Program Mission and Goals
Mission
The Penn State Harrisburg Master of Public Administration program seeks to advance the knowledge and skills necessary to manage and lead organizations engaged in public service in democratic and diverse societies.
Goals
- Goal 1: To develop leaders and professionals who are ethical and skilled to work effectively in an increasingly globalized world.
- Goal 2: To develop leaders and professionals who are competent as managers and analysts skilled in oral and written communications.
- Goal 3: To develop leaders and professionals who share a commitment to public service values and democratic processes.
- Goal 4: To effectively contribute with theoretically-driven research questions and appropriate and sophisticated empirical methods relevant to the practice and the profession of public administration.
- Goal 5: To effectively apply competencies and expertise to address local, regional, state, national, and global public issues by engaging relevant stakeholders and the community called to serve.NASPAA-accredited Public Administration Programming.
Number of Students
As of the Fall semester of 2024, there were 70 students enrolled in the MPA program (7 on campus, 63 online).
Time to Graduation
For the class which began in 2019-2020, 43% of HB students and 32% WC students graduated in two years, 57% of HB students and 55% of WC students graduated in four years.
| Modality | Students Initially Enrolled | Graduated within 2 years | Graduated within 4 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Residential | 14 - students | 43% | 57% |
| Online | 108 - students | 32% | 55% |
Employment of Graduates
Graduates of our resident MPA program most often find employment within local or regional government, domestic-oriented nonprofits, and the private sector (non-research). Graduates of the online program are most often employed in national and local/regional government, the private sector, and domestic-oriented nonprofits.
Internships
Students who do not have two years of relevant employment experience must enroll in PADM 595: Internship. This course requires 150 hours of service. Examples of our students' internship placements in the past two years include:
- City of University Park/Town of Highland Park, Texas
- Tompkins County Planning Department, New York
- Georgia Shift, Georgia
- American Red Cross, Colorado
- Department of Defense – Defense Logistics Agency, Pennsylvania
- Tioga County Department of Probation and Parole, Pennsylvania
