Metropolitan State University

What you'll study

Students begin with program fundamentals, then progress through strategic skills and knowledge courses, select a focus in Public Administration or Nonprofit Management (or combine both), and finish with a capstone seminar. Core learning areas emphasized across the curriculum include:

• Organization and management (e.g., strategic human resource management, revenue generation and fundraising, budgeting and financial management)
• Analytic methods (e.g., public policy analysis, program evaluation, economic and statistical reasoning)
• Ethical and accountable leadership (theories and best practices for public service and respectful engagement with diverse cultures)

The capstone seminar serves as the integrative final project for the degree.

Entry requirements

Applicants may submit GMAT or GRE scores to bypass the program's quantitative admissions assessment. If no GMAT/GRE are provided and the applicant's cumulative undergraduate GPA for the last two years is below 3.0, completion of the program's free online quantitative tutorial/assessment (ALEKS) is required. All applicants must submit an admissions essay, which also functions as a writing assessment. Any required quantitative assessment and the admissions essay must be completed before a final admission decision is issued and before enrolling in graduate-level courses.

Career prospects

The curriculum targets competencies used in managerial, analytic, and leadership roles in public and nonprofit organizations. Graduates have taken positions such as:

• City Manager; County Administrator; Police Chief; County and City Finance Directors
• Grants management, development and fundraising roles; Executive Director/CEO/COO of nonprofits
• Program managers, project managers, community development specialists, and policy/analyst roles in state and local government
• Specialized roles such as forensic scientist, diplomat, or court operations supervisor held by alumni of the broader graduate programs

Scholarships & funding angle

Metro State offers targeted tuition support for some students in the Public and Nonprofit Leadership area: AmeriCorps National Service alumni receive a 20% tuition discount, and the Nellie Stone Johnson Scholarship provides financial assistance to racial or ethnic minority union members pursuing postsecondary education. Additional departmental or institutional aid may be available; students should consult the university for current funding opportunities.