Master of Public Administration (MPA) Program

The MPA degree prepares students to take leadership roles in the public and nonprofit sectors. The Master of Public Administration degree is multidisciplinary and designed to provide graduate professional education for individuals who wish to prepare themselves for administrative and/or policy careers in public, nonprofit, national security and criminal justice systems. In addition to a solid core curriculum covering essential problem-solving and decision-making skills and diverse elective choices, students with less professional experience participate in internships with public and nonprofit agencies. Many SPA students, already established in the public sector in mid-level management, bring a stimulating real-world perspective to the classroom.

Our traditional MPA degree is distinctive in that it can be acquired entirely online, entirely in the classroom, or in combination. The online availability means the degree is accessible to any student with Internet access. Curriculum, degree expectations, and competencies, are all identical for the online and classroom programs. Students in the MPA program should expect to complete the degree in no less than one and a half and no more than six years; the average is about three years. Approximately 120 MPA students were enrolled in the program during the 2012-2013 academic year.

Mission:

The Master of Public Administration program provides high quality graduate education for current and prospective practitioners in public and nonprofit organizations, here and abroad, to prepare them for excellence in public service.

To accomplish this mission, we strive to:

• Advance public service through improving the quality of public, nonprofit, national security, and criminal justice systems.
• Teach students from diverse backgrounds to work collaboratively to meet societal challenges ethically, with compassion, vision, analytic rigor, and practicality.
• Foster strategic leadership skills: critical thinking and decision-making, effective communication, creative problem-solving, knowledge management, multi-sector understanding, and global citizenship.
• Support and model civil public discourse, citizenship, responsibility, and respect.
• Facilitate a process of lifelong learning that evolves and adapts to the changing nature of the field and continuous development of the knowledge, skills, and abilities required.

Competencies:

Graduates of the MPA program will have the following competencies, as enumerated by the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs and Administration (NASPAA) , our accrediting body:

• The ability to lead and manage in public governance
• The ability to participate in and contribute to the public policy process
• The ability to analyze, synthesize, think critically, solve problems, and make decisions
• The ability to articulate and apply a public service perspective
• The ability to communicate and interact productively with a diverse and changing workforce and citizenry

The University of Colorado Colorado Springs is located on approximately 521 acres in northeast Colorado Springs at the foot of Austin Bluffs, a rugged natural cliff formation. The campus provides a spectacular view of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains, including Pikes Peak, a 14,100-foot mountain that inspired Katharine Lee Bates to write “America the Beautiful” from its pinnacle in 1893.

Established in 1965, UCCS was built on an original 1964 gift of 80 acres (for the price of $1) from local businessman George Dwire. The campus continues to expand with the recent additions of a Campus Recreation Center, the Gallogly Events Center, the Osborne Center for Science & Engineering, Berger Hall, Mountain Lion Stadium, and renovations to Dwire Hall, the Heller Center for the Arts and Humanities and Centennial Hall.

In the Fall 2013 semester, more than 10,600 students enrolled in state-supported instruction and almost 1,100 students participated in extended studies. At UCCS 53% of students are female; 23% identify as ethnic minority students. Approximately 92% of UCCS students originate from Colorado; however, students from all 50 states and 55 countries are represented. More than 325 active military personnel and 25 U.S. Olympic athletes pursue higher learning at UCCS. About 84% of students are enrolled in undergraduate programs and 16% are pursuing graduate study, with the assistance of approximately 1,100 faculty and staff. The current funds budget for fiscal year 2014 is approximately $186 million. Campus expenditures yield approximately $310 million to the local economy each year through construction, employee and student spending, travel and operating expenses.

Accreditation

Accredited by the Higher Learning Commission; Member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.

Our Mission

The mission of the Graduate School is to promote excellence in graduate education and to facilitate and enhance the educational experience and opportunities for graduate students. The Graduate School has the responsibility for oversight and coordination of all graduate programs, and to ensure compatibility among programs and compliance with Graduate School policies.

Facts and Figures

2014 Enrollment

• 11,132 fall 2014 on-campus students, +5% (record-high enrollment)
• 2,000 students enrolled in online courses
• 32% Pell Grant recipients
• 33% of all students are minority; 35% of freshman class
• Among fastest growing universities in the state

Fall 2014 Graduate Student Enrollment:

• 1,753 graduate students
• Fourth largest public university graduate enrollment in Colorado (CU Denver, CU Boulder, CSU-Fort Collins, UCCS)
• Graduation rates for ethnic minority groups equals peer university average
• More than 1,500 military veterans, active military, and family members
• 25 U.S. Olympic athletes

Efficient

• UCCS core expenses are 14% less than those of peer universities
• UCCS receives $1,023 less state support per full-time student than peer universities
• UCCS tuition and fees are 8% less than peers
• UCCS has 40% fewer full time equivalent staff than peer universities

High-Quality

• UCCS offers 37 bachelor's degrees, 19 masters, and five doctoral degrees
• US News & World Report: America's Best Colleges
• Thirteenth among Western regional public universities
• Sixth nationally for public undergraduate engineering
• Top-ranked graduate programs in nursing, business and public affairs
• GI Jobs
• Military Friendly (top 20% of colleges and universities)

History

The University of Colorado Colorado Springs was established as an extension of the University of Colorado System in 1965. The campus was located on the site of the former 80-acre Cragmor Sanatorium, a Colorado Springs treatment center and nursing home for persons suffering from tuberculosis that was built in the early 1900s. In 1965, George J. Dwire generously sold the 80-acre property for $1 to the University, and the Colorado Springs Center of the University of Colorado was established.

Property was acquired over the years through significant donations and widespread community support, resulting in the magnificent 532-acre campus UCCS has today to develop and grow. The site was once home to ancestral Native Americans; remains from approximately 30 sites used by Plains Indians from about 100 A.D. to 1400 A.D. dot the campus.

The Early Years

In 1972, the Colorado General Assembly approved Colorado Constitutional Amendment 4, designating the Colorado Springs campus and two other centers as distinct campuses of the University of Colorado . That year Dwire Hall opened as the first solely academic building on campus. In 1974, the first Chancellor of UCCS was appointed, reporting directly to the University of Colorado president.

UCCS grew over the years, developing new study programs within its five colleges: Business and Administration; Education; Engineering and Applied Sciences; Letters, Arts and Sciences; and the School of Public Affairs. In 1997, a community referendum merged the city-owned Beth-El College of Nursing with UCCS, making it the sixth college within the University.

In 2011, responsibility for research was officially added to the UCCS statutory mission by the Colorado legislature. Today, meeting the needs of Colorado's second-largest city and regions beyond, UCCS offers 34 bachelors, 19 masters and five doctoral degrees through its six colleges and schools.

Today

Today, the campus houses extensive classroom buildings, residential housing, a recreation center, a sports complex, a family development center, the Dusty Loo "Bon Vivant" theatre, El Pomar Center and the Kraemer Family Library, the Gallogly Events Center, and the Osborne Science and Engineering Center ; groundbreaking for the innovative Lane Center for Academic Health Sciences was held in June 2012. Since 2000, historic buildings such as the original Main Hall, Cragmor Hall and Dwire Hall have been renovated.

Since its first commencement in 1975, UCCS has graduated approximately 35,000 students. This year's annual enrollment is more than 10,500 students, served by nearly 1,000 faculty and staff, advancing the mission and vision of the university. UCCS anticipates an enrollment of 13,000 students by 2020.

Through the commitment of its community, its alumni and its faculty and staff, UCCS has grown into a vibrant, dynamic university poised to accomplish remarkable things in the 21st century. This is a university built by a community, to benefit the entire community. Its legacies of commitment promise to build opportunities to create a great university in a great city.