits)

Each of the six specializations requires three courses (9 credits) to give students an introduction to key concepts and skills.

• ADVOCACY And Political Action
  • Community Organizing
  • Advocacy Lab: How to Make Change Happen
  • Policy Formation and Policy Analysis
• FINANCE
  • Public Economics
  • Financial Management II
  • Corporate Finance and Public Policy; or Multiple Regression and Introduction to Econometrics
• INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
  • Institutions, Governance, and International Development
  • Politics of International Development
  • Economics of International Development
• MANAGEMENT AND LEADERSHIP
  • Strategic Management and Leadership
  • Human Resources: Leading Talent Development
  • Performance Measurement and Management
• PUBLIC POLICY
  • Public Economics
  • Evaluating Programs and Policies
  • Multiple Regression and Introduction to Econometrics; or Policy Formation
• SOCIAL INNOVATION
  • Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation by Design
  • Design Thinking: A Creative Approach to Problem Solving and Creating Impact
  • Impact Investing

III. Electives: Specialization-Recommended and School-wide Focus areas (18 credits)

You may choose courses across Wagner for your electives. To assist you, we've grouped courses by recommended Focus Areas.

• Advocacy and Political Action
  • Tools and Skills
  • Policies and Issues
• Finance
  • Public Economics and Finance
  • Financial Management
• International Development
  • Growth, Sustainability, and Inequality
  • Organizations and Management in International Contexts
  • International Finance
  • Health, Human Rights, and Humanitarian Aid
• Management and Leadership
  • Relationships Across Differences
  • Organizational Performance
  • Strategy and Leadership
• Public Policy
  • Policy Advocacy and Creation
  • Policy Design
  • Policy Analysis and Program Evaluation
  • Data Science
• Social Innovation
  • Social Enterprise
  • Social Finance
  • Social Innovation, Design, and Technology
• School-wide
  • Cities
  • Communication Skills
  • Data Science and Data Management
  • Education
  • Environment and Climate Change
  • Global Action
  • Health Policy and Management
  • Inequality, Race, and Poverty
  • Program Evaluation
  • Nonprofit and Government Organizations
  • Philanthropy and Fundraising
  • Social Justice and Democracy
  • Transportation

IV. CAPSTONE (3 Credits)

The Capstone Program, a year-long consulting or research project that's required for all MPA students, puts you out in the world, resolving a problem or conducting an analysis for a client organization.

V. PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENT

NYU Wagner is deeply committed to education outside of the classroom. First-hand work experience in your field of choice can be a pivotal experience, and our New York City location offers countless opportunities for career exploration. To this end, NYU Wagner requires all MPA and MUP students to graduate with professional experience that is directly related to their degree program and field of interest.

• Students can fulfill this requirement in one of two ways:
  1. Enter NYU Wagner with at least two years of full-time, degree-relevant, professional experience; or
  2. Complete the Professional Experience Requirement (PER), which means working in a degree-relevant job or internship while attending NYU Wagner and before enrolling in Capstone. Students typically fulfill the PER via a relevant work experience over one semester (i.e., 15-20 hours per week during a semester, or 35-40 hours per week in the summer).