In addition to a Master of Public Administration (MPA) degree, there are several related master’s programs that may be of interest to prospective students looking to pursue or advance in a career in the field of public service. These include, but are not limited to, Master of Public Policy (MPP), Master of Nonprofit Management (MNM), Master of Public Affairs, Master of International Affairs, and Master of Urban Policy programs. While these graduate degree programs may contain overlapping coursework and similar requirements to MPA programs, they are distinct academic programs with their own curricula and may be a better option for students who would like to specialize in these fields of study.
To aide prospective students in assessing which degree program best aligns with their academic interests and career aspirations, OnlineMPAPrograms.com has created pages dedicated to these related degree programs. Each page contains information about the degree’s area of emphasis and related careers, curriculum including core and elective courses, online instruction methods, programmatic accreditation, and admissions requirements. In addition, these pages include a directory of online programs offered by colleges and universities in the U.S. (Note: While OnlineMPAPrograms.com features a comprehensive directory of online MPA programs, our directory listings for related degree programs are designed to help students identify programs but are not a comprehensive directory of available programs at this time.)
Prospective students should also note that many Master of Public Administration programs may have specialization options or focus areas in many of these related fields of study. For example, MPA programs that offer a specialization in Nonprofit Management maybe similar to Master’s in Nonprofit Management programs. For these programs, students should carefully review required core courses and elective course offerings in order to choose a program that will best meet their academic and career goals. Depending on the school, MPA programs may be designed to prepare students for careers across the field of public service, whereas these related degree programs may be more specialized for students who know they would like to advance their career (or pursue a career) in a specific area of public service like nonprofit management.
Online Master of Public Policy
Master of Public Policy (MPP) degree programs provide public service professionals with critical analytical skills that may be applied to careers in public, private, nonprofit or think tank organizations.