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Public Administration

Prepare for a career in public service. Develop the leadership tools and knowledge you need to serve, manage and lead public or nonprofit organizations or to conduct cutting-edge academic research.

Public Administration

Public Administration students at NC State enjoy an extraordinary faculty recognized for its research productivity, a highly-ranked graduate program with great flexibility in its elective courses, and North Carolina’s capital city location and proximity to the world-renowned Research Triangle Park.

We offer two advanced degrees: a Master of Public Administration (MPA) and a Ph.D. in Public Administration. Many public administration professionals who are currently working part- or full-time pursue their MPA degree with us to study public administration, policy and theory and apply what they’re learning on the job. You’ll get a rich classroom experience that enhances your real-world needs in one of the top ranked MPA programs and the only Public Administration Ph.D. program in North Carolina. 

Master of Public Administration (MPA)



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Our MPA program gives you an integrated, interdisciplinary academic experience. We’ve been preparing professionals  since 1968 to lead and serve in public and nonprofit agencies. Our 1,500+ alumni work across North Carolina, in Washington, DC, and across the world.

The 40-hour program has several overlapping components:

  • a 21-hour core curriculum
  • economics, statistics and American government requirements
  • 19 hours of elective coursework in which you’ll pursue an individualized specialty
  • an internship – unless you’ve already got work experience in the public sector

Master of Public Administration

NC State is ranked among the top schools with graduate public affairs programs.

2017 US News & World Report

See their rankings

Ph.D. in Public Administration


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Our doctoral program will prepare you to teach and conduct research in public management and related fields, or to serve as a research specialist within government agencies and public affairs institutes. NC State offers the only Ph.D. in Public Administration in the state. 

Our typical candidates have completed an MPA or other relevant graduate degree. 

All full-time Ph.D. students receive a competitive financial support package including stipend, health insurance, and tuition.

Our students are active in research, presenting at major regional and national conferences, with department travel support provided.

Ph.D. in Public Administration

Public Administration News

Fulbright Scholar Heidi Hobbs Grows Prague Connections

Heidi Hobbs, director of the Master of International Studies program and Associate Professor of Political Science in the School of Public and International Affairs, traveled to Prague in the fall of 2017 to teach at the University of Economics, one of NC State’s global partner institutions, through the Fulbright Scholars program. 

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Why Research Methods Matter

Researchers from public administration, psychology, social work and sociology have partnered to study the state’s Community Child Protection Teams (CCPTs). North Carolina statute mandates CCPTs in each of North Carolina’s 100 counties. CCPTs look for community-based solutions to child abuse and neglect. The NC State research group, through focus groups, interviews and surveys, is studying how effectively CCPTs function in North Carolina and whether alternative models should be considered.

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Student ResearchMore Student Research

Study Investigates Why Public Employees Break Rules

Employees in all industries break workplace rules from time to time. After years of working in government and social services, Casey Fleming wondered why.

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Study Highlights Impact of ACA Medicaid Expansion on Uncompensated Care

More than six years after it was signed into law, the Affordable Care Act continues to prompt debate. Research from scholars like NC State doctoral student Susan Camilleri helps inform the policymakers who argue on both sides of the law.

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