Executive Master of Public Service & Administration (EMPSA)
An executive master's for experienced public service leaders, online and built around your careerThe EMPSA is a rigorous, NASPAA-accredited executive degree for professionals already leading in public service. Delivered online with just two one-week residencies, it lets you sharpen your leadership, decision-making, and analytical skills without stepping away from your career, alongside a cohort of accomplished peers and the same faculty who teach our residential programs.
Program at a Glance
- Credential
Executive Master of Public Service & Administration (EMPSA)
- Credit Hours
39, non-thesis
- Duration
2 to 3 years, depending on schedule and transfer credits
- Format
Online, with two required one-week residencies (College Station or Washington, D.C.)
- Entry Requirement
5+ years of cumulative public service experience, with 3+ years at the middle-to-upper level
- Capstone
Yes, applied project with a government or nonprofit partner
- Tracks
Homeland Security, Nonprofit Management, or Public Management
About the Program
The Executive Master of Public Service & Administration is built for accomplished professionals pursuing full-time careers in public service. Students develop advanced skills in public service leadership, decision-making, and critical evaluative methods, applying them directly to the work they already do. Because it’s designed for experienced leaders, applicants bring at least five years of cumulative public service experience, including three or more years at the middle-to-upper level. The EMPSA carries the same NASPAA accreditation and top-ranked faculty as the residential MPSA, delivered in a format that fits a working life, and its graduates have achieved a 100 percent employment rate within six months of graduation.
Curriculum
The EMPSA is a 39-credit, non-thesis program. Every student completes a shared core, specializes in one of three tracks (18 hours in the chosen area), and finishes with an applied capstone. Courses are fully online, held in fifteen-week fall and spring sessions and ten-week summer sessions, with the two one-week residencies completing the in-person component. Students can also transfer up to 12 credit hours from the Bush School’s Graduate Certificate in Homeland Security, Public Management, or Nonprofit Management into the related track, a way to stack an earlier certificate toward the full degree.
Core Courses
Shared executive training in public service leadership, decision-making, and analytical methods.
Track
Eighteen hours in a chosen track: Homeland Security, Nonprofit Management, or Public Management.
Applied Capstone
A collaborative project with a government agency or nonprofit partner, applying your learning to a real public service challenge.
Stackable Certificates
Transfer up to 12 hours from a related Bush School graduate certificate into your track.
Tracks
EMPSA students complete eighteen hours in one of three tracks, aligned to the field they lead in.
Career Track Homeland Security
For leaders in homeland security, emergency management, and public safety.
Career Track Nonprofit Management
For leaders in nonprofits and the philanthropic sector.
Career Track Public Management
For leaders in government and public-sector organizations.
Where & How You’ll Study
The EMPSA is delivered online, so you can earn the degree from anywhere while continuing to work. The one in-person requirement is two one-week residencies over the course of the program, held at College Station or Washington, D.C., where you connect with faculty and your cohort face to face. Applications are accepted for fall, spring, and summer entry. Learn more about studying online at the Bush School.
Explore the Bush School DCBeyond the Coursework
The EMPSA culminates in real work for a real client and connects you to a worldwide network of public service leaders.
Applied Capstone
A collaborative project with a government agency or nonprofit, producing real impact and a portfolio piece you can carry into your career.
Residency Experience
Two one-week residencies that bring an online cohort together in person with faculty and peers.
The Aggie Network
Membership in one of the world’s largest and most engaged alumni networks, and the Bush School’s close-knit community of public service leaders.
Explore Further
Faculty
The EMPSA is taught by the same accomplished faculty as the residential MPSA. Explore their backgrounds and research.
Explore the Faculty DirectoryCareers & Outcomes
EMPSA graduates advance into senior public service leadership, with a 100 percent employment rate within six months. For outcomes, see Careers & Outcomes.
Explore Careers & OutcomesCost & Funding
The EMPSA is priced per credit hour, and scholarship aid is available. See the Cost & Funding overview and the EMPSA Cost page.
Explore Cost & FundingReady to Apply?
The EMPSA admits for fall, spring, and summer entry. See requirements and deadlines on the admissions page.
How to Apply