About Us

WHAT IS PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND NONPROFIT MANAGEMENT?

Public administration is the implementation of government policies and the management of public programs.  Public administrators are responsible for the organization and operation of government agencies, ensuring that our laws, policies, and programs are effectively administered to serve the public.  Public administrators work in institutions at the local, state, federal levels as well as supranational organizations.  Public administrators engage in policy implementation, public service delivery,  government accountability, intergovernmental relations, and public sector management.  

Closely tied to the work of government are nonprofit organizations, many of which deliver government services on the behalf of the public through government contracts and grants or meet the needs of the public that government can or does not to deliver in a wide range of areas from social services to the arts. In New York State, nonprofits deliver many of New York's social services and, therefore, work closely with local and state government. Nonprofit managers, whether they receive funding from governments, own resources, or private donors and foundations, must be conversant in fundraising and resource development, program management, managing and recruiting volunteers and their staff, financial oversight, advocacy, and community engagement. Nonprofit managers, like their public counterparts, manage their organizations in the public interest, not for the "bottom line."  

At Buffalo State we train current and future public and nonprofit managers through courses in budgeting, accounting, human resource management, strategic planning, leadership, research methods, data analysis, program evaluation, organizational structure, and policy analysis. 

While many of the skills and techniques transfer between the public, nonprofit, and private sectors (as exemplified in the MBA degree), the missions, goals, objectives, accountability, and transparency differ fundamentally between public and nonprofit agencies, on one hand, and for-profit enterprises, on the other. That's why there are both MPA and MPA degrees.  If you currently work in or would like to pursue a career in the public or nonprofit sectors, we urge you to consider the MPA to further your professional development. 

ARE THERE JOBS?

A quarter of public sector employees in New York State and local government will be reaching retirement age within the next five years.  Western New York is also home to over 7,000 nonprofit corporations.  The MPA is the recognized degree for managerial positions in the public and nonprofit sectors. Our MPA alumni hold positions in the public, nonprofit, and private sectors.  

WHY BUFFALO STATE UNIVERSITY?

Public and Nonprofit Management Orientation
Our MPA program and Graduate Certificate in Public Management  train students in New Public Management (emphasizing performance-based management systems, results-based budgeting, performance contracts, and managing in the public interest) because our public administration programs are located in a Department of Economics and Finance.  Our faculty are economists, public administrationists, and political scientists (with business and public administration training and expertise) who will teach you budgeting, data analysis, city/county/state governance, metrics and benchmarking, strategic planning, public policy analysis, organizational behavior and structure, survey design, needs assessments, strategic planning, effective leadership, program evaluation, and methods to improve accountability to stakeholders.  These are the contemporary skills needed to not only manage, but to excel in one's career in the public and nonprofit sectors.  

Small Class Size

Our graduate classes average ten (10) students.

One-on-One Faculty/Student Mentorship for the MPA Capstone Project

UNLIKE many MPA programs, our capstone experience is an INDIVIDUAL project - not a group project or portfolio.  Why is this important?  Because our MPA students graduat with an original research project that demonstrates their mastery of public and nonprofit management.  Individual supervision involves a lot of people-hours for the faculty, but our MPA Advisory Board, our alumni, the larger community, and the faculty believe in this one-on-one mentorship for each MPA student.  Several of our MPA students have co-authored articles in peer-reviewed journals with their MPA project supervisor - an opportunity much less likely with the portofolio or group project model.  Our MPA program also offers students the ability to upload their completed MPA projects to Buffalo State's Digital Commons and track the download analytics for their papers.  (As of May 2025, MPA projects uploaded to Digital Commons had nearly 20,000 downloads!)  Our MPA Project Presentations (scheduled every May and December) are attended by MPA Advisory Board members, community leaders, alumni, current students, and field supervisors.  Furthermore, the MPA projects enable a team of faculty to engage in continous improvement recommendations by assessing all the MPA projects during the summer and relaying the results to the MPA Program Committee to ensure any perceived gaps in knowledge are addressed in our MPA core classes.

Emphasis on Community Engagement

As more MPA programs are going online, Buffalo State has made the commitment to community building, which is the hallmark of an in-person MPA program. But we are flexible!  We are also the ONLY university in Western New York offering the in-person MPA. We offer a combination of in-person, hybrid, and online classes, which is especially important to assist our in-service service with timely completion of the degree program.  

Our public administration faculty have been guided by our mission to serve the City of Buffalo, Western New York, the State of New York, and beyond by training civic and community-engaged leaders to start or enhance their careers as managers in the public and nonprofit sectors.  Our public administration alumni have served from the White House to village hall, from banking to industry,  from large, well-funded nonprofits to storefront neighborhood voluntary associations, and higher education.  

We nurture alumni-student interactions by inviting our alumni to campus to share their expertise with students and faculty, such as the City of Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown who co-created our NYS Government & Budget class (MPA); serving on our MPA Advisory Board;  serving as panel chairs and discussants in conferences; supervising undergraduate and graduate internships;  and, overseeing MPA project research at their government and nonprofit agencies.  New York State government has recognized our leadership in training public administrators by including our MPA in the Excelsior Service Fellowship Program, which has accepted a number of our MPA graduates for two-year, full-time fellowships in NYS government agencies and state authorities.

Affordability

SUNY Buffalo State University is the ONLY public college or university in the Buffalo-Niagara region offering degrees, certificates, and minors in the field of public administration.   

Prior Learning Credit for Experienced In-Service Professionals

We offer up to six credit hours of Prior Learning Credit for our in-service students who have a minimum of five years experience in managerial/program coordinator positions in a nonprofit, public, or business entity.   We also transfer up to 12 graduate credits into the MPA from other MPA programs or from related disciplines (such as business administration, social work, education, economics, or political science).  

Successful Alumni

Our alumni get jobs and promotions!  They work in all public sectors and nonprofits.  Some have also pursued rewarding careers in the private sector.

NASPAA Accredited MPA

We are one of just two universities located in Western New York offering a NASPAA accredited MPA.

Engaged Faculty Who Balance Scholarship, Teaching, and Community Engagement

Our faculty and alumni led the effort to establish the Western New York Chapter of the American Association of Public Administration (ASPA) (formerly, Buffalo-Niagara Chapter of the American Association for Public Administration),  a commitment that continues to this day. (Dr. Buonanno is ASPA chapter president and Dr. Soni is President-Elect for the 2025-2026 year.)  Further evidence of Buffalo State's commitment to state-of-the art education and nonprofit management was admission to the Network of Public Administration and Public Affairs (NASPAA) in 2011.  

Our MPA Program Committee, which manages the MPA program, is comprised of six full-time faculty who hold the doctorate degree and one professor of practice who served for almost 20 years as mayor of the City of Buffalo. Our MPA faculty hold postgraduate degrees in business administration, economics, finance, leadership, political science, public administration, and social work.  We are accomplished scholars who publish our scholarship, present our findings at academic conferences and to community groups, and are frequently called on by the media to comment on current events.   We are also active in the public and nonprofit communities.  (See our faculty profiles.)  

Student Diversity

Our student body is very diverse.  Our students are both in-service professionals and students who have recently completed their undergraduate degrees.   We welcome US military veterans and have graduated several veterans from our MPA program.   

ORGANIZATION OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AT SUNY BUFFALO STATE UNIVERSITY

MPA Advisory Board

The MPA Advisory Board is comprised of professionals in the field who ensure the MPA is meeting workforce needs in New York State and beyond.  

Department Organization

Public administration programs are housed in the  Department of Business, Economics and Public Administration in the School of Education & Applied Professions.  The new school was established August 1, 2025.  Our is department committed to state-of- the-art new public management training for the public, nonprofit, and private sectors.   

Interim Dean of the School of Education & Applied Professions:  Dr. Wendy Patterson

Department Chair:  Dr. Joelle Leclaire

Public Administration Coordinator:  Dr. Laurie Buonanno