Public Administration

The NCCU Master of Public Administration (M.P.A.) Program is now accredited by NASPAA, the global standard in public service education!

The Department of Public Administration is part of the College of Arts, Social Sciences, and Humanities and the NCCU School of Graduate Studies. It offers the Master of Public Administration degree in traditional and executive tracks. The NCCU Master of Public Administration Program is accredited by the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration (NASPAA) Commission Peer Review and Accreditation and listed on the Annual Roster of Accredited Programs in conformity with NASPAA standards.

The Public Administration Department faculty includes both a full-time core as well as part-time adjunct professors, practitioners, and affiliated NCCU faculty.

Please follow us on social media (X/Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn) or visit our internal Public Administration Canvas site.

The Department of Public Administration at North Carolina Central University strives to prepare students to become professionals with the knowledge and skills required for ethical leadership in the public and non-profit sectors through effective teaching, applied and scholarly research, and service to all communities.

The North Carolina Central University Master of Public Administration (M.P.A.) program trains leaders in public service by enhancing their knowledge, skills, and abilities through scholarship and professional development with a global lens. We prepare students to serve effectively throughout governance and policy environments, upholding principles of ethical leadership, public accountability, and service to all communities.

Tuition and fees for the M.P.A. are available in the Tuition and Fees document for the university.

Financial Aid and Scholarships

The NCCU Office of Scholarships and Student Aid (OSSA, https://www.nccu.edu/ssa) aims to provide financial assistance to students through scholarships, grants, loans and work-study.

The Department of Public Administration offers two fully funded academic years (tuition and stipend) graduate assistantships, one partial summer assistantship and an M.P.A. scholarship. Funding is distributed based on merit.

The NCCU M.P.A. offers students multiple start dates per calendar year:

• M.P.A. traditional track: August, January, and May
• Executive M.P.A. track: January and May

Application

The M.P.A. application through NCCU's Graduate Studies can be found online here: https://gradapply.nccu.edu/.

For general questions about the graduate school admissions process or admissions application, contact Graduate Studies by phone at 919-530-7396 or by email at [email protected].

Please be prepared to provide the following materials to Graduate Studies Online for your application:

• Most recent resume or CV
• Two letters of recommendation
• Official transcripts for each university attended must be sent to the School of Graduate Studies. Official transcripts can be sent through an approved transcript company to [email protected]. Official transcripts can also be mailed to:
  
  School of Graduate Studies
  North Carolina Central University
  1801 Fayetteville Street
  Taylor Education Building, Room 123
  Durham, NC 27707   
• Application fee (submitted online during the application process)
• Statement of purpose, usually one to two pages in length, responding to the question, "Why do you want to earn an M.P.A. from North Carolina Central University?" The statement should address your professional goals, experiences that have led you to consider a public service career, and why the M.P.A. program at North Carolina Central University would be a good fit for you.

Graduate Contact Form

 NCCUMPA
 NCCU Public Administration
 NCCU_MPA

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The NCCU M.P.A. Program Advisory Board provides regular guidance, support, and connections to public administration practitioners to support the program mission.

• Dr. Tyrone R. Baines, Founding Director of Public Administration, North Carolina Central University
• Mr. CJ Broderick, President and CEO, Greater Durham Black Chamber of Commerce
• Mr. Christopher Iannuzzi, Deputy Fire Chief, City of Durham Fire Department 
• Ms. Linda Gunn, Retired Senior Vice President for Administration, North Carolina Institute of Minority Economic Development
• Ms. Brenda Howerton, Former Chair, Durham County Board of Commissioners; Past President, North Carolina Association of County Commissioners 
• Ms. Wanda Page, Former City Manager, City of Durham 
• Dr. Christopher J. Paul, Associate Professor and Chair, NCCU Department of Public Administration
• Mr. Ronald G. Penny, Former Secretary of Revenue, North Carolina Department of Revenue
• Mr. Terrence R. Scarborough, M.P.A., Director of SARA, North Carolina State Education Assistance Authority 
• Dr. James Svara, Retired Professor of Public Administration 
• Ms. Annette R. Taylor, Deputy Secretary, Broadband and Digital Opportunity, North Carolina Department of Information Technology
• Ms. Salima N. Thomas, Deputy Chief of Staff and District Director NC-04, United States House of Representatives

The Public Administration department traces its origin to the establishment of an undergraduate Public Administration concentration. Under the leadership of Dr. Tyrone Baines, this concentration was created within the Department of Political Science in 1973 and grew to produce an impressive array of public sector professionals. The Master of Public Administration program was established in 1985 and was led by Dr. Clarence Brown. 

In 2001, under the guidance of Dr. William Lewis, Public Administration became an autonomous department. Four years later, in 2005, under the direction of Ronald Penny, Esq., the department established the Executive Master of Public Administration (M.P.A.) program. In 2014, Dr. Emmanuel Oritsejafor became the chair of the Public Administration department, and under his leadership, the M.P.A. program added concentration areas in Human Resources, Non-Profit, Public Health Policy, and Urban and Regional Planning. Dr. Zaphon R. Wilson served as Chair from 2017–2024, leading NCCU’s M.P.A. program to NASPAA accreditation, as well as developing new partnerships and an online Executive Fast-Track M.P.A. In 2024, Associate Professor Dr. Christopher J. Paul, who had worked as the M.P.A. director under Dr. Wilson to achieve the initial NASPAA program accreditation, was named department chair.