Indicators of Excellence: MPA Reaccreditation and Rankings

After an intensive 2-year process of self-study and engaging with a (virtual) site-visit team, the Master of Public Administration (MPA) program has been rewarded with a seven-year Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration (NASPAA) reaccreditation. Our community of students, alumni (especially our PA Alumni Society Board), faculty, and employers participated in focus groups, answered surveys, completed service learning projects focused on the MPA program, and met with the site visit team, playing important roles in this effort.

We should all feel good about this excellent outcome of our reaccreditation. It is a sign of NASPAA’s recognition of our commitment to continuous improvement and high-quality public service education. This commitment to continuous improvement plays no small part in our program being the College’s highest nationally ranked program (#48 in MPA programs, #26 in Nonprofit Management, and #40 in Public Management and Leadership).

Pursuing an MPA is a big investment of time and money. NASPAA accreditation is an important signal to potential students that we provide a degree that is based on field-wide standards that are developed to ensure students have the competencies needed to meet the needs of government and nonprofit employers.

Evidence of how well our NASPAA accredited program prepares our students for public service careers at graduation, over 90% of our graduates—even during COVID pandemic times—find employment in the field within 6-months of graduation and 30% of students receive permanent offers from their internship agency.

Using the NASPAA Standards as guidance, the Department of Public Administration looks forward to working with all of our stakeholders, students, and employers to ensure our MPA program continues to educate the next generation of public service leaders, and generates and disseminates knowledge to enhance public service throughout communities in North Carolina, across the country, and around the world.