Program History

The Master of Public Administration (MPA) program at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh has grown and progressed since its inception in 1972. The MPA program was established to meet the needs of employees in public, non-for-profit, and health care agencies interested in enhancing their administrative knowledge and skills. It was housed in the Department of Political Science from 1972 to 1983. In 1983 the MPA program became part of the Department of Public Affairs, which also contained undergraduate programs in Criminal Justice and Urban and Regional Studies. A significant addition to the MPA program was the Graduate Certificate in Health Care Management, which admitted its first students in Spring 2004. This interdisciplinary program was developed in recognition of the fact that the need for trained managers in the health care field was expanding rapidly.

In July 2011 the MPA program was removed from the Department of Public Affairs. A separate Department of Public Administration was established that continued offering both the MPA program and the Graduate Certificate in Healthcare Management.

In 2017 Spring semester, the department launched the 100% Online MPA program in collaboration with the Online and Continuing Education Division (a division, which was eventually eliminated in 2024). On June 9th, 2020, the Degree Assembly Board of Governors voted to accredit the online MPA with Fire and Emergency Administration and Management (FEAM) emphasis. This accreditation for the MPA with FEAM emphasis is for a period of 5 years.

Due to COVID and the increased interest in online education, as well as the higher applications and enrollments in the online MPA program, we had to phase out the on-campus version of the MPA program; on-campus MPA classes were last offered in Fall 2022. Although the online MPA launched in Spring 2017, it was officially acknowledged by the UW System in the Spring 2023.

The Public Administration Department merged with the Sociology Department for the period, Fall 2023-Spring 2025. The first Early Start MPA (4+1) was launched together with the undergraduate sociology program as a result.

On July 1st, 2025, the UWO adopted a New Structure with three colleges and associated schools. All departments were eliminated. Individual disciplines/programs were housed in schools within the colleges. The MPA program is currently in the School of Public Affairs and Global Engagement (PAGE) in the College of Public Affairs and Education. It is the only graduate program in the School of PAGE. In addition to the MPA program, the public administration entity runs the Graduate Certificate in Healthcare Management, as well as undergraduate public administration classes as a service to other undergraduate programs in the School of PAGE.

Over the years the MPA program at UW-Oshkosh has been recognized for providing a top-notch education and training in managing public, nonprofit and health care organizations in Wisconsin and beyond.

The program’s mission is carried out by dedicated and productive faculty and staff members. All faculty and staff work as a highly effective and cohesive team with emphasis on strong communication and collaboration, trust and commitment, leadership, and diversity of skills, talents and personalities. All faculty and staff are inspired by the common goal of providing quality educational experiences to all students and seeing UW-Oshkosh graduates as effective leaders who serve responsibly their communities and contribute to the public good.