The MPA Experiential Requirement
Each MPA student must obtain professionally relevant experience through one of the following options:
- an approved internship
- an independent or group research project (V590 or V601)
- the award of credit for prior professional experience or volunteer service.
The internship is the most frequently selected option and usually takes place during the summer. SPEA’s Office of Career Services assists students with the internship process.
Faculty Expertise
Master of Public Affairs students interact with top-notch faculty through classroom experiences, advising relationships, and assistantship opportunities. In addition to being excellent teachers, our faculty are engaged around the world in applied research and service which has resulted in significant impacts on both the public and nonprofit sectors. Through their publications and activities, faculty members in SPEA have contributed to improvements in:
- personnel management,
- the implementation and impact of environmental policy,
- aviation safety,
- the ethics and legal aspects of health care,
- the quality and process of economic development,
- the practice and impact of public finance and budgeting,
- the process and product of managing nonprofit organizations,
- the effectiveness of urban service delivery,
- the quality of community policing,
- development policies and practices of the World Bank and the Agency for International Development.
Yet, this is but a small sample of the extensive impacts of the faculty's activities at all levels of government and management. Their wide-ranging research and service activities provide a practical grounding in the classroom, where they educate students in not only the theories of public affairs, but their practical and professional applications. Profiles of our Public Affairs faculty may be viewed here.