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The West Texas A&M University MPA program now accepts the Texas Firefighter Tuition Waiver.

The Spring 2025 priority application deadline is October 15. Apply Today

Master of Public Administration (M.P.A) Degree - 100% Online

Program scholarships up to $2,000 are available for incoming and current students on a competitive basis. 

Over $26,000 in scholarships awarded to MPA students for the 2023-2024 academic year. 

The MPA at WTAMU is intended for professionals pursuing opportunities for growth and promotion within government and non-profit agencies, as well as for students who wish to pursue graduate training immediately after completion of an undergraduate degree. For this 36-hour program, courses are offered 100% online to suit the needs of both traditional graduate students and working professionals. The program provides training in administration applicable to multiple entities and will offer concentrations in rural/local government and criminal justice.

MPA Student Spotlight

Meet Master of Public Administration student, Stefanie Rodarte-Suto. After starting her job with the City of Amarillo, she wanted to learn more about public administration and how, as a public servant, she could better serve the citizens of the community. Stefanie sat down with us to talk about her experiences and about our online MPA program..

M.P.A. Degree Specializations

WTAMU’s MPA program is designed to offer flexibility to students regarding their path to obtaining a graduate degree. As a regional, rural serving institution, our faculty and institutional goals are to offer a curriculum that enhances area governance and service by providing a high-level education to those engaging in public service values.

Furthermore, the MPA program is dedicated to addressing issues within rural and local governance and criminal justice with a curriculum that addresses the needs of the student body from the Texas Panhandle and beyond. Our goal is to promote a diverse student population that services students from rural areas, low-income backgrounds, minority groups; students with accessibility needs, and those who are first generation graduate students to experience a quality and inclusive curriculum and program experience. Faculty and staff are dedicated to assessing approaches for course and program inclusivity and accessibility tools that address the needs for all students to integrate into graduate study and achieve an equitable academic experience.

The program focuses on the needs of government and non-profit administrators and includes a 21-hour (7 course) core in public administration, public policy, public financial administration, ethics, research methods, and statistics. Each student will then select one of the three 9-hour (3 course) concentrations (detailed below) to focus their study. Students can choose to finish the program with a comprehensive exam and six hours of electives (2 courses) or enroll in six hours (2 courses) to write a masters thesis under the direction of a faculty advisor. For course and program descriptions visit the course page

To better meet the needs of our students, the program offers three concentrations in addition to the core courses:

Core Courses in Public Administration  
Rural & Local Governments  
Criminal Justice Administration  
Generalist  

Program Resources

MPA Program Admission

Application Deadlines  
Required Application Materials  

Career Close-Up

State-level data indicates Texas has a high demand for employees with training in public administration. According to the Texas Workforce Commission, there are 7,986 positions open in public administration as of September 2020. Common job skills associated with these positions are interacting with the public, serving customers, solving problems, analyzing data and budgets, attending to details, and making quality decisions. These skills are emphasized heavily in the proposed MPA curriculum, which includes seminar courses in data analytics, personnel, and financial management.

Additionally, students with an MPA have the ability to apply to doctoral programs as well as enter careers as professors at certain institutions.

MPA career table

Scholarships & Program Cost

As a regional and rural serving institution, WTAMU is committed to offering an affordable graduate experience. Students can find the information on graduate tuition and fees here.

Financial aid is available to support those students who would not be able to attend WTAMU without assistance. The primary source of this assistance is financial aid, managed by the WTAMU Financial Aid Office. Students seeking financial aid must file a FAFSA application and work with the WTAMU financial aid office. A FAQ page regarding graduate financial aid can be found on the Graduate School Cost of Attendance page.

University scholarships are available based on need and fit. A list of scholarship opportunities is located on the WT Scholarships page. Scholarship applications are due February 1. Applicants are encouraged to submit both the graduate school admissions application and the scholarship application at the same time. 

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Contacts

Dr. Darrell Lovell
MPA Program Director
Old Main, 406B
(806) 651-2588
WT Graduate School
(806) 651-2730