Flexible Programs for Experienced Professionals
Executive Master of Public Administration, On Campus
Your years of experience demand a tailored curriculum to advance your professional knowledge as you serve the public good in a changing environment. Make the step and advance your career with a master’s degree that is tailored to your specific needs and professional goals.
Program Overview
Like our #1-ranked master of public administration, this specialized program for midcareer professionals will help you build your leadership, managerial and organizational skills at the same time you prepare for future policy challenges. At Maxwell, experience counts, and students with seven years or more in the field can earn a 30-credit master’s degree by completing just three core courses and seven electives—completed full time in 12 months or on a part-time basis.
To help you fill gaps in knowledge or to refocus your career, as an executive M.P.A. student, you may also choose from an expanded array of Certificates of Advanced Study (CAS) that can be earned concurrently with your degree.
Executive Master of Public Administration Core Requirements
The E.M.P.A. requires 30 credits, nine of which satisfy the core requirements of the program. These three courses include:
- Executive Education Seminar: Managerial Leadership
- Fundamentals of Policy Analysis
- Master’s Project Course
The remaining 21 credits (seven courses) can be selected from the department, and up to 12 credits (four courses) can come from other social science programs in the Maxwell School or elsewhere at Syracuse University, allowing midcareer students to further tailor the program to their or their organization’s needs.
Executive Master of Public Administration Areas of Study
In addition to core courses, many Maxwell E.M.P.A. students align their electives around one of seven areas of study:
- Data Analytics for Public Policy
- Environmental Policy and Administration
- International and Development Administration
- National and International Security Policy
- Public and Nonprofit Management
- Social Policy
- State and Local Government Financial Analysis and Management
50%
Concurrent Certificates of Advanced Study (Optional)
Students enrolled in our Executive M.P.A. program on campus are also eligible to earn a certificate in the following specializations as they work toward their degree:
- Conflict and Collaboration
- Data Analytics for Public Policy
- Environmental Decision Making
- Health Services Management and Policy
- Leadership of International and Non-Government Organizations
- Post-Conflict Reconstruction
- Public Leadership and Management
- Security Studies
Executive MPA Online Option
Designed for experienced professionals with at least five to seven years of management experience who are looking to elevate their formal training without having to relocate, the online program is a perfect option for those who can’t take time off from their full-time jobs to go back to school.
The curriculum is tailored to those looking to advance their ability to formulate, implement and evaluate policy; lead and manage complex organizations; and use evidence-based analysis to make a positive impact on the public good.
Explore the faculty who teach in the Executive Master of Public Administration program.
Executive MPA Online Option
Applications for the online program are reviewed on a rolling basis and must be completed through a separate process than the on-campus program. Apply anytime to begin your studies in October, January, April or July. Full-time students can complete the program in 15 months by taking two classes per quarter. Quarters run for 11 weeks.
I am Maxwell.
The interaction with students from other cultures is what makes the difference, and the Maxwell School has a spectrum of students from all around the world. I learned to think the way other students thought and to stand in other people’s shoes, and that is the best way to do public policy.”
Sofia Greco ’13 E.M.P.A.
Legal Consultant LEG/SGO, Inter-American Development Bank
