By Michelle Hines, University Relations
Contact: (336) 334-5371
Posted 6-19-07
GREENSBORO, NC – Starting this fall, a new, 15-hour concentration in local government management will be available in the Master of Public Affairs degree program.
“When the MPA Program started 30-plus years ago, graduates generally went to work for city or county government,” said Dr. Ken Klase, program director. “None of the coursework is new, but we’ve combined them into a meaningful concentration. Students just felt a need to designate that they were destined for careers in local government management. It helps with recruiting from local governments.”
The concentration includes studies in local government administration, urban political systems, public financial management, ethics and public policy, and urban development policy.
Klase said about 60 percent of MPA students are part-time students already employed full-time by local governments or nonprofit organizations. Completing the MPA gives them valuable public management skills and upward mobility in the field.
“It’s particularly important that we re-emphasize the local government aspect at this juncture,” Klase said. “A lot of older city and county managers are retiring. There’s got to be a group of management professionals coming up as the next generation.”
Numerous local officials and city managers have graduated from UNCG’s MPA program, the only MPA program in the Triad. Graduates include Jeff Thigpen, Guilford County’s register of deeds, as well as city managers in Asheboro, Trinity, Oak Ridge and Burlington.
The MPA program, housed in the university’s Political Science department, requires 43 hours of coursework, including an internship. The 15 hours required for the local government concentration would be rolled into the 43-hour total.
For more information on the MPA program, contact Ken Klase at (336) 256-0510 or visit the MPA web site at http://www.uncg.edu/psc/mpa/.
