• Four people having a meeting in a building.
  • A man writing on a notepad while sitting in a courtroom.
  • A man in a suit outside Greenspun College of Urban Affairs.
  • Man sitting and giving a lecture with a screen behind him that says We need to talk.

Public Administration Program

About the Program

The Master of Public Administration (MPA) degree is the professional degree for the field of public administration and it serves to provide public sector practitioners with an understanding of the inner workings of governmental environments. Our program is the only MPA program nationally accredited by the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration (NASPAA) in the state of Nevada.

Our Mission

The University of Nevada, Las Vegas MPA program aims to enhance communities throughout Nevada and beyond by using its research, teaching, and community service to provide public service professionals with the knowledge, abilities, sensitivity, and values to ethically lead, manage, and collaborate across the public, private, and nonprofit sectors.

Core Competencies

The following core competencies are key to our program. All course content within the MPA program requires students to gain proficiencies in these five competency areas:

  • Leading and managing in public governance
  • Contributing to the public policy process
  • Learning to analyze, synthesize, think critically, solve problems, and make decisions
  • Articulating and applying a public service perspective
  • Communicating and interacting productively with a diverse and changing workforce and citizenry

Students within the MPA program engage in learning focused on building practical skills to help improve their communities through better leadership and management. Our commitment to building the skills and knowledge of students includes having them engage in applied service-learning projects that not only create unique learning experiences but also benefit the southern Nevada community. This includes actively engaging students in both academic and applied research as part of their program of study in the MPA.

Our goal is to develop our students to ensure their readiness to better serve our community while enhancing their careers.

The Success of our MPA Graduates

The MPA program is designed to enable student success in a timely manner.

Over the last five years, our program has produced over 190 graduates. The rates below reflect the progress of our graduates from the 2017-2018 matriculating cohort:

  • Graduated within two years of starting: 53%
  • Graduated within three years of starting: 68%
  • Graduated within four years of starting: 70%

Graduates of our program are afforded a variety of opportunities within the government and nonprofit sectors.

The following chart shows the employment placement rates for our 2021-2022 graduates placed within the United States:

MPA GRADUATE PLACEMENT: 2021-2022 CLASS

MPA Graduation Chart

<*N = 35 Graduates >

Resources for Student Success

Financial Assistance

  • Financial aid is available through UNLV Student Financial Services
  • Some individuals may be eligible to receive tuition assistance from their employers
  • Active duty military and National Guard members may qualify for the VA education benefits or tuition assistance