MPA, Executive Option

The School of Public Affairs and the Management Development Centers of the federal Office of Personnel Management have formed a partnership to offer an innovative program for selected senior- level professionals in the public and non-profit sectors.

The Executive MPA option provides students an opportunity to earn a master's degree targeted at improving their leadership competencies while also offering significant flexibility in customizing course work to fit students' individual needs and career objectives. In addition, the course formats -- online courses and weekend or week-long intensive meetings -- enable students to fit their study into the framework of busy lives.

• Executive MPA Degree Plan
• Program Costs
• Executive MPA Policy & Procedures
• OPM On-line Course Registration Procedure

PARTICIPANTS

The Executive MPA is intended to serve managers of all sorts of public agencies -- federal, state, and local -- and those from the non-profit sector as well. It is designed for several types of managers:

• Public or non-profit sector executives who seek the opportunity to engage in structured study and reflection on contemporary theory and issues in public management and policy
• Senior professionals contemplating a career change who feel they might profit from acquiring an advanced degree and a deepened understanding of public affairs
• Managers on the verge of promotion into senior ranks who wish to upgrade and bring current their analytic, managerial and leadership skills

Program Design

Like SPA's regular MPA, the Executive MPA option requires 36 semester hours of credit.

Coursework begins with a very special experience called the Assessment Seminar. Students explore their own managerial and leadership styles, their personality type and their level of competence in a variety of executive skills. A group of highly skilled trainers and psychologists administers and interprets test results, and participants use this self-knowledge to plan their MPA degree plan (2 credit hours).

During their program, students participate in one of the Management Development Centers' Core Leadership Seminars. These programs focus on developing competencies identified by the federal government as necessary for its highest-level managers, the Senior Executive Service (4 credit hours).

Students select four courses from among the six core courses offered by SPA. These courses may be taken on-line, or for students who live in Colorado, they may be taken at one of SPA's sites (Denver, Colorado Springs, or Grand Junction).

Students also take five elective courses (15 credit hours), which may be selected either from the offerings at the Management Development Centers or from SPA.

At or very near the end of their program, students participate in an Advanced Seminar. In this course, students engage in a self- designed Professional Project that integrates their new skills and knowledge. In addition, they re-assess their professional competencies, charting the progress they have made during the program and designing a plan for future developmental experiences.

Most students take approximately two to two-and-a-half years to complete the degree program.

Class Locations and Logistics

Seminars at the Western Management Development Center are held at its facility in Aurora (a suburb of Denver), Colorado. Students reside at the adjacent Holiday Inn while attending. Classes at the School of Public Affairs are held on the Auraria Campus in downtown Denver, at its campus in Colorado Springs, or at Mesa State College in Grand Junction. Students must make their own living arrangements for these courses.  Online classes are also available.

Admission to the Executive MPA

Each year, a class of up to 20 students will be selected for the program. Selection will be on the basis of potential for academic success and on the applicant's level of managerial experience, as well as on their desire for and potential to profit from executive-level education and training. A baccalaureate degree is required.

For students with limited executive experience or lower undergraduate GPAs, test scores on a standardized test such as the GRE, GMAT or LSAT are an excellent way to strengthen a candidate's application.

Applications may be submitted at any time; they are reviewed once a year, on August 1st. Applicants will be notified of the Admissions Committee's decision by August 15th. Admitted students agree to participate in the initial Assessment Seminar during the term in which they are admitted to the program.

Applicants for the Executive MPA Option must provide:

• Parts I and II of the Application for Graduate Admission
• Data Sheet for Applicants to the Executive MPA Option
• Current resume
• Three letters of recommendation
• $50 application fee, payable to the University of Colorado
• Two official transcripts from all previous colleges attended

For further information please contact spa@cudenver.edu.