Master of Public Affairs

The Master of Public Affairs degree is a professional diploma designed to prepare students to build competencies and develop creative solutions for challenges in finance, leadership, human resources, and project management. The degree will prepare students for carrying out administrative and leadership responsibilities in government and nonprofit settings. The specific outcome objectives for students who graduate with the MPA degree are:

• An understanding of the philosophical, theoretical, and legal foundations of public management, policymaking, and leadership in government and nonprofit settings.
• Proficiency in organizational and decision analysis, research and evaluation practice, and quantitative and qualitative techniques.
• Sound preparation for careers in the public and nonprofit sectors.
• Mastery of persuasive written and oral communication.

Mission

The Master of Public Affairs (MPA) program advances excellence in public service. The program accomplishes this mission through three sets of activities aimed at preparing its students to serve as capable and ethical stewards of the common good. It imparts essential knowledge, competencies, and perspectives to a diverse array of future and current professionals in government and nonprofit organizations. It supports the wider community through in-service professional and leadership training, through policy and management analysis services, and it produces new knowledge through practice-centred research.

The University of Texas at Dallas is a rising research powerhouse with eight schools and more than 140 academic degrees including top-ranked programs in business, engineering, science, audiology and arts, and technology. The campus community is enriched by a commitment to the arts, service-learning opportunities, and an athletics program with new esports teams. UTD students, faculty, staff, and alumni continue to rise to new challenges, proving that Comets shine bright.

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Mission

The University of Texas at Dallas provides the State of Texas and the nation with excellent, innovative education and research.

The University is committed to graduating well-rounded citizens whose education has prepared them for rewarding lives and productive careers in a constantly changing world; to continually improving educational and research programs in the arts and sciences, engineering, and management; and to assist the commercialization of intellectual capital generated by students, staff, and faculty.

Vision and Goals

At UT Dallas, our vision is to be one of the nation’s best public research universities and one of the great universities in the world. We are ideally positioned to accomplish this goal as a global leader in innovative, high-quality science, business, and engineering education and research.

As president, every decision I make is intended to further this vision and to support UT Dallas’ mission to produce graduates prepared for life, work, and leadership; to advance our educational and research programs; and to transform ideas into actions that benefit the citizens of Texas.

UT Dallas’s exponential growth has put us on a trajectory to achieve several key goals that will also help us to fulfil our greater vision.

We aspire to be:

• A first-rank public research university with focused centres of excellence that is prepared to meet the challenges of a rapidly changing, technology-driven global society.
• A global force in innovative, transdisciplinary research and education in emerging areas of technology, science, and learning.
• A groundbreaking leader both in framing and answering the questions faced by business, policymakers, and the public.
• A synergistic partner with local industry, government, and cultural organizations as well as local K-12 schools, colleges, and universities.
• One of the most creative, innovative universities in the nation and world.

UT Dallas can achieve these goals because we are a young, agile university located in one of the nation’s largest, most vibrant metropolitan areas. Our talented students and faculty have the benefit of many innovative programs, and they are surrounded by businesses that have a track record of collaboration with the University. We are also backed by the strength and reputation of The University of Texas System, and we enjoy collaboration opportunities with our nearby sister organizations, UT Southwestern Medical Center, and UT Arlington.

This combination of focus, youth, quality, location, and collaboration makes UT Dallas an ideal candidate to evolve from a small, young, very good university into a nationally pre-eminent, top-tier research university — an asset that the Dallas area urgently needs.

We must respond to new opportunities and challenges without limitations, explore new ways to engage our community, and further these goals, which will enrich life for us all.

“UT Dallas is different by design. The differences are our defining characteristics. We are the school where the ‘rock stars’ do things like make animated films, build robots and play chess. We’re the school where students regularly win at the national level in the debate, engineering design, and competition for business ideas. And UTD is the proud home to fine student-athletes, more than a few of whom have achieved Academic All-American status. For those reasons and many more, students are choosing UTD in ever-increasing numbers.”

Dr. Richard C. Benson, President of UT Dallas