Master of Public Administration Senior Leadership

At Clark University, we pride ourselves on diversity and internationalism, and our classrooms contain a rich mix of career-minded professionals from around the world with at least three to five years of work experience. Within Clark’s liberal arts environment, you can build a personalized educational program that’s tailored for your needs. Faculty members work closely with you to identify goals that will help you advance your skillset, your career – and your ideals.

Opportunities Abound

• Tailor your capstone experience to suit your professional needs, exploring topics that directly affect your professional world. Capstone is spread over two semesters with scheduled advising sessions with the instructor four times during the semester.
• Participate in engaged debates and scholarly discussions with your colleagues and faculty members online and during weekend intensives.
• Learn from distinguished keynote speakers on topics such as cannabis industry challenges, disaster response, and union management relations and dealing with the opioid addiction problem.
• Travel throughout New England to gain new perspectives on issues affecting cities throughout the region (room and board included in program cost) and grow your professional network through the region.

The Capstone project is intended to be a culminating experience calling upon your ability to analyze an organization’s issues and apply the competencies you developed through your coursework in your MPA-SL program. You choose the project! The project deliverable is a demonstration of your professional competencies and evidence of your foundation of knowledge applied to “real-world” public administration and non-profit challenges and issues. Through the process of close collaboration with your instructors, you will probe and address issues surrounding your chosen project using analytical, research, writing, and other professional skills acquired during your course of study.

Program Mission

Clark University’s Master of Public Administration (MPA) program is dedicated to cultivating ethical, innovative, and effective leaders and problem-solvers to address complex public challenges and advance the public interest. Rooted in a commitment to public service “to pursue the public interest with accountability and transparency” (NASPAA), our program prepares students to examine their roles and responsibilities as global citizens to tackle pressing issues facing communities at all levels with integrity.  In this program, students will engage in rigorous academic coursework, research, and experiential learning opportunities, and gain insights from diverse perspectives to enable them to make meaningful and sustainable contributions to the public sector and nonprofit organizations.

Program Outcomes

To accomplish the program’s mission, Clark University commits to providing an education that prepares students to achieve the following program outcomes:

1. Ethical Leadership: Graduates will demonstrate ethical leadership skills, applying principles of integrity, accountability, and transparency to address complex public challenges and promote social equity.
2. Innovative Problem-Solving: Graduates will develop innovative problem-solving skills, using evidence-based strategies to propose solutions to pressing public issues.
3. Public Service Values: Graduates will embody public service values, advocating for inclusive and equitable policies and practices with integrity and compassion.
4. Global Citizenship and Responsibility: Graduates will recognize their roles and responsibilities as global citizens, critically examining challenges with integrity and empathy, and advocating for inclusive solutions to promote the common good.
5. Applied Learning: Graduates will apply theoretical knowledge and gain practical skills through experiential learning opportunities, e.g., internships, fieldwork, and community service.
6. Effective Communication and Collaboration: Graduates will demonstrate effective communication and collaboration skills to achieve common goals and promote positive change.
7. Lifelong Learning: Graduates will engage in continuous professional development to enhance their skills and leadership in public administration and service.