Masters in Public Administration (MPA)

The Suffolk University MPA Program is offered in the shadow of the Massachusetts State House on Boston’s historic Beacon Hill, just minutes away from the regional hubs of commerce, finance, research, government, healthcare and the nonprofit sector. The MPA’s mission is to develop and grow each student’s analytical, administrative, and leadership skills in preparation for a career at the highest levels of public service.

Since its founding in 1906, Suffolk University has provided access to higher education for qualified individuals who otherwise may have been denied this opportunity based on various forms of discrimination.  The MPA Program continues this tradition of access and diversity in its admissions policy, student population, faculty and curriculum.  What better place to embrace such a legacy than in Boston, the Cradle of American Liberty and the public domain of John Adams, Mercy Otis Warren, William Lloyd Garrison and Frederick Douglass.     

Established in 1973, the MPA Program has been accredited by the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration (NASPAA) since 1980.  NASPAA is a preeminent national accrediting body, and this distinction identifies Suffolk’s MPA as one of the country’s top tier academic programs in public administration.  Our curriculum includes a generalist MPA degree and specialized MPA’s in nonprofit management, state government, local government, and healthcare management.

Today, our graduates number in the thousands and hold career positions in all levels of government, nonprofits, healthcare, and public service.  MPA alumni include members of the U.S. Congress and the Massachusetts House and Senate as well as cabinet-level officials, municipal managers and chief executive officers in every type of public service organization imaginable.

The Suffolk MPA is a 49 credit hour program that will provide you with a theoretical and applied foundation in public management that represents the cutting edge in public management practice. The MPA faculty utilize their backgrounds and research to link analytical curriculum requirements with “real-world” cases and practice-based projects, thus producing an educational experience that is career-responsive and outcome-oriented.