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City/County Management Fellowship MPA Program

Leading Communities and Managing with Excellence.

Our City/County management program and has been ranked the #1 program in the country by U.S.. News and World Report since 1998.

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Leading Communities Around the Country

The City/County Management Fellows program boasts a record of excellence.

  • Through course work, students are able to effectively:
    • Lead and manage in public governance
    • Participate in and contribute to the public policy process
    • Analyze, synthesize, think creatively, solve problems, and make decisions
    • Articulate and apply public service perspectives
    • Communicate and interact productively with a diverseand changing workforce and citizenry
  • The MPA Fellows program also features the advantages of:
    • Designated scholarship awards
    • Attendance to the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) annual conference, supported by the School
    • Links to a large and welcoming professional network
    • Peer group learning and camaraderie
    • Additional experiential learning and relevant professional experience through part-time and full-time internships and other professional development opportunities.

Graduation Rate and Employment Statistics

Of the 46 students who were admitted and enrolled for the 2013-2014 academic year, 30% graduated within 2 years; 54% graduated within 3 years; and 63% graduated within 4 years. This percentage rate should be viewed in the perspective of the small number of students admitted and enrolled. Of the students who did not complete, some moved away, had personal obligations that took precedence, or found that the program was not a right fit for them.

As an example of where our graduates are employed, here is the information for MPA students who graduated in the 2018-2019 academic year:

  • Total number of graduates: 36
  • Federal government: 2
  • State government: 3
  • Local government: 16
  • Nonprofit (domestic): 6
  • Nonprofit (internationally-oriented): 1
  • Private sector (research/consulting): 1
  • Private sector (not research/consulting): 3
  • Obtaining further education: 0
  • Military service: 4
  • Retired: 0
  • Unknown: 0

Admissions Deadlines

  • Summer Admission: February 1

Learn More

What some of our Fellows do:

  • City or County Managers

  • Assistant or Deputy City Managers

  • Budget Managers and Analysts

  • Management and Performance Analysts

  • Assistants to the City Manager

  • Human Resource Managers

  • Policy Analysts

  • Community Relations Specialists

  • Economic Development Managers

U.S. News & World Report MPA Ranking Highlights

#1
Local Government Management
#11
Public Management and Leadership
#19
Public Finance & Budgeting

What Sets the MPA Fellows Program Apart...

The key distinctive feature of the Fellowship is its structure.

  • In their first year, Fellows engage in full-time intensive coursework as well as a part-time, paid internship. This allows Fellows to immediately apply academic concepts to the profession.
  • The second year of the Fellowship revolves around a full-time, paid internship and 3 week-long intensive seminars, which round out professional concepts and provide Fellows guidance as they join the profession.
  • Fellows also benefit from regular interactions with our strong network of alumni who are working in local governments across the country.

Tracking City Management Fellows Success

35 Majors
Our Fellows thrive on learning from each other's diverse academic experiences. In the last 5 cohorts, our Fellows come from academic majors including political science, government, public administration, history, foreign languages, anthropology, biology, indigenous studies, sociology, family life, finance, economics, etc. from institutions across the country.
100%
of our Fellows gain experience in part-time internships within a 50-mile radius of Lawrence in their first year of study with communities from Grandview, MO to Topeka, KS and organizations including League of Kansas Municipalities, WaterOne, and Kansas Department of Child and Family Services.
100%
of our Fellows gain full-time experience in the second year all over the country, including Minnesota, Illinois, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Colorado, Missouri, Arizona, Kansas, Utah, Virginia, Oklahoma, Wisconsin, California, etc.

Connect with Us

Our Info Sessions are taking a summer vacation until September while we prepare the application for the 2026 admissions cycle.
We'll post an information session registration soon - save the date of September 3 at 5:00 p.m. CST!
Meet with the MPA Program Coordinator Meet with the MPA Program Coordinator
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Questions? - MPA Fellows

Program and admission information
Derek Bixler, Graduate Program Coordinator
wdbixler@ku.edu
785-864-6814 

Issues Submitting Application
KU Graduate Studies
graduateadm@ku.edu
785-864-3140

Internships & professional development
Cari Ann Kreienhop, Graduate Programming Manager
cak@ku.edu
785-864-3665