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Degree Requirements

The mission of the Carolina MPA Program is to prepare public service leaders. We track progress towards our mission with a competency-based curriculum. Click here to view the primary and intermediary competencies that are integrated within the program's core courses.
The curriculum, designed to be completed in two years of full-time study for on-campus students and 18 months to 5 years for online MPA students, combines three essential components of professional development:
- A minimum of 45 semester hours of credit, consisting of rigorous core classes on the theory and practice of public management and elective courses from selected fields of interest. View a typical on-campus MPA course schedule and typical online course schedule.
- Students will complete a Professional Work Experience Practicum (PWE). The PWE provides students an opportunity to further develop their competencies in public service work environment and to gain actual work experience for career advancement.
- Completion of an applied research problem (Thesis-subsitute project) including a comprehensive oral exam during the student's final semester of the program.
Click here to view a list of MPA courses and descriptions.