Careers and Internships
MPA Internships
Our students are routinely placed in a variety of professional settings including local governments like the cities of Edmond, Guthrie, Pryor and Oklahoma City; state agencies such as the Governor’s Office, Oklahoma Health Care Authority and the State Treasurer’s Office; and federal offices such as the Veterans Administration, the U.S. Secret Service, Congress and the White House. Note that internships are optional experiences.
For more information about the MPA Internship Program, contact Elizabeth Overman at eoverman@uco.edu.
MPA Career Opportunities
The UCO MPA is a professional degree that provides the training and practical skills to be successful in local, county, tribal, state, national governments, nonprofit organizations and even private companies. The “graying” of the public-sector workforce at all levels of government, especially among mid-management and professional positions best served by an MPA education, ensure continued opportunity for employment and career growth for the next several years. Growth in the nonprofit sector has increasing appeal for professionals desiring to pursue meaningful careers that make a difference. Private companies also are looking for public service-minded employees who care about the triple bottom line – not only financial success, but also social and environmental impacts.
The MPA program faculty disseminate job announcements from a variety of stakeholders. The UCO MPA alumni chapter also communicates job openings to graduates. Additionally, UCO maintains a robust Career Services office that provides services including job placements.
Interested in shadowing a city manager? Let us help match you with one!
Shadow Application Form
Career Placement for FY 2017-18
Job placement statistics by sector within six months of graduation. Data was compiled by Jan Hardt, Ph.D., by gathering information from LinkedIn, faculty and Facebook as part of a report submitted for NASPAA accreditation.- National or central government in the same country as the program: 7.5%
- State, provincial or regional government in the same country as the program: 27.5%
- Government not in the same country as the program (all levels) or international quasi-governmental: 12.5%
- Nonprofit domestic-oriented: 20%
- Nonprofit/NGOs internationally-oriented: 5%
- Private Sector – Research/Consulting: 0
- Private Sector but not research/consulting: 0
- Obtaining further education: 7.5%
- Military Service: 7.5%
- Unemployed (not seeking employment): 0
- Unemployed (seeking employment): 2.5%
- Status Unknown: 10%