Fort Worth Campus

Master of Public Administration City Cohort

The city cohort program mixes daytime classes at city government locations with online learning tailored to city management and includes an emphasis in economic development and urban management.
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Program Overview

The MPA City Cohort is a specially-designed graduate track through UTA’s College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs (CAPPA) created in partnership with the City of Fort Worth. The program empowers full-time city employees with advanced leadership, management, and policy-making skills, delivered in a schedule and format built around their...

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Why This Cohort Was Created

  • In October 2021, UTA announced the launch of an MPA cohort in direct partnership with the City of Fort Worth.
  • The model is built on real practitioner experience: the cohort format allows participants who work together (within the city) to learn together, share challenges and solutions, and build cross-department networks.
  • UTA and the City asked: What do your employees need to advance, and what schedule will work? The result: a format enabling city employees to stay in their full-time roles while advancing professionally.

Key Program Features

  • Degree Format: The program is a 39-hour MPA cohort track combining daytime face-to-face sessions at city government or downtown locations with online coursework, tailored for city management, economic development, and urban policy.
  • Convenient Schedule: Classes meet once per week on Fridays, 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., at the UTA Fort Worth Center (in downtown Fort Worth) to maximize convenience for working professionals.
  • Employer-Driven Tuition Benefits: The City of Fort Worth sponsors most or all of the tuition/fee cost for the cohort employees; participants may also apply for additional financial aid if eligible.
  • Cohort Learning Experience: Participants move through the program together, building peer networks across departments and participating in real-world capstone work tied to city operations. For example, one capstone group evaluated the City’s Office of Emergency Management.
  • Tailored Curriculum: Core courses include Foundations of Urban Research & Analysis; Public Budgeting; Financial Management in the Public/Non-Profit Sectors; Ethics in the Public Service; Public Human Resources; and a culminating Public Administration Capstone. Emphasis tracks (e.g., Urban Management, Managing Economic Development, Leadership & Communication) are customized in collaboration with the city.

Program Information

Program Admission and Schedule Snapshot

  • Start Fall semester - new cohorts also planned for other cities (Mansfield, Midlothian, Cedar Hill, potentially DeSoto) through CAPPA’s city-cohort model.
  • Typical part-time schedule: 6 credit hours per Fall and Spring, 3 credit hours in Summer - eight semesters to complete the 39 hours, while working full-time.
  • For more information or inquiries about eligibility, contact the MPA Program Director, Dr. David Coursey (dcoursey@uta.edu) or the program advisor Karolyn Field (kfield@uta.edu).

Program Benefits for City Employees

  • Advance your career - gain the credentials and knowledge to accelerate into leadership roles within City government.
  • Stay employed while learning - the Friday afternoon format and downtown location mean minimal disruption to your work schedule.
  • Connect and collaborate across the City of Fort Worth - build relationships outside of your home department, broaden your network, and share insights with peers. (As one graduate said: “I now have colleagues in different departments I can reach out to when I need help in a specific area.”)
  • Apply your learning immediately - capstone projects directly support city operations and your own professional development.
  • Leverage your employer’s support & tuition reimbursement - your employer (the City of Fort Worth) has committed to covering tuition for cohort participants.

Impact and Outcomes

  • In May 2024, the inaugural cohort of 29 City of Fort Worth employees graduated from the program.
    • One graduate, Michelle Swindle (City IT), reflected that the location and schedule made the program feasible: “My classes would be right across the street from where I work in downtown Fort Worth.”
    • The city’s Assistant City Manager, Fernando Costa (retired), noted that the program expands the pool of professionally trained managers who can serve residents more effectively.
  • The program is seen as a model for how higher-education institutions can work with government partners to deliver education that responds to real workforce needs.

Why Choose This Program?

1.

Dedicated specifically to city government professionals - not a generic MPA program.

2.

Cohort format fosters shared learning among peers with similar real-world contexts.

3.

Convenient schedule and location built around your full-time job.

4.

Tuition support from employer reduces financial burden.

Contact Us!

Daisy Valk, MSW

Recruitment Coordinator

UTA Fort Worth

daisy.valk@uta.edu

817-272-5956

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