Master of Public Administration with a concentration in Public Management online

Hone and diversify your leadership credentials to help advance your career as an administrator in all levels of government.

Apply by: 1/8/25
Start Class: 1/14/25
Apply Now

Program Overview

Get to know our 100% online MPA in Public Management program

$16,290* Total Tuition
As few as 12 months Program Duration
36 Credit Hours

The online Master of Public Administration (MPA) in Public Management from Murray State enhances and expands your leadership qualifications as an administrator in all levels of government. You will study intergovernmental relations, local and regional administration, law and ethics, labor relations, public planning and more.

By choosing electives, you can shape your degree to match your professional goals. Plus, our relevant core coursework gives you a background in key areas of public administration, including policy analysis, budgeting and finance, organizational theory, human resource management and more.

This 100 percent online program from Murray State’s College of Humanities and Fine Arts includes a capstone experience in which you will integrate theories and methods by proposing and executing a project involving a substantive management or analytic issue in the public sector.

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Among the Best in the South

Ranked #1 among the "Best Value Schools in the South" by U.S. News & World Report (2025)

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This program will prepare you for careers such as:

  • City Manager
  • City Planner
  • Human Resource Administrator
  • Public Works Director
  • Military Officer
  • Police Chief
  • Nonprofit CEO
  • Budget Manager
  • Emergency Management Director
  • Urban/Regional Planner
  • Public Relations Consultant
  • Political Strategist
  • Public Housing Director
This program will prepare you for careers such as:+
  • City Manager
  • City Planner
  • Human Resource Administrator
  • Public Works Director
  • Military Officer
  • Police Chief
  • Nonprofit CEO
  • Budget Manager
  • Emergency Management Director
  • Urban/Regional Planner
  • Public Relations Consultant
  • Political Strategist
  • Public Housing Director
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Have questions or need more information about our online programs?

Also available

Murray State University offers a variety of specialized Master of Public Administration concentrations. Check out all of our online MPA programs.

Tuition

Choosing our online degree is cost-effective

Master of Public Administration online programs from Murray State University offer affordable, pay-by-the-course tuition. All fees are included in the total tuition.

Tuition breakdown:

$452.50 Per Credit Hour
$16,290* Total Tuition
View full tuition breakdown
Program Per Credit Hour Per Course Per Program
MPA – Public Management $452.50 $1,357.50 $16,290*

*The tuition rate is subject to annual changes based on approval by the Murray State University Board of Regents and the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education. Refer to Graduate Tuition Rates for more information on the cost of attendance for Murray State.

Calendar

See how our course schedule is designed for flexibility

Murray State University online programs are delivered in an accelerated format ideal for working professionals, conveniently featuring multiple start dates each year.

Now enrolling:

1/8/25 Next Application Deadline
1/14/25 Start Classes

View full calendar  + 

TermStart DateApplication DeadlineDocument & Financial Aid DeadlinePriority Registration DeadlineTuition DeadlineLast Class DayTerm Length
Spring 11/14/251/8/251/9/251/10/251/13/253/5/257 weeks
Spring 23/11/253/5/253/6/253/7/253/10/255/6/257 weeks
Summer 15/12/255/6/255/7/255/8/255/9/256/21/257 weeks
Ready to take the next step toward earning your degree online from Murray State?
Apply Now

Admissions

Learn how to apply to the online public management program

At Murray State University, we’ve streamlined the admission process to help you get started quickly and easily. Please read the requirements for the Master of Public Administration with a concentration in Public Management online, including where to send your transcripts.

The requirements include:

Online application accepted on a rolling basis
Bachelor’s degree FROM A 4-YEAR DOMESTIC INSTITUTION
Transcripts from all colleges and universities previously attended
2.5 GPA ON UNDERGRADUATE COURSEWORK
View all admission requirements

For admission to this MPA online program, you must meet the following requirements:

  • Bachelor’s degree from a 4-year domestic institution
  • Undergraduate GPA of 2.5 or higher
  • Transcripts from all colleges and universities previously attended

Official transcripts, test scores and other documents should be sent from issuing institutions to:

Email address: [email protected]

Mail address:

Graduate Admissions
Murray State University
B2 Sparks Hall
Murray, KY 42071

Questions? Call 866-906-0541.

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Courses

Advance your knowledge in these online MPA in Public Management classes

For the Master of Public Administration with a concentration in Public Management online, you must complete 21 credit hours of core courses and 15 credit hours of electives.

Expand All
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Examines the process of research in public affairs, with an emphasis on quantitative methods and techniques.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
A graduate-level introduction to the study of public administration, covering substantive topics in the field as well as the political dimensions of public service and the ethical issues faced by government practitioners. Emphasis is placed on the development of the discipline as a field of inquiry.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Problems and methods in perception of public problems, determination of goals, generation and evaluation of alternative policy practices and programs, and explanation of policy choices. Emphasis on political and analytical methods of examining policy making and policy outcomes. Includes a survey of literature dealing with theories of the policy process.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
An intensive, graduate-level overview of public agency and governmental budgeting and finance at the federal, state, and local government levels. This course examines budgeting as a tool of governmental economic and public policy. Specifically, the course considers the evolution and purposes of budgeting with special attention given to recent efforts to improve government resource allocation.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
This course introduces management of public and nonprofit organizations by reviewing the history and evolution of organization theory and the application of these theories to 21st century public and nonprofit organizations. Topics such as organizational culture, conflict, stress, communication, leadership, groups, power and politics, and ethics will be examined in an attempt to explain and predict employee behavior in the context of public organizations.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
An intensive, graduate-level overview of public sector human resource and human capital management in the federal, state, and local governments, including such topics as types of personnel systems; recruitment and selection; compensation and benefits; training and development; performance management; legal compliance; diversity; and labor-management relations. Students address the literature in one of these areas.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 1
A course integrating the theories and methods of public administration in a major research project related to a substantive management or policy problem in the public sector. Students must propose a research design for an original project after completing a major review of public administration literature. Normally this course shall be taken in the last semester of graduate work within the M.P.A. program. Required for all MPA students.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 2
A course integrating the theories and methods of public administration in a major research project related to a substantive management or policy problem in the public sector. Students must complete an original research project that was proposed in POL 688. Normally this course shall be taken in the last semester of graduate work in the M.P.A. program. Required for all MPA students. Prerequisite: POL 688 and instructor permission.
Students must take five electives from the following.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
This course examines theories and practices of leadership in public and nonprofit sector organizations. Emphasis is given to competing theories of leadership and to the examination of leadership through theoretical reference frames.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
A seminar on the evolution, growth, and present nature of federal, state, and local interrelationships, with an emphasis on grants-in-aid and their implementation.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
This course is on the individual, managerial, organizational, and societal challenges of establishing and maintaining ethical conduct within public organizations. The course will cover moral, philosophical, and legal perspectives on public ethics within government agencies and non-profit organizations.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
An intensive, graduate-level examination of major planning and evaluation techniques for government programs.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
An intensive study of the economic, political, and social environments of cities and other forms of local governments and the impact those environments have on local government administration. The roles and tasks of local government management, as affected by metropolitan conditions and state, regional, and federal governments, are also examined.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Comparative study of state and regional governments, administration, policies, and problems. Empirical research concerning structures, institutions, and political processes and the relationship between them and the policy outputs is examined and analyzed. Contemporary issues are examined from a comparative perspective to determine explanations for the variation among executives, legislatures, and bureaucracies in addressing or resolving these issues.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
An intensive examination of, current Federal and State policies on, and impacts of unionization and collective bargaining in the public sector. Special emphasis is placed on the responsibilities of public employees and public administrators in their respective roles in contract bargaining and administration. The course includes multiple simulation exercises and workshops on labor-management practices.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
A comprehensive comparative study of public administration in a variety of different political, legal, and economic systems.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
An examination of the role of law in the administrative process. Topics to be covered include administrative rulemaking and adjudication, enabling statutes, open records and open meetings laws, procedural due process, and civil liability and immunity for public employees and governments.

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