SUNY Geneseo announces joint MPA program with UAlbany

Photo courtesy of Photo Editor Artlette Alvarez

An empty classroom in SUNY Geneseo’s South Hall awaits students coming in for class. Eager SUNY Geneseo students now have the opportunity to apply for the advanced MPA program.

SUNY Geneseo recently joined  the University at Albany’s Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy in the creation of a 4+1 program for a Master’s of Public Administration (MPA) graduate degree. For the bachelor’s degree portion, those enrolled in the program have the opportunity to major in political science or international relations. Students utilizing this undergraduate plan will swiftly complete both their bachelor’s and master’s in either five years, or five years plus one additional semester.

Earning a bachelor’s and master’s degree is often pricey. The BA/MA program, which may be applied for “as early as… junior year,” reduces the cost of the completion of both a bachelor’s and master’s degree. During the undergraduate process, credit earnings toward one’s graduate degree may occur simultaneously. At most, 12 credits can be completed toward both degrees.

As stated on the SUNY Geneseo website, finishing the program indicates within itself a strong indicator of success, as 98% of those who graduated from Rockefeller under the MPA program found work within just one year of graduating. Rockefeller’s MPA program ranks within the top 30 MPA programs nationally.

Allocating both SUNY Geneseo’s and University at Albany’s unique strengths provides those within the program with thorough experience-gathering, knowledge-gaining, and networking opportunities. UAlbany offers direct, hands-on learning experiences through a minimum of 350 hours of internships with supervision, which can be full- or part-time. Within the US, UAlbany is known for strong public affairs training, with connections to the New York State government. SUNY Geneseo contributes by featuring a smaller campus, facilitating increased personal connection with instructors, as well as a successful alumni network.

Course learning during the 4+1 program provides increased opportunities for public policy, government, and nonprofit careers. MPA courses offer training for multiple workfields, with some training similar to a Master of Public Policy (MPP), and some similar to a Master of Business Administration (MBA). An MPA incorporates learning about business, economics, and managing finances, as well as public policy, community resources, infrastructure, and educational planning. Careers that fall under these areas of learning include government positions at all levels, plus nonprofit careers in health, education, human needs, animal rights, environmental work, journalism, and public relations

The MPA program’s classes are designed to build skills that are based in management and leadership, as well as analyzing public policy. In practice, they strengthen one’s ability to supervise and manage team assignments and morale in the workplace. These courses help individuals learn how to most effectively back up their team members, become better organized, and understand how to work through shifting policies to reduce negative social and economic consequences. 

Viable locations for the MPA’s internship requirement include American Red Cross, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, the Social Security Administration, the New York State Senate Finance Committee, and the New York State Office of Counter Terrorism. It is possible to skip an internship if one has two years of experience in a relevant field or, while enrolled in the MPA portion, is employed full-time in a relevant sector, including either Administration, International Affairs, or Public Affairs.

SUNY Geneseo’s political science bachelor’s courses include American Politics, International Politics, and Political Theory, plus electives in Global Political Economy, Democratization, Judicial Politics, Identity Politics, Human Rights, West European Politics, and Terrorism and National Security. The college’s international relations bachelor’s necessitates completion of a study abroad program or an international relations-based internship. Available tracks are Regional and Comparative Studies, Development and Sustainability Studies, War and Peace Studies, or Global Political Economy. Courses include Comparative Politics, Intro to International Politics, Macroeconomics, Microeconomics, Statistics, Theories of International Relations, and US Foreign Policy.

There are particular courses that are central to Rockefeller’s MPA. The information from these are likely to be featured in equivalent courses in the partnership program with SUNY Geneseo. These courses include Introduction to Foundations of Public Administration, Public and Nonprofit Financial Management, Valuing People in Public and Nonprofit Organizations, Principles of Public Economics, Data, Models, and Decisions, Statistics for Public Managers and Policy Analysts, Foundations of Public Management, and an Integrative Capstone experience.

Several UAlbany alumni who went through its MPA program now sport impressive accomplishments. John D. Porcari, MPA ’85, received the Milk Excellence in Public Service award in 2024. He works at Aviation Supply Chain Integrity Coalition as co-chair and has worked to enact infrastructure policies. He was an envoy for the port and supply chain during COVID-19 under the Biden-Harris Administration Supply Chain Disruptions Task Force. Jermaine Privott, MPA ’04, earned a Distinguished Alum in Public Administration award, and Joseph Popcun, MPA ’14, received an award titled Young Alum in Public Administration. Together, these alums model the invaluable training and experience the 4+1 program has to offer.