MPA Degree Requirements

To earn an Evans School Master of Public Administration (MPA) degree, you must complete 60-credit hours of course work and a three-month internship. The 60-credit hours of required course work includes:

Twenty-one credits of core courses that will help you develop fundamental policy and management skills. These courses are taken in sequence, mainly during your first year of study.

The core courses include:

• Microeconomic Policy Analysis (PBAF 516)
• Managing Politics & the Policy Process (PBAF 511)
• Managing Organizational Performance (PBAF 512)
• Public Budgeting & Financial Management (PBAF 522)
• Quantitative Analysis I & II (PBAF 527/582)
• Public Policy Analysis (PBAF 513)

Some core courses can be waived by examination.

Nine credits of restricted electives in three areas: analysis, economics, and values. One three-credit course from each area is required, and sample courses include:

• Analysis
  • Advanced Multivariate Analysis Seminar
  • Introduction to Urban Simulation
  • Program Analysis in Developing Countries
  • Program Evaluation
  • Survey Research Methods
  • Scientific Information in Environmental Decision Making
• Economics
  • Advanced Seminar in Health Economics (Department of Health Services)
  • Cost-Benefit Analysis
  • Economic Approaches to Environmental Management
  • Economics of Education (College of Education)
  • Economics of International Development
  • Public Finance (Department of Economics)
  • Rural Development Economics & Policy
  • Urban Economics
• Values
  • Competing Values in Public Service
  • Education as a Moral Endeavor (College of Education)
  • Ethics & Public Policy
  • Ethics & Values in Environmental Policy
  • Leadership Ethics
  • Values in International Development

View a complete list of core and restricted elective requirements for 2007-2008 (26 KB XLS)

Twenty-four credits of electives related to an area of focus that can be taken through other departments and universities. Elective credits can also include up to 12 credits of professional development courses taken through the Cascade Center.

A degree project worth six credits that involves working closely with a faculty member to research a topic of serious interest to you. The project can be completed in one of three ways:

• An independent research project with a faculty member
• A joint research project with several students and a faculty member through one of our Public Service Clinics
• A professional research project for your employer or another agency that is completed under faculty supervision

The three-month internship, totaling a minimum of 400 work hours for a government, nonprofit, or private organization, must be related to your professional goals and require you to use a substantial amount of analytic or managerial knowledge. (The internship requirement can be waived if you have at least two years of recent professional-level public service experience related to your degree and career goals.)

For more information, contact the Evans School Student Services office at evansdss@u.washington.edu or 206.543.4900.

Peace Corps Master's International MPA

The Evans School Peace Corps Master’s International (PCMI) MPA track focuses on international development of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and combines our Master of Public Administration degree with two years of Peace Corps service.

Today’s NGO leaders need more than just a vision and grassroots organizational skills. They need to know how to strategically manage and strengthen their organizations in the context of the competitive and growing NGO sector.

With our PCMI MPA track, you will learn the analytical and managerial skills needed to run an NGO while pursuing a chosen field of specialization in international development.

Most of our PCMI students enroll full-time and complete their degree in three and half years. Our program includes 51-credit hours:

• 21 credits of core courses in the areas of analysis and management
• Nine credits of restricted electives in the areas of analysis, economics, and values
• 15 credits of unrestricted electives related to your area of focus
• Six credits toward a degree project
• Two years of overseas Peace Corps service

Find out more about the Peace Corps Master’s International MPA track degree requirements.

The Evans School PCMI program was developed through generous support from the Henry M. Jackson Foundation. The UW also offers two other PCMI programs:

• PCMI in Forestry at the College of Forest Resources
• PCMI in International Health at the School of Public Health and Community Medicine

PCMI MPA Degree Requirements

To earn an Evans School Master of Public Administration (MPA) degree through our Peace Corps Master’s International track, you must complete 51-credit hours of course work and two years of overseas Peace Corps service. The 51-credit hours of required course work include:

Twenty-one credits of core courses that will help you develop fundamental policy and management skills. These courses are taken in sequence, mainly during your first year of study.

The core courses include:

• Microeconomic Policy Analysis (PBAF 516)
• Managing Politics & the Policy Process (PBAF 511)
• Managing Organizational Performance (PBAF 512)
• Public Budgeting & Financial Management (PBAF 522)
• Quantitative Analysis I & II (PBAF 527/582)
• Public Policy Analysis (PBAF 513)

Some core courses can be waived by examination.

Nine credits of restricted electives in three areas: analysis, economics, and values. One three-credit course from each area is required, with sample courses including:

• Analysis
  • Advanced Multivariate Analysis seminar
  • Introduction to Urban Simulation
  • Program Analysis in Developing Countries
  • Program Evaluation
  • Survey Research Methods
  • Scientific Information in Environmental Decision Making
• Economics
  • Advanced Seminar in Health Economics (Department of Health Services)
  • Cost-Benefit Analysis
  • Economic Approaches to Environmental Management
  • Economics of Education (College of Education)
  • Economics of International Development
  • Public Finance (Department of Economics)
  • Rural Development Economics & Policy
  • Urban Economics
• Values
  • Competing Values in Public Service
  • Education as a Moral Endeavor (College of Education)
  • Ethics & Public Policy
  • Ethics & Values in Environmental Policy
  • Leadership Ethics
  • Values in International Development

View a complete list of core and restricted elective requirements for 2007-2008 (26 KB XLS)

Fifteen credits of electives related to an area of focus that can be taken through other departments and universities. Elective credits can also include professional development courses taken through the Cascade Center.

A degree project worth six credits that involves faculty advising for a research report on a topic of serious interest to you. Work on your project report will begin during your Peace Corps assignment, and then completed after you return from overseas.

The Peace Corps portion of the degree involves two years of volunteer service overseas working with:

• Issues related to youth
• Social/Health services
• Small business development
• Environmental issues

You will be assigned to a local, national, or international NGO to work on projects that will increase the quality and effectiveness of their services. Such projects include:

• Increasing organizational capacity and sustainability
• Creating strategic plans for funding
• Raising public awareness of the organization’s mission
• Conducting community outreach
• Recruiting, training, and motivating volunteers
• Developing mission statements, bylaws, and other documentation
• Working with boards of directors
• Mentoring staff with one-on-one skill building

Peace Corps projects completed by previous Evans School PCMI students include microcredit financing for small businesses in Morocco, youth development in Grenada, and AIDS education in South Africa, among others.

Before leaving for your assignment, you will be partnered with a fellow PCMI student who has already returned from their tour of service. Your partner will serve as a peer-mentor while you are overseas. After you return, you will return the favor for a different PCMI student who is about to begin their tour of service.

For more information, contact the Evans School Student Services office at evansdss@u.washington.edu or 206.543.4900.

Ph.D. Program Degree Requirements

The first year of coursework prepares you for independent research in public policy and management. Prior coursework in differential calculus, intermediate microeconomics, and multivariate statistics is required before matriculation.

The first-year curriculum is full-time, earning 30+ credits, and includes:

• Research Design
• Institutional Perspectives on Management and Leadership
• Public Policy Processes
• Microeconomics
• Policy Analysis and Evaluation
• Quantitative Methods
• Data Analysis Practicum
• Quarterly seminars on policy management and research
• Qualifying exam (must be passed to enter second year)

The second year of coursework enhances your research skills while focusing on a chosen field of research specialization in public or nonprofit management or a related policy field (e.g. education, environment, land use, international development).

Your second year curriculum is full-time, 30+ credits, chosen in consultation with your faculty advisor, and includes:

• Two restricted electives in qualitative and quantitative methods
• Three or more courses in your chosen field of research specialization
• A teaching seminar and assistantship at the Evans School or elsewhere on the UW campus (some portions of this requirement can be waived depending on your career goals and prior teaching experience)
• Quarterly seminars on policy management and research
• Second-year assessment exam (includes two tests that must be passed before submitting your written dissertation proposal)

The third through sixth years of study can be completed full- or part-time (27+credits) and is focused on writing and completing your dissertation.

For more information, download our Ph.D. program brochure (17.1KB pdf), or contact the Evans School Student Services office at evansphd@u.washington.edu or 206.543.4900.

Ph.D. Students & Candidates

This list includes some of our Ph.D. students and candidates.

Anne Buffardi, Ph.D. Student, Masters of Social Work, University of Washington, 2003: Global Governance; International Development; and Foreign Aid Policy

Colleen Chrisinger, Ph.D. Candidate, Masters of Science, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2006 (economics); Masters of Social Research Methods, London School of Economics, 2003 (social policy): Low-Wage Labor Market; Income Support Policy; Poverty and Inequality

Travis William Reynolds, Ph.D. Student, Masters of Science, University of Vermont, 2007: International Development: Agro-Forestry; Carbon Sequestration

Find out more about our Ph.D. in Public Policy & Management program by contacting our Student Services office at evansphd@u.washington.edu or 206.543.4900.

Cascade Center Courses for MPA Students

The Cascade Center's two-, three-, and five-day professional development courses help on-the-job managers and leaders in the public, nonprofit, and private sectors develop their leadership and management skills.

Up to 12 Evans School MPA elective credits can be taken from the Cascade Center. While this option is more expensive, it increases scheduling flexibility. Elective credits are received in the following manner:

• Five-day courses = three credit-hours
• Three-day courses = two credit-hours
• Two-day courses = one credit-hour

For more information about substituting elective credits, contact Evans School Student Services at evansdss@u.washington.edu or 206.543.4900.

For more information about the Cascade Center's course offerings, visit their website or contact the center at 206.685.0523 or cascade@u.washington.edu.

International Development Certificate

Our one-year International Development Policy and Management Certificate Program gives you the tools and frameworks needed for addressing pressing international issues in developing countries, including:

• War
• Poverty
• Hunger
• Disease
• Human rights abuses
• Economic inequality
• Corruption
• Environmental degradation

The program explores the root causes of these problems, and the social, economic, and political contexts in which they occur through a 18-credit curriculum that includes:

• Nine credits from three core courses that examine the theories and techniques of development management, and ways of applying them in a global context.
  • PBAF 532 – Managing Policy in a Global Context
  • PBAF 533 – Economics of International Development
  • PBAF 531 – Development Management in the 21st Century (capstone course)
• Nine credits from an approved list of electives that provide an interdisciplinary perspective on development and management issues.  Please email devcert@u.washington.edu to request a copy of the elective list.

Our program also offers the chance to develop networking relationships with guest speakers who are practitioners and professionals working in the area of international development programs.

Alumni of the program have found employment with:

• PATH
• USAID
• Health Alliance International
• Facing the Future
• World Vision
• The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
• and many other international development organizations

The program is open to all UW graduate students after their first year of study. We have a recommended sequence of how to progress through the program for an optimal learning experience with your cohort class, but you can also complete it out of sequence and double-count home department requirements for credit.  Applications are accepted once a year, the deadline is April 15.

For more information, read our certificate program application instructions or certificate program planning forms. You can also contact the Evans School Student Services office at devcert@u.washington.edu or 206.543.4900.

Afghan Scholars Program

Afghan Civil Officials Arrive at UW Evans School of Public Affairs

Government and Nonprofit Officials Travel to Seattle for Advanced Studies
Meet the scholars >>

Fifteen government and nonprofit officials from Afghanistan arrived February 13 to study public administration and policy at the University of Washington’s Evans School of Public Affairs.

The students are pursuing Master of Public Policy and Administration (MPPA) degrees at Kabul University and work for organizations including the Afghan Ministries of Justice, Finance, and the Interior; Afghan National Assembly; and the United Nations.

“The future of Afghanistan depends on building strong public and nonprofit sectors,” said Sandra O. Archibald, dean and professor at the Evans School of Public Affairs. “We are proud to help these distinguished professionals gain the skills necessary to build and maintain civil society and governmental infrastructure in their country.”

Over the next three months, these students will pursue intensive studies in leadership, management, and international development and relations, leveraging the Evans School’s strengths in program development and evaluation, public/private/nonprofit partnerships, strategic management, and public policy. They will have the opportunity to learn first hand from public and nonprofit professionals and will work with Evans School faculty members to begin their master’s theses.

The Evans School hosts this program in partnership with the Afghan eQuality Alliances Program, a Global Development Alliance sponsored by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) through a cooperative agreement with Washington State University. The program is managed by Sanjeev Khagram, associate professor of public affairs and international studies, and Shannon Mills, director of executive education at the Evans School.

Media Contact:

Molly McCarthy
206-616-1640 (work)/206-310-3092 (cell)
mollymm@u.washington.edu

Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program

The Evans School of Public Affairs hosts between 12 and 14 midcareer professionals from around the world every year through the Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program. The fellows take part in one year of advanced non-degree study to gain hands-on experience and theoretical knowledge of how the U.S. approaches work in their professional fields.

Learn more about our 2007-2008 Humphrey Fellows.

Past Humphrey fellows have come from the fields of:

• Natural resources & environmental management
• Public policy analysis & public administration
• Economic development
• Agricultural development
• Finance & banking
• Human resource management
• Education planning
• Urban/regional planning
• Democratic development

The University of Washington is one of only 15 universities in the U.S. where Humphrey fellows are placed, and has hosted more than 230 fellows from at least 90 different nations since 1987. For the Evans School, this has provided an invaluable resource of international perspectives on public policy issues that cross national boundaries.

The Humphrey Fellowship program is administered by the Institute of International Education and primarily supported by the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

For more information about the Humphrey Fellowship Program at the Evans School, contact our Student Services office at evansdss@u.washington.edu or 206.543.4900.

Muskie Graduate Fellowship Program

The Edmund S. Muskie Graduate Fellowship Program provides Eurasian graduate students and professionals with the opportunity to study in the United States for up to two years. The Muskie Program was established by the U.S. Congress in 1992 to spur economic and democratic growth in:

• Armenia
• Azerbaijan
• Belarus
• Georgia
• Kyrgyzstan
• Moldova
• Russia
• Tajikistan
• Turkmenistan
• Ukraine
• Uzbekistan

The Muskie Program is funded by the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and administered by the International Research and Exchanges Board.

For more information, contact the Muskie Graduate Fellowship Program or the Evans School Student Services office at evansdss@u.washington.edu or 206.543.4900.

Korean Civil Service Fellowship Program

The Evans School is one of several universities in the United States, and the only one on the West Coast, participating in the Korean Civil Service Fellowship Program, which presents a unique professional development opportunity for government officials from the Republic of Korea.

The program allows its participants the flexibility to study a particular subject in depth related to their profession while pursuing a Master of Public Administration (MPA) degree and executive training courses.

Elements of the program at the Evans School include:

• Rigorous executive training courses through the Cascade Center
• Academic courses with other Evans School students
• Intensive English courses
• Professional development opportunities through work with local public, private, and nonprofit organizations

The participants are also required to enroll in an International Fellows Seminar at the Evans School for one credit per quarter.

The Korean Civil Service Fellowship Program is funded by the Civil Service Commission of the Republic of Korea and administered by the Human Resources Development Bureau of the Republic of Korea.

For more information about the Korean Civil Service Fellowship Program at the Evans School, contact our Student Services office at evansdss@u.washington.edu or 206.543.4900.