Evans School of Public Policy & Governance

Advance your career with an Evans School MPA

The right graduate degree can be transformative. It can turn your desire to do good in the world into a career path grounded in making a real, life-changing impact. Whether you want to transition to a more mission-driven career, or you are ready to advance your career within the public and nonprofit sectors, the Evans School MPA program will uniquely equip you to improve public policy and lead change in public sector organizations.

At the Evans School, we believe that finding solutions to real-world challenges means thinking differently, acting collaboratively, and leading effectively. The Evans School MPA program will equip you with a foundation of knowledge and skills to ensure agility throughout your career plus ample opportunities to dive deeper into one of our areas of expertise. Sign up for more information or learn about the admissions process.




Study at the intersection of theory and practice

The Evans School MPA is interdisciplinary and defined by the practical application of theoretical knowledge to real-world challenges. Beyond a rigorous core curriculum, areas of specialization, and ample elective offerings, we support students through internships, capstone projects, engagement on campus and in the community to exercise new skills and learn the art of public leadership.

Core Curriculum

The first year of your Evans School MPA is grounded in a nine-course series that integrates rigorous training in policy and management theory with the practical application of those theories through real-world case studies from organizations across sectors, industries, and geographies.

Our hybrid core curriculum emphasizes quantitative and analytic skill-building often found in masters programs specific to public policy, but also includes a management course series to ensure you are prepared to lead.

All Evans School faculty teach in the core curriculum. Practitioners and educators, each faculty member brings cutting-edge scholarship and deep issue expertise to help students tackle challenges in public policy and governance. Faculty work closely with students in and out of the classroom to create a diverse educational community that translates beyond the classroom and into practice.

Electives & Program Options

Equipped with policy and governance fundamentals from the MPA’s core curriculum, students in their second year create a unique academic pathway tailored to their specific career goals. Select from more than 50 elective courses that cut across eight, nationally ranked areas of concentration to mix and match the classes you need to prepare you for your career.

Program Options: Students may choose to focus their electives to designate a program option alongside their MPA. Program options provide MPA students with a more formal credential demonstrating that they completed a sufficient number of pre-designated courses to be certified as specializing in a specific area. Students who complete all of the required coursework for a Program Option will have the following listed on their transcript upon graduation: “Master of Public Administration (Name of Program Option).” Program options do NOT appear on diplomas.

Pursuing a program option is optional. About half of our MPA students complete a program option, while the other half craft their own specialization by taking courses across different areas.

Capstone

Participation in the Student Consulting Lab functions as the capstone, or degree project, for the Evans School MPA. Completed in the program’s second year, collaborative teams of Evans School MPA students are matched with regionally-based public and nonprofit sector clients to solve key organizational issues. These projects support students in applying classroom knowledge, building community networks, and creating a portfolio of work.

Degree Length and Format

Most students pursue the MPA program as full-time students and complete the program in two years. Students may also enroll in the MPA program as a part-time or concurrent student and may complete the program in three to five years. Our MPA program is offered in-person on the University of Washington’s Seattle campus.