Master of Public Administration

MISSION STATEMENT

The mission of the Master of Public Administration program is to strengthen public decision making and the delivery of public services in a globalized and diverse society by educating students to lead and manage organizations at all levels of government and nonprofit institutions ethically, democratically, and effectively.

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

Our quality reputation and impact make the UTA MPA consistently among the Top 20 largest accredited U.S. programs and Top 2 in Texas. ¹ With seven full-time teaching faculty, there are MPA modality options: campus, online, and a city cohort. Set in the dynamic Dallas-Fort Worth region, the on-campus and accelerated online programs offer tremendous opportunities for practice and learning. The unique intermix of city planning, public policy, and architecture in the program’s home college (CAPPA) creates significant unique opportunities for students to co-create urban, ecological, and social fabrics.

Program Director: Dr. David Coursey

MPA Graduate Job Industry Examples from AY 23-24 Graduates (77 total)

• Local/Regional Government (40)
• Nonprofits (9)
• Private Sector (15)
• State government (5)
• National government (2)
• Military (0)
• International government (0)
• Unemployed (0)
• Further education (2)
• Unknown (4)

*Most of our students have existing jobs and obtain the degree towards seeking increased career opportunities.

As of Fall 2024, there were 183 students in the MPA program (27 campus, 110 online, and 46 city cohort) with approximately 90% part-time students (viz., taking fewer than 9 hours a semester). Most of our students have existing jobs and obtain the degree towards seeking increased career opportunities. UTA is the 26th largest accredited MPA program in the world, 19th the United States, and the second largest in Texas. ¹  For the 113 AY 18-19 initially enrolled students, 15% completed the degree within two years, 72% in 3 years, and 79% in 4-years (and 81% later or still in the program. A part-time student can finish the program in 6-7 semesters and, using summer classes, as early as two calendar years. In AY23-24, 88% of classes were taught by full-time faculty with no variation across campus, online, or city cohort modalities.

UTA MPA Graduate Median Salaries for Texas Residents reported by SeekUT:

$81,000: one-year post-graduation

$95,000: five years post-graduation

$112,000: ten years post-graduation

The median salaries are among the highest in all UT-system MPA/MPP/MPPA – Source: SeekUT.utsystem.edu 

COST OF ATTENDANCE

Full-time campus students (9 hours in Fall and Spring, 6 hours in the Summer) can complete the degree for $23,973 as a Texas resident and $56,074 as a non-resident. A part-time campus student (6 hours Fall and Spring, 3 hours in the Summer) can complete the degree for $24,591 as a Texas resident and $56,908 as a non-resident. The city cohort and online programs are designed for part-time students and the part-time costs apply. It is very rare for an online student to go full-time and not possible with the city cohort.

Books and supplies should not total above $1,000 per academic year. Other costs, such as transportation and housing, depend on the individual student needs. See UTA’s Average Cost website for assistance with estimating these costs.

Note: tuition estimates from UTA’s Tuition Estimator. All cost of attendance data is estimated and unofficial.

ADMISSION INFORMATION

For more information about our graduate programs, please complete the information request form  or email info@pad.uta.edu

There are two different application forms depending on whether you are interested in the campus or online program. For more admission information, review the Admissions Process form. 

> ^1. Source: Latest available NASPAA Data Center – Fall 2024 enrollments