Program Overview

The MPA program is accelerated, rigorous, and taught by professors who all have extensive public service experiences. These seasoned professor-practitioners provide in-depth, real-time exposure to executive and supervisory skills and knowledge common to middle and upper-level management in all public and nonprofit organizations. This includes city and urban planning; financial management; human resources and labor relations; organizational development and adaptive leadership; law and social justice; policy formulation, and implementation; accountability and ethics.

The goal of the MPA program is to provide students with the leadership, organizational, analytical and communication skills, problem-solving techniques and subject-based knowledge required to manage effectively complex organizations. In addition, the program provides a critical understanding of the cross-cutting political, social, economic and environmental problems confronted by communities and citizens particularly the poor, at-risk, minorities, and marginalized. A strong sense of professional commitment to the highest standards of ethical behavior, respect for others, and the core values upon which the profession of public administration is founded on are important goals of GGU’s MPA program. For the opportunity to socialize and network within their fields, students are encouraged to join the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) and the International City/County Management Association (ICMA). GGU also has a chapter of the national public administration honor society, Pi Alpha Alpha and ICMA and has been an institutional member of the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration (NASPAA) since 1973.

Digital Technology and Security Concentration

Designed for public service professionals who seek to gain advanced knowledge, critical thinking, advisory, as well as operational and managerial skills leading and serving digital technology and security departments and teams in the public and nonprofit sectors. Practitioners will benefit from the core MPA courses in leadership, organizational development, law, budgeting, public-private partnership, and policy research. The specialization courses in IT management, data structures and networks, software engineering leadership, and infrastructure security address evolving real-time issues and cases facing federal, state, municipal agencies as well as nonprofit and private organizations.

Learning Outcomes

Graduates will be able to demonstrate knowledge of the theory and practice of:

• Ethics and accountability;
• Policymaking and intergovernmental relations;
• Leadership and organizational resilience;
• Business and community engagement;
• Public finance and budgeting;
• Law and social justice;
• Urban planning and innovations;
• Law enforcement and security;
• Digital technology and security;
• Human resource management and labor relations; and
• Policy research, analytics, and communications.