Those who pursue an MPA pursue management roles in the public interest, where the standards of accountability, transparency, and equity demand a unique mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities. Those pursuing an MPA do so after careful introspection, and upon determining that their goals, values, and focus lie in improving people’s lives.
While there are several professional degree options that can enhance your knowledge, skills, and abilities and allow you to make a valuable contribution to the world, it is important to distinguish between these degrees and the opportunities they will lead to.
The Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration (NASPAA) is the professional organization that oversees education in the field of public affairs, public policy, and public administration. NASPAA defines a Master of Public Administration as “the core professional degree for a management career in public service. The curriculum is designed to aid students in developing the skills and techniques used by leaders and managers to implement policies, projects, and programs that resolve important societal problems. NASPAA also notes that graduates of an MPA program “work in all levels of government (federal, state, and local), in nonprofits, in international organizations, consulting firms, and in the private sector.”
So, how does the MPA differ from a Master of Public Policy (MPP) or a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree? Let’s dive a little deeper.
A Master of Public Policy (MPP) degree focuses on analysis. MPP students use the tools of economic analysis to forecast the consequences of public policy. MPP graduates typically assume roles as analysts in the public or private sectors. The MPA, on the other hand, is a general management degree that builds leadership, planning, management, and evaluation skills.
An MPA is often referred to as a “Master of Business Administration/MBA for the Public and Nonprofit Sectors.” While this is the case in many respects, the two degrees are not interchangeable. Both the MPA and MBA degrees are interdisciplinary, merging perspectives from management, economics, and organizational behavior. The MPA degree provides insight into the intricacies of how these disciplines apply in the context of public service, however, whereas the MBA is focused on profit-driven results.
Those who pursue an MPA pursue management roles in the public interest, where the standards of accountability, transparency, and equity demand a unique mix of knowledge, skills and abilities. Those pursuing an MPA do so after careful introspection, and upon determining that their goals, values, and focus lie in improving people’s lives.
The MPA allows graduates to accelerate the “business of public affairs” and unravel challenges in federal, state, or local government; nonprofit organizations, and in international public organizations.
The Guide to Internships & Externships in the Cornell MPA Program is your go-to resource for understanding the value of learning-by-doing as a way of sharpening your competitive edge and cultivating marketable skills.
Cornell is constantly offering opportunities (both internationally and domestically) to expand your learning outside the classroom. In my case, I had the amazing opportunity, alongside a research team of six members — to travel to Kigali, Rwanda. There, we supported our client Ikirezi (a social enterprise) by conducting market research analysis. ― Brettany Tucker, MPA 2018
Associate Strategist at AWA Consults
MPA students concentrating in Economic and Financial Policy explore ways in which public policy affects economic and financial decision making, and vice versa. Students may study these policy issues at the level of international organizations, federal/state/local government, non-governmental organizations or the private sector.
MPA students can draw on the broad CIPA faculty strength in this area and further identify a public affairs focus. This can include: 1) economic policy, public economic and public finance, 2) finance and financial policy, and 3) international economics.
The greatest value was in building a toolkit of knowledge and expertise in the environmental field, which I’m tapping into in my new position in D.C. ― Allison Springer, MPA 2016
Marketing & Research Associate of Outdoors America, Open Space Institute
MPA students concentrating in Environmental Policy tailor their courses to gain an understanding of current economic, social, political, technical, and legal issues regarding the restoration and management of our natural environment, as well as engineering, economic, and legal perspectives for analyzing and formulating policy at the national, sub-national, and international levels.
Study topics can include, for example, the impacts of climate change on our environment and economies, and the interdependencies of the food, water, and energy nexus as society attempts to meet its demands for food, water, and energy and reduce its risks from floods, droughts, and the pollution of water, air, and soil.
Through CIPA’s affiliation with the Cornell in Rome program, I spent a semester working full time at the United Nations World Food Programme, while earning academic credit. There, I worked on some of the largest humanitarian emergencies in the world today … it was an amazing opportunity to learn from true practitioners of multilateral public policy. Ultimately, this experience led to a full-time job offer. ― Daniel Arukwe Johansen, MPA 2015
Team Leader, WFP Operations Center, UN World Food Programme Division of Emergencies
MPA students choosing the Government, Politics, and Policy Studies concentration develop an advanced understanding of how politics and political management intersects with policy processes, program development, and resource management in the public sector.
This concentration, in particular, focuses on the politics of domestic and international policymaking and administrative processes. Students in this concentration develop a skills set that allow them to work with elected officials, public managers, and citizens to develop actionable policy goals.
Unlike other MPA programs with compressed one-year degrees, CIPA is a two-year program. I never felt rushed and was able to take classes based on my career interests. ― Tiffany Jordan, MPA 2016
Recruitment and Retention Coordinator, Roanoke (VA) Public Schools
MPA students concentrating in Human Rights and Social Justice focus on human rights, which, although often assumed to be universal, remain controversial in domestic and world politics. Students study policies that support the expansion of human rights and the elimination of all forms of discrimination, such as those based on gender, race, class, religion, ethnicity, caste, sexual orientation, disability, or marital status both domestically and internationally, and work toward ensuring equal opportunities before the law and in society-at-large.
Students pursuing this concentration also analyze the political and economic constraints that stand in the way of the full realization of human rights and learn to serve as advocates for alleviating political, economic, and social inequality.
I believe that all of these courses have helped create a strong foundation of the core concepts required to succeed in the field of international development. I am confident that pursuing a degree at CIPA will construct a bridge between my current acumen and that required to be a successful professional in the field of international development. ― Vanisha Sharma, MPA 2018
PhD Candidate in Applied Economics and Management, Cornell University
MPA students concentrating in International Development Studies are concerned with policy issues, policy formulation, and implementation in developing countries. This concentration helps students understand the broad and specific contexts in which international development decisions are made.
Students can explore international development concerns using a range of interdisciplinary perspectives and methods including anthropology, demography, economics, regional planning, sociology, biotechnology, and legal studies.
The affordable tuition and Cornell name offered me unparalleled value for an MPA program. CIPA also provided a supportive environment for me to grow from a fresh liberal-arts graduate to a prepared and confident public affairs professional. ― Clare O’Brien, MPA 2017
Management Associate, The Port Authority of New York & New Jersey
MPA students concentrating in Public and Nonprofit Management tailor their studies for careers as general managers in the public sector or as leaders of domestic or international nonprofit organizations. In this concentration, students acquire a strong set of budgeting, investment, debt financing, and data-driven analytical skills as well as managerial skills including negotiations, leadership, staffing, and compensation skills. In addition to these specific skills, students will gain understanding of the broad political, economic, and regulatory factors that affect the sector in which they are working.
I only applied to CIPA. There were no other MPA programs I found that had an infrastructure related concentration. The choice was easy. ― Michael W. Foley, MPA 2017
Consultant – Business & Finance, Landrum & Brown
The STIP concentration is intended to assist MPA students in developing the knowledge and skills to work in policy/project analysis, project planning, implementation (including financing and construction), and operations in the areas of science, technology, and infrastructure policy.
Students can approach the concentration from various perspectives, drawing on Cornell's strengths in engineering, finance, planning, economics, environmental and resource management, policy analysis, and sustainability studies. MPA graduates with this concentration will be equipped to work in either the public or private sector and across those sectors.
My purpose in pursuing an MPA at Cornell was to obtain the skills, abilities, and insight necessary to enter the field of health policy development. When I arrived to CIPA with several years of healthcare experience and clear goals, choosing my concentration was an easy decision. Of the eight defined concentrations, I chose social policy. This concentration includes focused areas of study such as health, education, family, poverty, and inequality and welfare policy. ― Zach German, MPA 2018
Officer in Charge (OIC) of Administration Department, Health Services Administration, United States Air Force Medical Service Corps
MPA students concentrating in Social Policy learn an array of tools required for designing, managing, and evaluating programs in their choice of social policy area which include health, nutrition, education, poverty alleviation, aging, criminal justice, and others.
Much of the fundamental material in this concentration introduces students to problem formulation, identification of policy alternatives to address social concerns, cost-benefit analysis, and other tools needed to evaluate policy alternatives and policy implementation strategies.
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At Cornell University, we have measurable data that shows the real, marketable value of our MPA degree.
Within six months of graduation, 92 percent of the Cornell MPA class of 2017 were employed or pursuing further graduate degrees. Given the diversity of interests and career objectives represented at Cornell, postgraduate activities are regularly distributed across three primary sectors: public, private, and non-profit.
MPA graduates often pursue careers with purpose. See where Cornell MPA graduates are working today.
Cornell Brooks MPA Student Story
Molly Conlin, an MPA student with a concentration in Public and Nonprofit Management, shares her experience studying an MPA, why she chose the MPA Program in particular, and how her graduate education is preparing for meaningful work in nonprofit leadership.
At Connecticut College, I majored in Environmental Science focusing on sustainable agriculture and minored in Studio Art with a concentration in painting. While there, I participated in a French-speaking study abroad program in Madagascar entitled “Biodiversity and Natural Resource Management,” where I completed an independent study on Fairtrade vanilla production.
After graduating in 2013, I joined AmeriCorps NCCC FEMA Corps as a field team leader. For one year, I supervised volunteers on various service projects across the US as assigned by FEMA. I then decided to continue my service work with the Peace Corps in Togo, where I was able to utilize both my French-speaking skills and agricultural knowledge.
I worked alongside farmers and women’s groups as an environment and food security volunteer for 27 months, building gardens, planting trees, improving childhood nutrition, and expanding economic opportunities for women.
Following my experiences in the U.S. and abroad, I was certain of my desire to pursue a career in sustainable development and food security. A quick job search revealed to me that in order to get the jobs that would interest and challenge me, a master’s degree would be necessary. Initially, I wasn’t sure that an MPA would be the best choice to continue the work I had grown to love, but I felt certain that I should select whichever program would best prepare me for the demands of running a nonprofit — as this idea had been growing in the back of my mind for some time.
I considered international development programs as well as MBA programs, but ultimately, I decided on Cornell! Cornell’s MPA program not only offered a concentration in nonprofit management but also a concentration in international development.
Most importantly, it was clear to me that the peers I would be studying with would all share similar altruistic goals. The network of friends and colleagues I would build in the MPA Program as well as Cornell as a whole would be invaluable throughout my entire career.
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