ÁùÉ«Íø

The Master of Public Administration (MPA) program offers flexible pathways designed to meet the needs of both working professionals and students preparing to enter the public or nonprofit sectors. The curriculum and degree requirements are identical for both in-person and online students.

Unit Requirements

The required course load for full-time in-service students—those currently employed in the public or nonprofit sector—is 36 semester units.

Pre-service students—those not employed in the public or NGO sectors—are required to complete an additional 3-unit internship course, bringing the total to 39 semester units.

Program Duration and Pacing

Students who take a full-time load of three courses per semester during the fall and spring terms can typically complete the program within two academic years. Students in the fully online program, who are also full-time working professionals, complete coursework during the fall, spring, and summer terms, allowing for a more continuous pace of study. The timeline for degree completion remains comparable for online and in-person students.

Students choosing to take fewer than three courses per term will progress more gradually through the program. The California State University system and Cal Poly Pomona set a maximum time-to-degree limit of seven years from the date of a student’s first graduate enrollment.

Culminating Paper Requirement

In addition to coursework, California state law requires all MPA students to complete a culminating paper—either a project or thesis. While some students begin this work during their final term, it is strongly recommended that students begin developing their topic and research well in advance. At a minimum, the culminating paper typically takes one semester to complete. However, the actual timeline depends on the student’s research focus, progress, and personal or professional circumstances.

Using Summer Effectively

All students are encouraged to make strategic use of the summer term. In-service and online students often use this time to continue coursework, while pre-service students may complete the 400-hour internship requirement. Summer is also an ideal period to begin drafting chapters of the culminating paper, prepare Institutional Review Board (IRB) proposals for approval, or collect and analyze data for the final project or thesis.