Program Overview

Offered by the oldest public administration department in the San Francisco Bay Area, the Master of Public Administration (MPA) is for working students interested in a thorough understanding of the processes, issues, policies, and practices associated with the management of inclusive, diverse, and equitable public service and nonprofit organizations at the city, county, state, federal and international levels of governance. The MPA will introduce students to real-world, real-time knowledge and skills required to function effectively in a managerial or executive role within such organizational settings. The program will expose students to best practices in resilient leadership, succession planning, benchmarking, intergovernmental relations, results-based budgeting, anti-corruption and ethics, privacy and cybersecurity, as well as business and community engagement.

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.