The Hugo Wall School of Public Affairs advances excellence in public and nonprofit management through instruction, research and community service. This approach emphasizes hands-on learning for students pursuing a professional degree. It also affords a special connection with the community through projects and research. At the same time, it builds the capacity of local government and nonprofit organizations. The Hugo Wall School makes a unique contribution to Wichita State University’s long-standing commitment of service to Wichita, to the region and to the State of Kansas.
The Hugo Wall School serves as the academic home for the Master of Public Administration degree and the Environmental Finance Center. Through these units, faculty, staff and students blend teaching, research and community engagement in this interdisciplinary field of public affairs. Students pursuing the Master of Public Administration (MPA) gain experience through hands-on projects, research and networking with practitioners in the fields of public and nonprofit administration.
Master of Public Administration
The Master of Public Administration (MPA) degree program, with instruction in public management, public finance and public policy, prepares students for positions of leadership in public and nonprofit organizations. The Master of Public Administration program is accredited by the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs and Administration.
The Master of Public Administration (MPA) degree draws upon the methods and perspectives of the social and behavioral sciences, economics and the humanities. The link between these disciplines and the challenges of public management are emphasized through the use of practitioners in the classroom, policy-relevant research assignments, public affairs seminars and internships. Teaching faculty, with significant professional experience in state and local government, are engaged in cutting-edge research relevant to public and nonprofit organizations in Kansas. This experience allows faculty to bring relevant perspectives on public management into the classroom.
Graduates of the MPA degree program now hold positions of responsibility in state and local government and in nonprofit agencies throughout the United States and in other countries. Graduates serve as city managers and department heads, program managers, finance directors, budget analysts, management analysts and agency planners. Although the majority are employed in public service, some graduates of the program have taken positions in the private sector, while still others have pursued additional study in law, doctoral education or other specializations.
Financial Assistance
The school has two forms of financial aid available that provide recipients opportunities to be directly involved with research and service projects. Financial aid in the form of graduate assistantships and fellowships is awarded competitively on the recommendation of the faculty in the Hugo Wall School of Public Affairs.
Graduate assistants work 20 hours per week with faculty and professional staff on research and projects.
The Hugo Wall School has five endowed fellowships available for financial assistance to qualifying graduate students enrolled in the Master of Public Administration degree. These fellowships — the Hugo Wall, George Pyle, Mike Hill, George Van Riper and Donna Urbom-McClure — are awarded on a competitive basis to students with exemplary records and specific career interests in the field of public administration.