The Clark University Master of Public Administration (M.P.A.) program is designed to strengthen and advance the managerial and analytical skills of mid-career executives in both public organizations and nonprofit institutions. The goal of this graduate level, professional program is to develop administrators who can effectively address the varied managerial, economic and political aspects of public issues and programs. The program also assists professionals from other fields who wish to make the transition to the administration of government, nonprofit or other public institutions.

The Clark M.P.A. student typically has a minimum of three to five years of increasingly responsible work experience, with at least one year of managerial, administrative or leadership responsibilities. A supervised internship is available to students lacking the minimum work experience. The M.P.A. program attracts professionals from diverse fields, including local and state government administrators; non-profit and human service organization managers; appointed and elected community leaders; long-term care managers; leaders in the criminal justice field; and administrators in elementary, secondary and higher education. While initially designed to accommodate adult working students, with the increased demand for graduate professional degrees today, over half of our current students are attending our graduate programs as full time students. International students attend our professional degree programs from countries around the world.

Some M.P.A. courses might be taught as seminars to encourage close working relationships among students and faculty. Courses are scheduled for evenings or Saturday mornings to accommodate the schedules of working professionals. All seminars seek a blend of relevant theory and practical application, and course work incorporates the practical experience of students with the academic component of the classroom.

Clark M.P.A. graduates have assumed management and leadership roles in a variety of settings, including town/city government, the state legislature, state agencies and legislature, nonprofit organizations, health and human services agencies and educational institutions. These alumni provide invaluable mentoring and networking opportunities to current M.P.A. students.

Requirements for completion of the M.P.A. degree are outlined later in this catalogue. Within these requirements, students are encouraged to develop their own interests through the selection of their elective courses. In these cases, however, students prefer to focus their studies in one particular area of concentration. In this case, some of their elective courses must be selected from the specialized courses in that concentration. Students interested in these concentrations should consult with the Graduate Programs staff.
Listed below are the concentrations that are currently available in the M.P.A. program. Courses are offered under these concentrations and subject to sufficient interest and enrollments.

• Managing State and Local Government
• Nonprofit Administration
• Health Systems
• Professional Communication
• Resources Management and Training
• Intercultural Management

Through a special agreement with the Executive Office of Human Resources, employees of the City of Worcester may pursue, at a reduced rate, an M.P.A. degree at Clark University/COPACE. Several courses per year are offered on site in Worcester City offices.
Contact the Office of Human Resources in Worcester City Hall, or call the Graduate Programs staff at 508-793-7215.

Clark University full-time day school undergraduates may combine their bachelor's degree with an M.P.A. degree at an accelerated pace by beginning the M.P.A. during their senior year and finishing it within a fifth year of study. Qualified students may earn the master's degree tuition free. See the Graduate Programs' Academic Policies Handbook for more details.

Since 1994 Clark University has managed a bilingual graduate program in Israel in cooperation with Israel College. The program offered in Israel is identical to that offered in the United States in terms of both academic requirements and administrative processes.
The program, with courses offered in Tel Aviv and Haifa, is directed toward bilingual (English and Hebrew) students living in Israel (or willing to spend a number of semesters in Israel). Those interested can contact our Israel campus at 972 03-640-1111 or the COPACE office at Clark.

In October 2004, Clark University began the operation of the Clark University Branch Campus in Poland in cooperation with the Academy of Management of Poland. Full degree programs are offered in Warsaw and Lodz. The program is directed toward bilingual (English and Polish) students who live in Poland. Those interested in this program should contact the Polish campus at ((+4842) 630-7670 ext. 15) or the COPACE graduate programs office at COPACE (508-793-7212).