MPA Program

The Department of Public Administration department has three major functional areas:

1. The undergraduate program offering a Bachelors of Arts in Public Administration and currently authorized to plan a BS degree in Public Transportation.
2. The Master of Public Administration (MPA) program, which offers an MPA via two, tracks a night program and an Executive/mid-career program.
3. The Research and Community Outreach programs which include Public Allies, The Community Research and Technical Assistance Initiative and various HUD community grants

All of these major functional areas are essential in creating a learning experience that provides students with both the theoretical foundation and the practical experience needed to develop public sector leaders and managers. NCCU students are admitted from diverse life experiences, academic and professional backgrounds. The central tenet of the NCCU curriculum is to create a learning experience that is designed to take students from various backgrounds and prepare them to become professionals with the ability to ethically apply the knowledge and skills required for leadership and management in the public and nonprofit sectors as well as in organizations in which knowledge of public sector or public policy issues is vital. At the undergraduate level, the department seeks to prepare students for meaningful roles in in public sector organizations.

Consistent with our mission, the faculty has identified the set of competencies required to work as public administrators with the ability to ethically apply the knowledge and skills required for leadership or management in the public sector. Those broad competencies are:

• Leadership and Professionalism
• Management of Public Service Organizations
• Application of Quantitative and Qualitative Techniques of Analysis
• Understanding Public Policy and Organizational Environments

The faculty has further defined each competency by associating with each competency a set of knowledge and skills that are deemed to comprise the required leadership or management competency. The NCCU curriculum is designed to give students the opportunity to develop and demonstrate their proficiency in each of these knowledge and skill set areas.