Bachelor of Arts in Public Administration

Work for your community, not a corporation.

The world is full of strife: climate change is devastating the environment, gun violence continues to shatter communities and racial injustice invades all aspects of the U.S. These obstacles are constant. Another constant is people’s drive to make lasting change to help their communities through government agencies and nonprofits. With a degree in public administration, you’ll develop skills to create and implement public policy as leaders and managers in public and nonprofit organizations. With a career in human resources, fundraising, policy analysis and development, leadership and more, you will help shape your community’s future.

As a broad-based, interdisciplinary, social science major, Public Administration prepares students for challenging careers in public and nonprofit organizations and, if desired, further study in graduate programs. Students develop proficiency in organizational management and leadership, nonprofit management, fundraising, public policy analysis, human resources, program evaluation, policy development and implementation and budgeting.

With a broad skill-set, graduates work in public, nonprofit, and commercial organizations in positions as program directors, policy analysts, nonprofit executives, budget specialists, governmental affairs directors in commercial businesses, and municipal leaders. Many pursue graduate studies in public administration, law, political science, nonprofit management, public policy, and public affairs.

All Public Administration majors engage in high impact, problem-focused, applied learning. This major excels in internships: students can choose from a wide array of strong internship placements in city, county and state executive offices, non-profit organizations, and emergency management settings. Students are encouraged to gain experiences through independent study, community research projects, and an other individualized work with faculty.

Students majoring in Public Administration must choose an emphasis: ​Public and Nonprofit Management or Emergency Management. Students who want to focus specifically on the nonprofit sector should consider earning the free-standing Nonprofit Management Certificate. Students pursuing an Emergency Management emphasis can obtain a free-standing ​Emergency Management Certificate, which is offered in cooperation with campus Continuing Education and Community Engagement programs.

Start a career where you can make an impact.

If you’re anxious about getting a job after graduation, don’t worry – we’ve all been there. But good news: 100% of our 2020 public administration graduates found jobs, so you can too. Graduates establish successful careers as government officials, professional administrators, policy analysts, budget specialists, program managers, personnel counselors and governmental affairs directors for organizations, among others.

Interested in serving your community, but not sure what career you could get after graduation? Take some advice from the people who came before you – here are some positions our recent graduates have earned.

• Volunteer Coordinator
• Director of Parks, Recreation, and Forestry
• Youth Development Specialist
• Emergency Management Director
• Nonprofit Staff Attorney
• City Administrator
• Housing Coordinator
• Environmental Program Associate
• Grant Manager

Admissions Information