MPA Information
The Master of Public Administration program is designed to train persons to manage public agencies and programs and to evaluate the effectiveness of programs and agencies. Graduates of the program occupy a wide variety of jobs throughout the United States and abroad.
Appalachian's MPA program is accredited by the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration and is one of eight NASPAA-accredited schools in North Carolina and one of approximately 185 programs globally that meets NASPAA's standards for accreditation.
The MPA program is housed within the Department of Government and Justice Studies. Appalachian State University, a member institution of the seventeen-campus University of North Carolina System, is a comprehensive university located in Boone, NC, in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains with an enrollment of more than 17,000 students. Appalachian offers degrees in 130 undergraduate disciplines and over 70 graduate programs. Appalachian State University is consistently ranked among the top regional universities in the South by U.S. News & World Report and was named College of the Year by Time magazine in 2001.
To accommodate students who are employed in nearby communities, the MPA program offers evening classes in Boone and on a rotating basis in Catawba County/Hickory and Forsyth County/Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
Resources for Current Students
Fall 2022 MPA Student Guide (PDF, 284.28 KB)
MPA Writing Guide (PDF, 366 KB)
MPA Resume Guide (PDF, 2.1 MB)
MPA Presentation Guide (PDF, 87 KB)