Gain an understanding of public policy and how it’s implemented in government, nonprofit or public institutions. Our Bachelor of Science in Public Administration degree prepares you for roles in both the public and private sectors and covers everything from civil leadership, business and governmental law to finance and budgeting.
Save time and money on your bachelor's degree with eligible transfer credits.
Your work, life, and school experiences may give you a head start on your degree.
No application fee
No SAT/ACT
No essay required
Ignite Your Passion
Start when you're ready
Courses
Education should hold practical value. That’s why our courses meet rigorous academic standards and provide you with skills and knowledge immediately applicable to your career.
Look for this icon to see which skills you’ll learn in a course.
You’ll need 120 credits to complete this Bachelor of Science in Public Administration. Your course schedule may vary based on transferable credits or credits earned through the University’s Prior Learning Assessment.
Your academic counselor will help schedule your courses for a Bachelor of Science in Public Administration.
Learning shouldn’t take years to put into practice. That’s why we’re empowering you to build career-relevant skills with every five- to six-week course.
We’ve worked with the labor market researcher Lightcast to identify in-demand skills for occupations and mapped those to our related associate, bachelor’s and master’s degree programs.
Tuition
Get credit for what you already know. Earn your degree without starting from scratch. Have previous relevant work and life experience evaluated for potential credit. If you have military or law enforcement training, such as Federal Bureau of Investigation National Academy training, you can apply to have that experience evaluated for up to 30 credits.
Save time and money when you transfer in eligible credits toward your degree.
Lock in the peace of mind that comes with fixed, affordable tuition. You’ll enjoy one flat rate from the moment you enroll until the day you graduate from your program. That’s your Tuition Guarantee.
Phoenix | |
---|---|
Cost per credit
|
$398
|
Credits per course
|
3
|
Tuition per course
|
$1,194
|
Total program length in credits
|
120
|
Length of course in weeks
|
5
|
Fees
|
One fee per course
|
Tuition guarantee
|
YES
|
Data pulled on December 26, 2023
[1] $365 per 1000-2000 level credit; $415 per 3000-4000 level credit
Source of data: For each institution, the data are publicly available in multiple locations, including Academic Catalogs, Program pages, Tuition and fees pages, and syllabi. All data are publicly available on the websites.
Certain licensure programs and coursework in other degree programs may have additional fees. Please check with your advisor or course catalog for additional info.
Eligible students saved:
$11,000 & 1 year
Students with eligible credits and relevant experience on average saved $11k and 1 year off their undergraduate degree with University of Phoenix.
Eligible students saved:
$11,000 & 1 year
Students with eligible credits and relevant experience on average saved $11k and 1 year off their undergraduate degree with University of Phoenix.
Careers & Outcomes
Discover where your degree might take you and make informed choices about your future.
A BSPA can prepare you to be a:
Top skills learned in this program:
Public Administration
Management
Data Driven Decision Making
Problem Solving
Budgeting
Start your application for free or request additional information.
When you earn your bachelor’s in public administration online, you’ll be equipped with a concrete set of skills you can apply on the job. You’ll learn how to:
9% Growth
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, job growth for Social and Community Service Managers is projected to be much faster than average between 2022 and 2032.
The BLS Projected Growth for 2022-2032 is published by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. This data reflects the BLS’ projections of national (not local) conditions. These data points are not specific to University of Phoenix students or graduates.
Admissions
Starting your degree is a big decision — and we want you to feel great about it. That’s why we remove obstacles from your application.
How to enroll at University of Phoenix
Gabriel G., Enrollment Rep
You have a support team of real people you can lean on. And our academic counselors, who are with you every step of the way, have earned a 5-star rating from 85% of our surveyed students.[1]
[1] Transactional Survey, September 2022-August 2023 (23,739 respondents)
Start a conversation with an enrollment representative today.
Call us at 844-937-8679 or chat with us 7 days a week.
You have a support team of real people you can lean on. And our academic counselors, who are with you every step of the way, have earned a 5-star rating from 90% of our surveyed students.[1] Start a conversation with an enrollment representative today.
[1] Transactional Survey, August 2021-22 (18,645 respondents)
Call or chat with us 7 days a week.
Student Experience
Work toward your degree without giving up what matters most. Start your degree year-round and take one class at a time.
Enroll in online classes and attend class whenever it fits your life, day or night.
You have a support team available up to 14 hours a day, 5 days a week.
Many course assignments will require you to use a computer to complete and submit your assignment.
Faculty Spotlight
Your success is a top priority for our deans and faculty members. They bring an average of 28+ years of experience and hands-on perspective to the classroom, and help bridge the gap between academics and industry knowledge.
Accreditation
University of Phoenix has been continually accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), hlcommission.org, since 1978.
December 29, 2021 • 7 Minutes
Public administration consists of services we all rely on in every community to implement government policy and public service. Public administrators work in local and federal entities and departments in the public sector, as well as in non-profit organizations.
A public administration degree helps prepare you for roles in both the public and non-profit sectors. The degree covers topics such as civil leadership, city and county operations, finance and budgeting, grant writing, public policy and ethics, and many more public admin related topics.
Our online public administration degree is designed specifically so that working professionals like you can earn it without leaving your current role. The degree helps you build a strong foundation in public administration while teaching the leadership skills to help prepare you for a career in the field. You’ll learn from faculty who are currently working in the public sector, and you’ll be able to join our large alumni network. Additionally, our Career Services for Life® commitment helps students in their current position and prepares them for career enhancement with career planning, resumé help and more.
While widely available, not all programs are available to residents of all states. Please check with a University Enrollment Representative.