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Executive MPA Hybrid

Spring & Summer Start
Spring Priority Deadline: September 1st
Final Deadline: December 1st
Summer Priority Deadline: March 1st
Final Deadline: May 1st

Executive Master of Public Administration Hybrid

FIU's Executive Master of Public Administration (HYBRID EMPA) is accredited by the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration (NASPAA). This program is hybrid because while the coursework is 100% online there are three in-person academic residencies.

Designed for public service professionals with extensive experience in local, regional, state and federal agencies as well as in nonprofit organizations as well as those aspiring to go into public service careers. Applicants are required to have five to ten years’ cumulative experience. Many applicants even hold managerial and supervisory positions. FIU's program serves professionals who aspire to become successful public leaders and are dedicated to public service, social good and justice, and civic engagement.

Within a cohort, lockstep program, students start together and finish the program together – allowing for a peer supportive environment and plenty of opportunities to network. All courses are taught by full-time faculty and experienced public leaders and practitioners.

3 Academic Residencies in Miami, Tallahassee, and Washington, D.C.

Academic Residencies

The program includes three in-person academic residencies (the residencies are what make the program a hybrid format).

These three academic residencies, one per semester typically lasting two to four days, provide opportunities for cohort bonding, networking, peer support, visits to public agencies, and experiential learning.

Residencies are scheduled for Miami, Tallahassee, and Washington D.C., for local, state, and federal public administration and policy making. Travel schedules may be subject to change in light of public health and/or natural disaster emergencies.

Program Highlights

  • Targeted: Only applicants with substantial public sector and/or non-profit experience are considered for this program. Students must have 5-10 years of experience in the public sectors. The EMPA meets the needs, and is designed to serve, experienced leaders such as directors, assistant directors, high-level technical staff, senior managers, and advisors.
  • Reasonably-priced: The cost of the FIU EMPA makes it one of the most competitive programs – considering tuition cost and quality – both nationally and locally.
  • Quality MPA: The EMPA has the same curriculum and faculty as all other MPA tracks. The FIU MPA program was recently ranked among the top programs in the nation. As the only NASPAA-accredited MPA program and the highest ranked in the Miami-Dade region, the program promises to bring quality and prestige to the doorsteps of the region’s executives
  • Supportive Environment: The EMPA schedule is sensitive to the needs of the working executive. The EMPA has dedicated staff to help students with their needs. As a cohort track, EMPA students start together and finish the program together – allowing for a supportive environment and plenty of opportunities to network with other executives in the region.
  • Accelerated: Students start the EMPA track in the Summer semester, attend classes online, and complete the program by the following Spring – finishing 36 graduate credits in 12 months.
  • Top-Quality Faculty: The FIU MPA Faculty is the largest in South Florida and is the only full-time public administration department in Miami-Dade County. The majority of the program’s courses are taught by full-time FIU Public Administration professors who are also top scholars in the field of public administration

Review the MPA Student Handbook to learn more about the program curriculum and requirements, departmental and university policies, and the resources available to MPA and EMPA students.

Top Quality NASPAA-Accredited Curriculum:

FIU’s MPA program is accredited by The Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration (NASPAA).

Degree Program Hours: 36 Credit Hours

Accredited by the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration (NASPAA), the program requires a completion of 36 credit hours.

Tuition and Fees

Tuition for the EMPA program (36 credits) is $32,000. This tuition includes FIU university fees and is subject to change.

Under the revised Florida Board of Governors’ (BOG) Regulation 8.002, all institutions of the State University System (SUS) of Florida are required to provide students with a side-by-side Tuition and Fees comparison for continuing education programs.  The tuition comparisons are made between a traditional program vs. its counterpart Market Rate/Self-Supporting program. This approach provides students an opportunity to become aware of options that are available upon selecting a degree program of study.

Please click on the following link, which will take you to a searchable database that provides the side-by-side tuition and fees comparisons between the Executive Master of Public Administration: https://continue.fiu.edu/programs/side-by-side-tuition-comparison/embed.html

 

  • Admission Requirements

    Applicants to the Executive Master of Public Administration (EMPA) program must:

    • Have earned a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution;
    • Have five to ten years of cumulative experience with public or non-profit organizations and preferably two to three years of managerial and supervisory experience;
    • Submit three academic or professional letters of recommendation from faculty member at their undergraduate institution or from employment supervisors and;
    • Demonstrate graduate level writing competency by submitting an essay between 3 and 5 pages in length explaining how earning the Executive Master of Public Administration is consistent with long-term career goals. Students may also use this letter to discuss their passion for public issues or policies and to communicate to the admission reflect their potential to succeed in graduate school and;
    • Submit a GRE Score if their GPA in their last 60 credits of upper division coursework is less than 3.0 and;
    • Submit a current resume and;
    • Submit all above documents by the application deadline
  • General Requirements

    Students must maintain a cumulative 3.0 GPA. A grade of ‘C’ or better is required for every core course. Note: A ‘C-’ is not acceptable. The program reserves the right to withhold the awarding of credit for course work taken out of sequence and without appropriate prerequisites.

  • Curriculum

    Semester 1 - Summer 

    PAD 6437: Dynamics of Individual Growth

    PAD 6053: Political, Social, and Economic Context of Public Administration

    PAD 6417: Human Resource Policy and Management

    PAD 6227: Public Finance and the Budgetary Process

    Semester 2 - Fall

    PAD 6306: Policy Analysis

    PAD 6434: Leadership and Decision-making

    PAD 6807: Urban and Municipal Government Administration

    PAD 6726: Applied Research Methods for Accountability in Public and Nonprofit Organizations

    Semester - 3 Spring

    PAD 5460: Performance Management

    PAD 6718: Smart Governance

    PAD 6701: Quantitative Methods in Public Administration

    PAD 6056: The Practice of Public Management 

     

     

  • Apply Now

    In order to be officially considered for admission to the EMPA program, applicants must complete the following steps:

    • Submit an application online. Follow the link to start an application online via FIU Graduate Admissions.
    • Submit an application fee. A $30.00, non-refundable, application fee payable by check, money order, or credit card is required.
    • Submit official transcript/s. Transcripts of all degree granting institutions must be sent directly from each college or university either electronically or in a sealed envelope to the Graduate Admissions Office (Note: If your undergraduate degree was from FIU you don’t need to do this because your student records are accessible by computer from the Department).
    • Submit three letters of recommendation, resume, and essay to the Graduate Admissions Office.
    • Submit all above documents by the application deadline.
Pursuing your EMPA is one of the best investments you can make – one that will open doors to personal and professional opportunities. Our tuition represents the best value in higher education.

Contact Us

Susannah Bruns Ali, Ph.D.
Associate Professor & Director, Master of Public Administration Program
Florida International University
Modesto A. Maidique Campus,
11200 S.W. 8th Street, 350A
Miami, FL 33199
Phone: Phone: 305-348-1350
Fax: 305-348-5848
E-mail: sali@fiu.edu

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