Public Administration
Prepare for a career in public service. Develop the leadership tools and knowledge you need to serve, manage and lead public or nonprofit organizations or to conduct cutting-edge academic research.
What We Offer
Public Administration students at NC State enjoy an extraordinary faculty recognized for its research productivity, a highly-ranked graduate program with great flexibility in its elective courses, and North Carolina’s capital city location and proximity to the world-renowned Research Triangle Park.
We offer two advanced degrees: a Master of Public Administration (MPA) and a Ph.D. in public administration. Many public administration professionals working part- or full-time pursue their MPA degree to study public administration, policy and theory and apply what they’re learning.
You’ll get a rich classroom experience that enhances real-world needs in one of the top-ranked MPA programs and the only public administration Ph.D. program in North Carolina.
Our Faculty
The department of Public Administration is proud of its dedicated faculty and their commitment to student success. We have 14 full-time tenured and tenure-track faculty who are all academically qualified, possessing doctoral degrees in relevant disciplines and serve in a variety of roles on both the campus, state as well as national agencies. They understand the complex challenges that government and nonprofit sectors face in a rapidly changing world and enjoy engaging with our students. Our faculty specializes in subjects such as: collaborative governance, emergency and natural disaster response, public safety leadership, public management, public policy, sustainable energy systems and policy, genetic engineering, multi-agent collaboration and inter-organizational relationships, wicked problem solving, phosphorous sustainability, international non-governmental organizations, and nonprofit management and leadership. You can read more about them on our faculty webpage.
Recent Faculty Research
- Thomas Birkland studies the impact of memorable messages during the first year of COVID-19
- Thomas Birkland on Narrative Power in the Narrative Policy Framework
- Jerrell Coggburn on Volunteers in Name Only: Implications of Court-Ordered Service
- Serena Kim on Sentiment Analysis of Solar Energy in U.S. Cities
- Jennifer Kuzma on Natural vs. Genetically Engineered Microbiomes: Undertanding Public Attitudes for Indoor Applications
- Jennifer Kuzma on Taking the Temperature of U.S. Public Regarding Microbiome Engineering
- Branda Nowell on The Weakness of Weak Ties: Do Social Capital Investments Among Leaders Pay Off During Times of Disaster?
- Jay Rickabaugh on How North Carolinians Cooperate to Rebuild After Hurricane Helene
- Jay Rickabaugh on Teaching Early Undergraduate Transdisciplinary Education in Public Affairs for Non-Majors
- Hanz Peter Schmitz on A Framework for Understanding and Evaluating Localization: The Care of HelpAge International
Wellness and Belonging
The Department of Public Administration faculty affirm the inherent dignity of all people. We are committed to creating an inclusive and engaging working and learning environment, free from discrimination based on age, sex, disability, sexual orientation, gender orientation, racial/ethnic background and/or religion.
Degree Programs
NC State is ranked among the top schools with graduate public affairs programs
U.S. News and World Report
