Public Administration

In UC's MPA program, students are empowered to achieve a set of learning and professional outcomes that demonstrate that they are prepared to be transformative and ethical leaders in the public and non-profit sectors. These outcomes include rigorous academic goals and learning, professionalization and best practices, and a commitment to justice through analysis and tools of systemic and personal reflection. Based in cohorts of approximately 15 students per year (1:6 faculty ratio), 80% of entering students graduate within two years and 95% within four years.

An MPA prepares students for a variety of exciting careers in the public sector. An MPA is a management degree leads to excellent first placement for our students coming directly from undergraduate programs and significant career enhancement for students already at work in public sector positions.  

Recent graduates are work in such diverse places as the United Way, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the City of Cincinnati. Students are able to enhance their future employment prospects through optional internship experiences and extensive classroom and capstone projects engaged with community organizations and governments.

All incoming MPA students meet with the program director prior to enrollment and during orientation to plan their program of study. Continuing students are required to attend a meeting with the faculty advisor once per semester.  Programs of study are accessible to and maintained by students, faculty, and staff jointly to ensure understanding and timely progression through program requirements.

The UC MPA program is served by high quality and enthusiastic faculty along with adjuncts who are active in public sector professions.

MPA core faculty include:

Dr. Kimberly Conger, Director (PhD, The Ohio State University)
Dr. Anita Dhillon (PhD, American University)
Dr. Lauren Forbes  (PhD, Georgia State University)
Dr. Jeongmin Oh (PhD, Florida State University)
Dr. Noah Wolff (PhD, University of Oklahoma)

Students in the MPA program will have numerous opportunities to work alongside community residents, grassroots organizations, nonprofit and government agencies on a variety of projects, including but not limited to: research, engagement, data collection, and analysis, etc. Examples of recent student and faculty community engaged projects Coming Soon.

4+1 Undergraduate degree and MPA - The College of Arts & Sciences offers a number of Master's Degree programs that can be earned upon completion of one additional year beyond the senior year. Students begin graduate coursework during their final undergraduate year. For the MPA program, students must have fewer than 15 undergraduate credit hours remaining in the senior year and complete the full graduate school application process by the summer before their senior year.  For more information, please contact the MPA program director.

JD/MPA - In conjuction with the University of Cincinnati College of Law, a joint Juris Doctor/Master of Public Administration degree is offered that can be completed in 4 years (one year less than obtaining the two degrees separately).  Students are encouraged to begin with a law school application.  For more information about this joint degree program, see the College of Law JD/MPA information page.

MPA students must complete 38 hours of graduate course work and successfully complete and present a Capstone project.  Each semester as part of regular advising, students are encouraged to review their programs of study and progress toward toward degree completing and gradation.

Students should also consult with the Graduate College Student Handbook and the SPIA Graduate Handbook for the most up-to-date policies and procedures.

Students who have completed graduate work at other colleges, universities, or within another program at UC may petition their graduate program director for transfer of credits to be applied towards a master’s degree at UC. This petition is evaluated by the graduate program. A UC graduate program can accept or reject transfer credits at its own discretion, regardless of the graduate degree program or discipline in which they were earned.

Typically, credits are not transferred if they were earned more than five years prior to the date of the student’s application to the UC program that is considering the credit transfer.

Interested students should contact the MPA Program Director to discuss the specific requirements related to the program. As per the Graduate College Handbook, up to 1/3 of program credits may be transferred from another program. For the MPA program specifically, this equates to transferring no more than 12 credits.

The MPA program entered candidacy for Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration (NASPAA) accreditation in Fall 2023 and submitted its first self-study in August of 2025.