Master's Degrees
(N=167) (Response Rate=61%)
Degree Programs Offered Fall 2010
| Degree Type | Program Offered by Respondent |
Percent of Respondents |
| Master of Public Administration | 136 | 81.9 |
| Master of Public Policy | 20 | 12.0 |
| Master of Public Affairs | 8 | 4.8 |
| Executive Master | 20 | 12.0 |
| Other Master Programs | 43 | 25.9 |
| Offering Joint Degrees | 69 | 41.6 |
| Total Program* | 296 |
* It is normal for institutional members to offer multiple Master degree programs, hence the total number of programs is larger than the total number of survey respondents.
** NASPAA institutional members were provided four spaces in which to enter “other” degrees. The most common of these “other” degrees is Master of Science in Public Policy and Management, Master of International Development and Master of Government Administration. Other reported master’s degrees include, but are not limited to, Health (Care) Administration, Criminal Justice, Political Science, Transportation Policy Operations and Logistics, Economic Policy Management, Higher Education Administration, Nonprofit Management, Environmental Science, Public Service Management, and Enterprise Engineering and Policy.
Degree Program Highlights
- About 82 percent of the respondent programs offer MPA degrees. About 42 percent offer joint-degrees.
- About 26 percent of the respondents offer Master degrees other than MPP, MPA, MPAff or Executive MPA.
Student Enrollment Fall 2010
| Degree Type | Enrolled Full-Time |
Percent Full-Time |
Enrolled Part-Time |
Percent Part-Time |
Enrolled Total |
| Master of Public Administration | 8,988 | 51.5 | 8,472 | 48.5 | 17,460 |
| Master of Public Policy | 1,850 | 75.3 | 608 | 24.7 | 2,458 |
| Master of Public Affairs | 707 | 69.6 | 309 | 30.4 | 1,016 |
| Executive MPA | 713 | 36.8 | 1,223 | 63.2 | 1,936 |
| Other Master Degrees | 3,365 | 68.2 | 1,572 | 31.8 | 4,937 |
| Total Student Enrolled | 15,623 | 56.2 | 12,184 | 43.8 | 27,807 |
Enrollment Highlights
- More than 75 percent of MPP students enrolled full-time and the percent of students pursuing their Master's degree in MPA on a part-time basis was 48.5.
- More students pursuing Masters degrees in Public Policy and Public Affairs tend to enroll full-time than their peers working on their Masters degrees in Public Administration or management.
Degree Awarded AY 2009 - 2010
| Degree Type | Degrees Awarded by Respondents |
Percent of Degree Awarded by Respondents |
| Master of Public Administration | 5,621 | 57.4 |
| Master of Public Policy | 910 | 9.3 |
| Master of Public Affairs | 407 | 4.2 |
| Executive MPA | 742 | 7.6 |
| Other Master | 1,776 | 18.1 |
| Joint Degree | 343 | 3.5 |
| Total Degree Awarded | 9,799 |
Degree Awarded Highlights
- Nearly 9,700 students received their Master's degrees in Public Affairs during the 2009-10 Academic Year. About 3.5 percent had joint degrees. More than 57 percent of the Master's degrees granted were MPA.
- The most common degree offered jointly with the MPA/MPP is the JD. Other joint/dual master’s degrees offered with an MPA/MPP include, but are not limited to, Social Work, Business Administration, Urban Planning, Regional Planning, Law, Criminal Justice, International Affairs, Nursing, Doctor of Medicine, Mental Health, Public Health, Divinity, Latin American Studies, and Environmental Science.
Undergraduate Courses Offered Fall 2010
| Course Subject | Institution Offering the Courses |
Percent of Respondents |
| Courses in Public Administration | 124 | 74.7 |
| Courses in NonProfit Mngmt. | 76 | 45.8 |
| Courses in Health Mngmt. | 52 | 31.3 |
Undergraduate Course Offering Highlights
- About 74 percent of the responding programs offer undergraduate courses in Public Administration or Public Affairs.
- Nearly 45 percent of the responding programs offer undergraduate courses in Non-profit Management.
- Nearly 31 percent of the responding programs offer undergraduate courses in health management.