Virginia Commonwealth University · L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs

M.P.A. in Public Administration (online)

Master'sMPAMaster of Public Administration

Overview

A generalist Master of Public Administration from the L. Douglas Wilder School requiring a minimum of 36 credit hours, or 39 with an internship, and delivered online, face-to-face or hybrid. Fall, spring and summer admission deadlines are published.

Official program name: M.P.A. in Public Administration (online)
Awarded degree: Master of Public Administration
Source: online.vcu.edu · verified October 10, 2026
Degree level: Master's
University: Virginia Commonwealth University — L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs
Source: online.vcu.edu · verified October 10, 2026
Administering location: Richmond, VAWhere the university or its administering campus is located. Study is online; this is not a residency requirement and does not decide whether you may enroll from your state.
Subject: Public Administration
Required credits: minimum 36 credit hours (39 with internship)
Source: online.vcu.edu · verified October 10, 2026
Duration: Not verified
Start terms: Fall, Spring, Summer
Source: online.vcu.edu · verified October 10, 2026
Teaching language: English (not separately stated)

Why this program is listed

MPA offered online as well as face-to-face or hybrid; VCU Online lists it as fully online.

Source: online.vcu.edu · verified October 10, 2026

We list online bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees from institutionally accredited US universities. Eligibility rules

Online format and attendance

“Online” is not one format. Delivery, campus visits, practical placements and class schedule are shown separately, each only as the university states it.

Academic delivery: Fully onlineAll coursework is online and the institution states no required on-site activity for this program.
Source: online.vcu.edu · verified October 10, 2026
Campus visits: Campus visits: not verified
Practical placement: Optional practical placement
Source: online.vcu.edu · verified October 10, 2026
Class schedule: Not verified
Study intensity: Not verified

In-person and practical requirements as published

Internship Optional
Internship adds 3 credits (39 instead of 36)
Source: online.vcu.edu · verified October 10, 2026

Curriculum

Curriculum details: not verified. We publish this only when the institution states it on an official page.

Admissions

Required, optional, waived and not-required items are shown exactly as the university states them. Anything not listed is not verified — not “not required”.

Admission requirements: not verified. We publish this only when the institution states it on an official page.

Tests

Entrance and English-language test policy: not verified. We publish this only when the institution states it on an official page.

We do not publish acceptance rates or estimate admission chances.

Start dates and deadlines

Dates are shown with the term the university printed. A past date is marked passed and is never carried into a new cycle.

Priority deadline
April 1 · for Fall
The university does not print a year with this date.
Source: online.vcu.edu · verified October 10, 2026
Year not printed
Application deadline
May 1 · for Fall
The university does not print a year with this date.
Source: online.vcu.edu · verified October 10, 2026
Year not printed
Application deadline
October 1 · for Spring
The university does not print a year with this date.
Source: online.vcu.edu · verified October 10, 2026
Year not printed
Application deadline
February 1 · for Summer
The university does not print a year with this date.
Source: online.vcu.edu · verified October 10, 2026
Year not printed

Tuition and fees

Each amount keeps its student category, academic year and basis. Per-credit, per-term and whole-program figures are not comparable with each other, and tuition is not the full cost of attendance.

Tuition for this online program: not verified. We publish this only when the institution states it on an official page.

Scholarships and financial aid

Awards published by the university for this program or for online students at this level. Loans must be repaid and are not scholarships; financial aid availability does not make a program “fully funded”. Scholarships & funding guide

Program-specific scholarships: not verified. We publish this only when the institution states it on an official page.

Accreditation, authorization and licensure

Three separate questions: is the university accredited, can it enroll students from your state online, and does the program meet licensure requirements where you live?

Institutional accreditation

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) — accreditedSource: ope.ed.gov · verified October 10, 2026

Programmatic accreditation

No programmatic accreditation verified for this program. Institutional accreditation does not imply it.

State authorization

VCU participates in NC-SARA, which allows students from NC-SARA-approved states to enroll in VCU's programs; state regulations determine whether VCU may offer a place to students located outside Virginia. Official pageSource: onlinesocialwork.vcu.edu · verified October 10, 2026

International applicants

Not verified for this online program.

Sources and verification

Every fact on this page comes from the official pages below. Last verified October 10, 2026.

online.vcu.edu/online/programs/mpa-publicadmin/ — Official program page, verified October 10, 2026
onlinesocialwork.vcu.edu/academics/licensure/ — Official disclosure page, verified October 10, 2026
DAPIP — SACSCOC institutional accreditation record (data files downloaded 2026-10-10) — U.S. Department of Education dataset (IPEDS / DAPIP), verified October 10, 2026

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Online Universities is independent and not affiliated with Virginia Commonwealth University. Information is collected from official pages and can change; confirm requirements, costs and deadlines with the university.