MPA Specializations

We have one Earth and 7.8 billion people who live together on it. Our concern is how we successfully and collectively navigate this growing opportunity — in theory and in practice! Our graduates are leaders of international nongovernmental organizations, serve in the U.S. foreign service and as public service professionals with a global focus in the U.S. and worldwide. Our faculty and students engage with communities, governments and organizations where critical realities for the global future are emerging: in Asia, the Middle East/North Africa, Latin America, and elsewhere. We address global challenges with innovative research. Much of the world’s population lives in poverty so we are committed to sustainable development as a means to address that challenge. We carry Senator Hatfield’s principles of public service with us wherever we go. Along with specialty courses, we offer one of the strongest sets of skill development courses of any MPA program in the nation, including project management, contract management, strategic planning, program and policy evaluation, sustainable development implementation, and more. Our global leadership and management specialization faculty and students make a difference that counts, across the globe.

There is only 1 federal government and 50 states, but over 90,000 cities, counties, special districts, regional governments, and school districts in the nation managed by local government professionals. Local government employees than 63% of all government employees. In Oregon some 76% of all government positions are in local governments. They shape the quality of life where people live and work every day. Our graduates have an impact fast and where they can see. They provide services, respond to emergencies, pursue sustainable development. The Oregon City/County Management Association works with our students and our program in an effort to attract the best and the brightest for the next generation of leaders. We also offer one of the strongest sets of skill development courses of any MPA program in the nation, including such skills as project management, contract management, strategic planning, program and policy evaluation, sustainable development implementation, and more.

Preserving our planet and its natural resources while using those same resources responsibly in our daily lives is one of the most critically important public leadership and policy issues today. Our graduates are executives and policymakers in agencies from the U.S. EPA and Fish & Wildlife Service to special districts at the local government level. Whether the discussion is about air, water, endangered species, toxic wastes, or climate change, our faculty, graduates, and students are engaged and active. We don’t have worry about how to think outside the box because we’ve never let ourselves or our students get into one! Collaborative policymaking for natural resource management is critical; our graduates are there when the policy is made and when leadership challenges and opportunities require action. We carry Senator Hatfield’s principles of public service to advance Oregon’s commitment to its natural beauty and resources. Along with specialty courses, we offer one of the strongest sets of skill development courses of any MPA program in the nation such as project management, contract management, strategic planning, program and policy evaluation, sustainable development implementation, and more.

Today the work of public service not only involves government but also over 1.4 million nonprofit organizations, from community service organizations, to charities, to foundations, managing over $3 trillion in assets. They employ some 10.7 million workers, roughly 10.1 percent of total private employment. Nonprofit organizations account for 9.2% of the wages and benefits paid in the U.S. They provide leadership and service opportunities for more than 25% of all Americans over 16 years of age. They add to the quality of life for all kinds of people with many different challenges. These are mission-driven and community-focused organizations that address critical needs on a daily basis. Today’s nonprofit executives bring together the qualities of the heart needed to identify and meet community needs with the well developed skills and knowledge needed to make things happen and sustain their organizations. Along with specialty courses, we offer one of the strongest sets of skill development courses of any MPA program in the nation such as project management, contract management, strategic planning, program and policy evaluation, sustainable development implementation, and more.