A Master of Public Administration offered fully online by Beal University in Bangor, Maine, advertised as completable in 12 to 24 months and aimed at leadership roles in the public and nonprofit sectors.

Overview

The Master of Public Administration (MPA) is a graduate program offered by Beal University, a private university based in Bangor, Maine. It is delivered entirely online and advertised as completable in 12 to 24 months.

Beal describes public administration professionals as managing programs, allocating resources, shaping public policy and ensuring the delivery of services such as education, healthcare, transportation, public safety and social services at local, state, federal and nonprofit levels. The university states that the program emphasises policy analysis, program evaluation, budget management and ethical leadership, and identifies its intended audience as aspiring public servants, policy analysts and nonprofit managers.

Curriculum

Beal lists the following among the core courses taken during the program:

Ethical Leadership and Management
Organizational Behavior
Financial Management
Governmental and Fiscal Decision Making
Public Policy and Administration
Human Resources

Program outcomes

Beal states that on completion students should be able to demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms of public administration and of policy development and implementation across governmental and non-governmental contexts; develop solutions to complex policy issues; promote ethical leadership and accountability in public service; manage and lead diverse teams, projects and organizations; and demonstrate effective oral and written communication.

Delivery and structure

The program is delivered 100% online with what the university describes as a flexible schedule. Online students are offered access to campus resources including the writing centre, library, technical support and career services.

Career context

The program page lists city or county manager, policy analyst, budget analyst, legislative analyst or aide, nonprofit executive director, grant writer and public sector consultant among the roles graduates may pursue. It cites the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics projection that employment of administrative services managers will grow 6% between 2023 and 2033.

Source and evidence

This article summarizes the program description published by Beal University on its own website, captured on 26 August 2026. As a self-published institutional source it supports uncontroversial facts about the institution's own offering — course titles, stated duration, delivery mode and stated outcomes — but does not independently verify claims about employment prospects or program quality. The stated completion time carries an asterisk in the source material, and the labour-market projection is attributed by Beal to a third-party government source rather than established here.