The Master of Public Administration at UC Irvine is a two-year professional degree program. Students complete 52 credits of graduate courses. Preceding the first fall quarter of instruction, students attend a one-week, mandatory in-residence course, providing an immersive foundation in the program's core themes. During each of the two following academic years, students complete 6 online courses (two courses per quarter), concluding with a capstone project that addresses real-world organizational challenges.
A sample schedule is provided below:
One-week Residency on the UC Irvine Campus
Foundations of Public Administration (4 units) – Though the majority of the program is online, the program launches with a week-long intensive on the UCI campus — "Foundations of Public Administration." This mandatory introductory course is normally scheduled in late August/early September, prior to the start of fall quarter. For Fall 2026, the introductory course will be Tuesday, September 8 to Saturday, September 12, 2026.
Year 1 Coursework
Fall Quarter
- Collaborative Governance & Public Management (4 units)
- Program Management & Evaluation (4 units)
Winter Quarter
- Public Budgeting & Financial Management (4 units)
- Ethics & Leadership (4 units)
Spring Quarter
- Sustainable Public Administration (4 units)
- Designing & Consuming Research (4 units)
Year 2 Coursework
Fall Quarter
- One elective course (4 units)
- One elective course (4 units)
Winter Quarter
- MPA Capstone (4 units)
- One elective course (4 units)
Spring Quarter
- One elective course (4 units)
- One elective course (4 units)
Example Electives (subject to change)
- Nonprofit Management & Administration
- Environmental Policy & Politics
- Urban Policy & Politics
- GIS for Public Administration
- Managing for Climate Change
- Leadership & Organizing
Capstone Course
In lieu of a thesis, students complete a capstone course in the winter quarter of the second year of study. In this course, students will conduct an applied research project where they analyze management challenges and develop implementation strategies in partnership with a public or nonprofit organization.