MPA – Public and Nonprofit Management Master’s Degree Mastering Management for Social Impact
36
Credit Hours
100% online, 8-week courses
Transfer in up to 50% of the degree total
Make a Difference in Your Community with a Public and Nonprofit Management Master’s Degree
Are you passionate about finding useful and creative ways to serve your community? Do you want to hone your leadership skills and pursue jobs in management? Are you seeking a versatile degree that can help equip you to work in the public or private sector?
If so, Liberty’s online Master of Public Administration (MPA) – Public and Nonprofit Management degree may be for you! This degree can help equip you to oversee projects and programs that fulfill government directives and promote the common good.
Develop the administrative skills you need to thrive in leadership roles at the local, state, or federal level. By completing this MPA program, you can pursue a wide range of job opportunities in government or in the nonprofit sector.
Partner with us and take your public service career to the next level.
Why Choose Liberty’s Master’s Degree in Nonprofit Management and Public Administration?
Liberty has been a pioneer in distance education since 1985. A lot has changed since then, but our commitment to Training Champions for Christ has not. At Liberty, you won’t just get an education — you can develop the knowledge, skills, and values essential for impacting the world.
Whether you’re looking to advance in your current field, switch career paths, or prepare for a doctoral program, Liberty University’s public administration degree can help.
Choosing Liberty means choosing…
Flexibility | Our public and nonprofit program is offered 100% online, and the courses have no set login times. You can earn your degree from anywhere in the world without needing to relocate to attend classes on campus. The best part? You can stay invested in your family and career while achieving your academic goals!
Experienced Faculty | In this program, you’ll study under professors who have years of experience working in public administration. With their guidance, you can gain marketable skills and insider tips that could help set you apart from the competition.
Respected Credentials | Liberty University is regionally accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). You can be confident that your degree from Liberty has met rigorous academic standards and accreditation requirements.
Ethical Training | Learn how to lead with excellence and integrity in the workplace. All of Liberty’s online programs are taught from a biblical worldview, and our faculty are firmly grounded in the Christian faith. Our MPA courses seek to integrate ethical principles with professional knowledge — so you can become equipped to use your skills in service to God and others.
What Will You Study in Our MPA in Nonprofit Management Online Program?
In this program, you can gain advanced skills in the area of public administration. Some of the core topics you’ll study include community economic development, public policy analysis, public sector budgeting, and applied research methods. You’ll also analyze how public budgeting is affected by politics and economics. With this knowledge, you can learn how to handle the administrative and financial aspects of public and nonprofit management.
As a public servant, you’ll need to navigate a variety of legal challenges, ethical issues, political problems, and shifting cultural dynamics. Our MPA program can help equip you to handle these challenges with skill and integrity. You’ll also learn about current trends in public administration, so you can stay ahead of the curve and adapt to the ever-changing political climate.
Our public and nonprofit management specialization provides a practical, historical, and theoretical approach to leadership. You can learn how to effectively manage many aspects of an organization, including financial resources and human capital. Additionally, you can take an in-depth look at unique aspects of nonprofit management, such as how to acquire and manage grant money.
Before graduating, you’ll have the option to either complete a thesis or take 6 credit hours of elective courses. If you choose the thesis route, you’ll have the opportunity to research a current problem in public administration. That way, you can synthesize what you’ve learned and work on developing practical solutions to real-world issues.
Potential Career Opportunities
Liberty’s public and nonprofit master’s degree can help you pursue a variety of management and leadership jobs. Some of the roles you may qualify for include:
- Administrative officer
- Compliance or loss prevention manager
- Fundraising manager
- Policy specialist
- Program director
- Social or community service manager
Featured Courses
Degree Information
- This program falls under the Helms School of Government.
- View the Graduate Government Course Guides (login required).
Degree Completion Plan
Not sure what to choose?
Speak to one of our admissions specialists to help you choose the program that best fits your needs.
Tuition & Aid
Your success is our success, which is why we are committed to providing quality academics at an affordable tuition rate. While other colleges are increasing their tuition, we have frozen tuition rates for the majority of our undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programs for the past 9 years – and counting.
Graduate Full Time | $565/Credit |
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Graduate Part Time | $615/Credit |
Military Graduate | $275/Credit |
Tuition rates may change annually. For the most current information, please visit our LU Tuition Cost page.
All Tuition & Fees
Financial Aid & Scholarships
Admission Information for Liberty University’s MPA in Public and Nonprofit Management and Policy Degree
Admission Requirements
- Apply online or over the phone with an admissions counselor by calling (800) 424-9596.
- A non-refundable, non-transferable $50 application fee will be posted on the current application upon enrollment (waived for qualifying service members, veterans, and military spouses – documentation verifying military status is required).
- Send official college transcripts (mailed as sealed, unopened copies or sent via a direct electronic transcript system). A regionally or nationally accredited bachelor’s degree with at least a 3.0 GPA is required for admission in good standing. Applicants who have earned a master’s degree or at least 12 graduate credits from an accredited institution will be assessed on the basis of the master’s-level degree work.
- Unofficial transcripts can be used for acceptance purposes with the submission of a Transcript Request Form.
- Applicants whose native language is other than English must submit official scores for the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or an approved alternative assessment. For information on alternative assessments or TOEFL waivers, please call Admissions or view the official International Admissions policy.
Preliminary Acceptance
If you are sending in a preliminary transcript for acceptance, you must:
- Be in your final term and planning to start your master’s degree after the last day of class for your bachelor’s degree.
- Complete a Bachelor’s Self-Certification Form confirming your completion date. You may download the form from the Forms and Downloads page or contact an admissions counselor to submit the form on your behalf.
- Submit an official/unofficial transcript to confirm that you are in your final term. The preliminary transcript must show a minimum of 105 completed credit hours.
- If you are a current Liberty University student completing your undergraduate degree, you will need to submit a Degree/Certificate Completion Application.
- Send in an additional, final official transcript with a conferral date on it by the end of your first semester of enrollment in the new master’s degree.
Dual Enrollment
Please see the Online Dual Enrollment page for information about starting graduate courses while finishing your bachelor’s degree.
Transcript Policies
Unofficial College Transcript Policy
Unofficial transcripts combined with a Transcript Request Form can be used for admission. Official transcripts are required within 60 days of the admissions decision or before non-attendance drops for the first set of matriculated classes, whichever comes first, and will prevent enrollment into future terms until all official transcripts have been received.
Before sending unofficial college transcripts, please make sure they include the following:
- Your previous school’s name or logo printed on the document
- Cumulative GPA
- A list of completed courses and earned credit broken down by semester
- Degree and date conferred (if applicable)
Official College Transcript Policy
An acceptable official college transcript is one that has been issued directly from the institution and is in a sealed envelope. If you have one in your possession, it must meet the same requirements. If your previous institution offers electronic official transcript processing, they can send the document directly to luoverify@liberty.edu.
If the student uses unofficial transcripts with a Transcript Request Form to gain acceptance, all official transcripts must be received within 60 days of the admissions decision or before non-attendance drops for the first set of matriculated classes, whichever comes first. Failure to send all official transcripts within the 60-day period will prevent enrollment into future terms until all official transcripts have been received.
Admissions Office Contact Information
Liberty University Online Admissions Verification
1971 University Blvd.
Lynchburg, VA 24515
Ready to Apply?
Submit your application online or over the phone.
Military
Liberty University is dedicated to providing world-class educational experiences to military students across the globe.
Who May Qualify?
- Active Duty
- Reserve/National Guard
- Veterans/Retirees
- Spouses of Service Members and Veterans/Retirees
- Current Department of Defense Employees
Available Benefits:
- Tuition discounts – $275 per credit hour for graduate courses
- Additional discount for veterans who serve in a civilian capacity as a First Responder (less than $625 per course)*
- 8-week courses, 8 different start dates each year, and no set login times (may exclude certain courses such as practicums, internships, or field experiences)
*Not applicable to certificates.
Tuition rates may change annually. For the most current information, please visit our LU Tuition Cost page.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between an MBA and an MPA in nonprofit management?
When choosing between an MBA and an MPA, you’ll want to consider your long-term career goals. Both degrees can help you gain important management skills — but they have some key differences.
Liberty’s online Master of Business Administration (MBA) program is a great option for those looking to develop advanced business skills and serve as business executives. By earning an MBA, you can learn how to maximize your company’s profits while meeting the needs of consumers.
In contrast, our MPA in Public and Nonprofit Management can equip you to help government and nonprofit agencies promote the common good. You can learn how to make strategic decisions and develop public programs that serve everyday citizens. By completing our MPA program, you can learn to look beyond the needs of your individual organization — and instead focus on ways to help your entire community thrive.
Is public administration the same as public policy?
A career in public policy involves researching, writing, and creating government policy. Public administrators seek to implement those policies on a practical level. By working in public administration, you can help develop, implement, and oversee projects and programs that meet the needs of citizens.
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