About the Program
Announcements
- The MSPA application deadline has been extended to May 15, 2013 to give applicants extra time due to the Boston Marathon bombings.
Watch and listen to our new online informational interview
The MSPA master's degree program is an 18-month professional degree program that prepares students for careers in public service and enhances the skills of those already employed in the public sector.
The Public Affairs program includes intensive analyses of current policy issues and concentrates on topics relating to metropolitan Boston, Massachusetts, and New England.
The curriculum is a carefully planned sequence of evening courses and occasional weekend seminars that provide academic instruction in politics, economics, management, budgeting, statistics and public finance. In our experiential learning capstone, students choose a real-world project to test and apply theories learned in the classroom.
Graduates of this highly competitive program include mayors, city managers, and state agency managers and directors, as well as a host of elected officials.
Public Affairs Student Outcomes
The Master of Science in Public Affairs at the University of Massachusetts in Boston fosters highly-competent, active, and ethical professionals with a:
• Holistic understanding of the political, social, technological, and economic factors that influence the development and implementation of public policies;
• Firm knowledge of the range of methodologies appropriate to policy analysis and program evaluation; and
• Solid grounding in the skills required for planning, implementing, managing, and evaluating public sector programs.
Graduates will:
• Contribute to society as leaders, public administrators, policy analysts, and program evaluators in the governmental and nonprofit sectors to advance an efficient and effective public sector; and
• Serve the public good and promote the public value, social justice, and equity in local, regional, and national communities.
