Mission Statement

The MPA program at USI strives to meet the needs of current and future public managers by providing educational opportunities that enable them to become ethical, skillful, creative, and inspirational leaders. Graduates of the program possess a unique blend of practical knowledge and professional skills, rooted in a strong understanding of the theories of public administration. Our graduates are prepared to meet the economic, social, and political challenges that face leading public sector institutions.

Vision Statement

In order to better meet the distinctive needs of students in different career tracts, separate curriculums will be developed for students planning a career in government and for students seeking a managerial position in a nonprofit organization.

With a view to increasing the number of students who will have access to the Program and reducing the number of semesters required to complete the Program, all MPA courses will include a significant distance education component.

All students will be required to enroll in a capstone seminar and complete an internship – curriculum changes that will insure that all MPA students are able to synthesize and apply managerial concepts, theories, and skills.

Program Objectives

Graduates of the Program acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to be creative, ethical, analytical, and visionary leaders. Specific competencies that will be mastered by students earning the MPA Program follow.

• Become knowledgeable of the laws, rules, norms, and traditions that shape the internal structure, efficiency, and innovativeness of public sector organizations.
• Be able to formulate creative solutions to problems confronting government agencies and not-for-profit organizations.
• Obtain knowledge of how institutions in the public sector shape and are shaped by economic, social, and political environments.
• Acquire practical skills and knowledge bases necessary for the management of public sector organizations: grant writing, budgeting, public speaking, human relations, public relations, electronic communication, and report writing.
• Master an understanding of how key concepts and theories can be used to formulate practical solutions to problems associated with public and non-profit administration.
• Gain knowledge of data bases, web sites, printed material, and other information-based resources pertaining to the management of public sector organizations.
• Learn how to gather and analyze qualitative and quantitative data relevant to decision making in public organizations.
• Understand the ethical consequences of decisions made by managers in the public sector.