Contact Information
University of Utah MPA
260 S. Central Campus Drive, Rm. 214
Salt Lake City, UT 84112
Directions to MPA office and parking
Campus Address: Orson Spencer Hall (OSH), room 214
Phone: 801-581-6781
Fax: 801-587-7861
U of U MPA Information
The University of Utah MPA Program, established in 1976, recently celebrated 30 years of success. The first MPA degree was awarded by The U. in 1977. Since then, the U.'s MPA Program has established a strong local, regional and national reputation, producing alumni in all fields of public and nonprofit administration.
The MPA was built upon a graduate certificate program established in 1946 that had been offered through the Institute of Government and which required one and one-half years of full-time effort. During the 1940s and 1950s, the certificate program was quite active, influencing public administration in Utah and through the west.
The University made the deliberate choice to administer the MPA Program through an independent center (then the Institute of Government, now the Center for Public Policy and Administration) thereby offering an opportunity to develop a multi-disciplinary program, but having primary affiliation with the Department of Political Science.
From its inception, the Program has been rigorous, requiring integrated core and elective coursework, practical administrative experience and a major research paper. The founders were firm in their vision: the MPA Program would prepare graduates to deal responsibly with the processes of democratic government. Although the MPA has been revised and updated regularly to respond to the changing environment, including the growth of the nonprofit sector, its foci and emphases have remained remarkably stable.