For the past two years, UNC Greensboro’s Master of Public Affairs (MPA) program has boasted a job placement rate of over 90 percent among recent graduates. MPA graduates have been finding success in city governments and nonprofit organizations across the Triad and beyond.
Offered by the Political Science department, the MPA program is a 43-hour professional degree program for students considering careers in nonprofit organizations or government agencies. The program currently offers three concentrations for those who wish to specialize: nonprofit management, community and economic development, and local government management. Graduate assistantships, paid internships and scholarships make this degree more affordable than law school.
Examples of job placements in recent years include:
- Grants Management Assistant/Program Coordinator, Partners to End Homelessness/The Servant Center
- Development Coordinator, NCCJ
- Community Impact Manager, United Way of Greater Greensboro
- Procurement Officer, Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County (TN)
- Community & Strategic Initiatives Planner, Piedmont Triad Regional Council
- Project Manager, City of Burlington
- Marketing & Communications Manager, United Way of Greater Greensboro
- Program Support Administrator, Rural Forward of NC
- PhD Student, Public Policy, North Carolina State University
- Budget Specialist, City of Greensboro
- Program Coordinator, Kate B. Reynolds Foundation
For students who are not quite ready to commit to a full degree program, the MPA program also offers a 15-hour certificate program in Nonprofit Management. This program is designed to give students a general overview of the nonprofit sector while developing specific skills and program knowledge necessary to meet a variety of nonprofit agency needs.
The MPA program also offers an 18-hour certificate program jointly with the Department of Geography in Urban and Economic Development. This program is designed to provide a general overview of urban planning and development. Students completing this certificate will be prepared to deal with a variety of urban and community development issues.
Want to learn more about applying to the MPA program? Click here.
