UCO Master of Public Administration Receives NASPAA Accreditation

Sept. 14, 2021

Media Contact: Deirdre Steiner, Assistant Vice President, UCO University Communications, 405-974-2315, dsteiner@uco.edu

UCO Master of Public Administration Receives NASPAA Accreditation  

The University of Central Oklahoma has earned a seven-year accreditation from the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs and Administration (NASPAA) for its Master of Public Administration (MPA). The accreditation puts UCO’s MPA in an elite group—Central is one of only two institutions in Oklahoma to be accredited, and one of 208 programs globally. 

“The Master of Public Administration’s NASPAA accreditation is a tremendous accomplishment that bears witness to the stature of UCO’s public administration program as one of the premier programs of its kind in the United States,” said J. David Macey, Ph.D., interim dean of UCO’s College of Liberal Arts.

“The College of Liberal Arts and the university as a whole owe the faculty of political science a significant debt of gratitude for their work in achieving this prestigious recognition.”

Accredited programs undergo a years-long process of self-study, site visit and peer review, during which they demonstrate their commitment to the knowledge, research and practice of public service. 

During the site visit by The Commission of Peer Review and Accreditation (COPRA), the university received four commendations and two notices of exemplary practice. The university was acknowledged for breakthrough practices related to diversity, equity and inclusion. The evaluation team commented that the UCO MPA is “a shining example of what a mission achieving public administration graduate program can and should be.” COPRA also recognized that MPA students expressed a high level of satisfaction with career outcomes in public service. 

The UCO MPA is a 36-credit hour program that is usually completed within two years of full-time study or completed part time. The program offers flexibility for working adults with night and weekend classes at the Edmond campus and downtown Oklahoma City locations, as well as a fully-online program. MPA graduates work in all levels of government — city, country, state and federal — as well as in nonprofit organizations, the military, indigenous and tribal nations and the private sector.

NASPAA is the global standard for public service education. Accredited programs share NASPAA’s commitment to transparent, effective, inclusive and ethical public service. The NASPAA standard ensures programs promote public service values, bound in the pursuit of programmatic improvement and educational quality. 

In the 2021-22 cycle, the UCO MPA was one of only four programs worldwide that earned accreditation.

For more information about the UCO MPA, visit uco.edu/cla/departments/political-science/mpa.

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Editor’s Note: Download art for publication with this release at https://media.uco.edu/press/uploads/2021/09/oldnorth.jpg