Are you graduating soon and are not quite sure what you want to do with your degree? Maybe UNC Greensboro’s Master of Public Affairs program is the answer for you.
The MPA program offers an exciting professional degree opportunity for students considering careers in nonprofit organizations or government agencies. This 43-hour program provides students with relevant educational experiences to prepare them for a variety of challenging careers. These positions can range from management to policy evaluation to program analysis.
The job placement rate for the past two years has been over 90 percent! Graduate assistantships, paid internships and scholarships make this degree more affordable than law school.
Examples of job placements for pre-service students in recent years are the following:
- Grants Management Asst/Program Coordinator, Partners to End Homelessness/The Servant Center
- Development Coordinator, NCCJ
- Community Impact Manager, United Way of Greater Greensboro
- Procurement Officer, Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County (TN)
- Community & Strategic Initiatives Planner, Piedmont Triad Regional Council
- Project Manager, City of Burlington
- Marketing & Communications Manager, United Way of Greater Greensboro
- Program Support Administrator, Rural Forward of NC
- PhD Student, Public Policy, North Carolina State University
- Budget Specialist, City of Greensboro
- Program Coordinator, Kate B. Reynolds Foundation
While the degree allows students a great deal of flexibility in choosing electives, the MPA program currently offers three concentrations for those who wish to specialize—the nonprofit management concentration, community and economic development, and local government management.
If you are not quite ready to commit to a full degree program, the MPA program also offers a 15-hour certificate program in Nonprofit Management. This program is designed to give students a general overview of the nonprofit sector while developing specific skills and program knowledge necessary to meet a variety of nonprofit agency needs.
The MPA program also offers an 18-hour certificate program jointly with the Department of Geography in Urban and Economic Development. This program is designed to provide a general overview of urban planning and development. Students completing this certificate will be prepared to deal with a variety of urban and community development issues.
Want to learn more about applying to the MPA program? Click here.
