You have eight broad concentration options from which to choose at the MPA Program:

• Economic and Financial Policy
• Environmental Policy
• Government, Politics and Policy Studies
• Human Rights and Social Justice
• International Development Studies
• Public and Nonprofit Management
• Science, Technology, and Infrastructure Policy
• Social Policy

Within each of these concentrations, you have the flexibility to formulate a personalized study plan. With the guidance of your faculty mentor, you select a set of five courses, including a required concentration gateway course, that offer you the specialized knowledge you need to achieve your personal goals within a concentration.

There is no one correct or “best” set of courses for any given concentration because students’ backgrounds vary as do their goals. It is important that you give serious thought to crafting a set of classes that are complementary and that provides you with a base of knowledge and skills from which you can further improve your professional and personal capabilities. One student pursuing Social Policy, for example, might with to work in education policy after graduation. They would, therefore, choose classes focused on education, whereas another student interested in healthcare might opt for coursework focused on the health policy arena. While these two students share the same concentration interest, their career objectives differ.

The goal is for you to leave the MPA Program prepared to compete as one of the best-of-the-best in your respective field, recognizing that in the course of your career you may make several changes in focus and direction. The MPA Program curriculum is designed to balance generalizable knowledge and skills with more specific applications to particular areas of public affairs.