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Austin W. Marxe School of Public and International Affairs

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    Master of Public Administration

    Your Future is in Public Service

    Learn to be an effective administrative leader and thoughtful policy analyst with a Master of Public Administration (MPA). The Marxe School MPA is ranked among the best in the nation. It is fully accredited by NASPAA, the nation’s chief accrediting body for schools of public affairs and administration. Marxe is the only non-private school of public affairs in New York City.

    MPA NYC students develop and sharpen their skills in budgeting, communication, economic analysis, fundraising, leadership and management, program evaluation, and research methods. Students gain knowledge of U.S. government and public policies in areas such as immigration, the environment, housing, economic development, health care, and foreign affairs. Our graduates work in the public interest in government, nonprofits, and the private sector.

    MPA NYC Degree Details

    View full tuition and fee schedules by program

    Apply Now

    Choose from Seven Specializations

    The Health Care Policy specialization is designed for those who want to make a difference in health and healthcare delivery systems. You’ll get a firsthand understanding of how to analyze, implement, and evaluate responsive health policies at the local, state, and national levels. You’ll also be introduced to the political, economic and social factors affecting health care delivery to diverse populations, including the disadvantaged and vulnerable. These skills can be applied to government health care agencies, private and public hospitals, health advocacy groups, or insurance companies.
    There are some 1.5 million nonprofit organizations in the U.S. today, including 30,000 in New York City. The Nonprofit Management specialization will help you think like a nonprofit leader, focusing on fundraising, decision-making, emergency preparedness, and ethics and philanthropy. This specialization prepares students for roles as nonprofit board members, managers, executive directors, or chief financial officers.
    The concentration in policy analysis and evaluation is designed for students interested in developing analytic skills that can be applied across a broad array of policy topics and arenas. Students will learn about policy development and implementation from both theoretical and practical perspectives, at all levels of government and policymaking. The specialization includes two required courses, Policy Analysis and Economics of the Public Sector and Public Finance, and two electives drawn from a wide range of policy courses.
    Explore new ways of workforce and asset administration with the Public Management specialization. It prepares students by focusing on human and capital resource issues, changing venues of public management, and sound practices of institutional representation. Students who pursue this specialization are often nominated as finalists to competitive fellowship programs like the New York State Public Management Institute and the Presidential Management Fellows Program.
    The Social Justice Specialization helps students develop the academic and applied skills to analyze structures and systems driving inequality, injustices, and exclusion, and to develop policies and strategies to create and sustain a just and equitable society. These strategies include, among others, research and analysis, community organizing, public education, and advocacy. This specialization acknowledges the persistent and cumulative effects of past injustices and seeks to create practitioners, experts, and leaders who will promote structural changes to achieve greater equity, human rights, and democratic participation.
    This specialization evaluates sustainability in urban centers from a social, economic, and environmental perspective. Students learn how cities can improve and sustain housing, land use, business activity, and infrastructure. Program graduates often pursue roles with community organizations, nonprofit advocacy groups, and government sustainability agencies.
    As the impact of climate change on society is increasingly felt, the need for effective policies to mitigate and adapt at the local, national, and global level is growing more urgent by the day. The Climate Change Specialization equips students to analyze the complex interplay of environmental, social-political, economic, and technological factors driving climate change and its far-reaching impacts. Students will gain skills to develop and evaluate actions and policies meant to prepare society for the consequences of climate change. This specialization cultivates analytical skills, policy acumen, and a nuanced understanding of the complexities inherent in formulating effective strategies for addressing pressing societal concerns in the wake of the impending climate crisis. Students will emerge well-prepared to contribute meaningfully to public discourse and policymaking in the pursuit of more sustainable, resilient, and equitable communities and populations.

    The MPA In-Depth

    The Master of Public Administration prepares students to excel in careers related to public policy, public management, and nonprofit management. The MPA provides students with an academic credential appropriate for employment in the public, nonprofit, and private sectors.

    The Baruch MPA may be completed full-time (9 credits or more per semester) or part-time (less than 9 credits per semester). Students who work full-time, may not attend full-time. Classes are offered during the evening in the fall, spring, and summer semesters.

    Curriculum

    The MPA curriculum has two key objectives. First, through a set of core courses, the program provides a strong foundation of practical and theoretical training for professional work in public service. Second, through free electives or the selection of a specialization, the MPA program offers students the opportunity to fashion a curriculum linked directly to their individual career and academic interests.

    The MPA requires a minimum of 42 credits for those with at least 1 year of administrative experience and 45 credits for those required to complete a three-credit internship.

    The degree requires the following components:

    • 8 core classes (24 credits)
    • 5 electives (with option to specialize, 15 credits)
    • 1 internship course (if required; 3 credits)
    • Capstone (3 credits)

    Travel, Study, and Internship Opportunities

    Work and study in the nation’s capital, as part of The Washington Semester. Or study abroad with one of our global partners, including Ghent University in Belgium; The Southwestern University of Finance and Economics in China’s Sichuan Province; and Koç University in Istanbul, Turkey. There are also many exciting internship opportunities in New York City and Washington.

    Student Resources

    The Marxe School offers programs and services to enhance the student experience and create intentional student engagement.

    From Academic Advisors, Career Services professionals, and specialized academic support services designed to further develop writing and quantitative skills, we cultivate opportunities that support student transition, development, and completion. Additionally, a plethora of Baruch-wide services are also available to all our students.

    Accreditation and Affiliation

    As a member of the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration (NASPAA), the MPA is accredited by the Commission on Peer Review and Accreditation (COPRA).

    Baruch College is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education

    Learning Goals

    Management

    Use management and leadership theories to analyze the design, operation, and governance of public and nonprofit organizations.

    Develop recommendations, based on multiple analytical frames, to improve the management of public and nonprofit organizations and achieve the organizational mission.

    Policy

    Identify alternative policy options; assess their potential feasibility and effectiveness; describe how the policy options are expected to affect outcomes (mechanisms).

    Analyze and Think Critically

    Use social science methods to analyze, evaluate, and draw valid conclusions from data that is relevant to public policy questions, and/or decision-making situations, and/or issues of public concern.

    Public Service Perspectives

    Demonstrate an understanding of the public interest in an assignment.

    Communication

    Exhibit an awareness of strengths and weaknesses in verbal and written communication and articulate a plan to maximize communication effectiveness.

    Employment Outcomes

    View the 2023-2024 MPA Employment Outcomes [PDF]

    View the 2022-2023 MPA Employment Outcomes [PDF]

     


    Meet Our Alums

    Joanna Green, MPA ’21, Senior Health Program Coordinator, New York State Department of Health

    My experience at Marxe was invaluable to networking. Both students and faculty at Marxe go out of their way to help their peers—from sharing insights on courses to job openings— they want to see you succeed.”

    Jacques St. Cloud, MPA ’23

    Vice President, Design & Construction, New York City Economic Development Corporation

    “Marxe has been a truly powerful and rewarding experience. It has been amazing to connect with other like-minded professionals that share a passion for the same socioeconomic issues as me, in addition to learning from professors that have vast experience working in the public sector. Also, it has provided me with the means to think about my career and where I would like to be in my professional journey following the program.”

    Minji Ham MPA ’24

    Policy Analyst, New York State Department of Public Service

    “My time at the Marxe School has been inspiring and transformative. I graduated with a B.S. in life sciences, which is not related to my career field. While I gained valuable experience and knowledge from working in the field, I wanted a more academic understanding of government policies, communications, and partnership building. So I started pursuing the MPA program, and every course added interesting insights into my work. From communications to policy analysis, the program has helped me understand the tasks in-depth and improve the outcome. My experience had both administrative and research aspects, so I initially planned on doing a double concentration for public management and policy analysis and evaluation tracks. But, I became more focused on policy and program analysis as I took more courses at the Marxe School, especially on immigration and mental health programs. Marxe school has an excellent curriculum and classes and great faculty members who guide you through them. It helped me find what I’m passionate about, and now I am on the next chapter of my career path.”

    Sandra Raafat, MPA ’23

    Senior Associate, Common Trust

    “My Marxe experience has been incredibly enriching and rewarding. The courses I’ve taken so far have challenged me to critically examine my mental models and understanding of the public domain. When I initially decided to pursue a policy analysis specialization, I assumed I would predominantly be working with empirical data and research. One of the key things I have learned so far, from nearly all my courses, is that an exclusively empirical understanding of public policy has significant limitations. When we fail to study and analyze social and political contexts, we neglect social-subjective meanings and deny the existence of multiple social realities.

    This MPA program has been instrumental to my professional journey. I am consistently applying what I have studied in my classes to my workplace. The classes I’ve taken have given me a stronger sense of confidence in my soft skills, like decision-making, and more technical skills, like analyzing and presenting data. This program has provided me with the interdisciplinary skills necessary to address challenges both within and outside of my organization, and I am very excited to continue refining these skills.”

    Khalia Kweli ’24

    Program Coordinator, Political Action Team, District Council 37

    “I’m confident that enrolling in Baruch has been one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. I’ve had such a rich array of coursework – data analysis, communication strategy, management techniques – I definitely feel like I look at the world through a different lens now. And if you sit in any class and look at who’s next to you – it’s quite impressive. In our cohort we have people from very influential nonprofits, every kind of government agency, even a currently serving elected official. I’ve already been able to apply what I’ve learned into my work. I’m extremely grateful for all the resources I’ve had access to throughout the program. The quantitative and writing workshops have been amazing. Marxe does a phenomenal job of nurturing its students.”

    David Unger, MPA ’22

    Senior Extension Associate, Worker Institute at Cornell University

    “I have learned over the course of my career that being a good organizer does not automatically make someone a good supervisor or director. Being an effective leader, running successful teams, programs, and organizations takes work; it takes practice, training, theory. So often, our organizations are weakened by the lack of attention paid to how we develop staff and programs. I came because a Master’s in Public Administration at the Marxe School seemed like a place where I could focus on that in a community of adult learners, in New York City, all dedicated to making a difference.

    I have been lucky to find a school and a program that understands that each student needs to take their own path. Though I have only been able to take a single class a semester, I have been supported and encouraged throughout.

    Each class offers a new lens or way of looking at a situation at work, or a new framework to apply when analyzing why a campaign succeeded, or why an organization failed to uphold its mission or values. From the faculty and my classmates, there is always something to learn!”

    Jael Henry, MPA ’21

    Director at Raben

    “I can honestly say that I’ve gotten everything I wanted from my Marxe MPA experience plus more. My cohort is amazing, they bring real world experience to class discussions that always push me to look at things from different perspectives and I’ve met colleagues that I’m going to be friends with for a lifetime. Everyone at Marxe is invested in our success from Career Services to faculty to quantitative tutoring. One of my main reasons for coming to the Marxe School was to become more well rounded, and during my time here I’ve had the opportunity to add a lot of new tools to my toolkit and polish some old ones as well. Also, I’ve had the pleasure of learning from amazing instructors like Professors Greene, Perrotta and Hernandez, who have helped me prepare for whatever happens next in my career.”

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