MPA是培养公共管理行政人员的一个专业，它在美国各个学校差别也大相径庭。有些非常强调政治学政策分析，比较偏重于理论，比方说哈佛，普林斯顿。有些很强调定量，统计背景，像密歇根，斯坦福;有些比较综合，像哥伦比亚，康奈尔。所以在申请MPA过程中，对学校的定位和选择会非常重要，因为每个学校MPA专业的特点和优势不同，从而形成的风格也不同。
但是大体而言，MPA项目的架构有两种，一种是从方向上区分，一种是从知识能力上区分。方向上可以分为经济和财政政策、环境政策、政府，政治和政策研究、人权和社会公正、国际发展研究、公共及非营利组织管理、科学技术和基础设施政策、社会政策等等。知识能力上区分可以分为行政系统组织管理，定量政策分析，政治经济学研究等方面。
下面来说说美国的MPA专业一般的申请要求，美国的MPA一般是两年的学制，也有少数是一年的课程，如布朗大学和加州伯克利大学。对国际学生来说托福和GRE是必需的，而托福100的要求也是很普通的。与其他专业不同，很多学校的MPA专业需要写1-3篇的essays，如普林斯顿MPA专业要求的200-300字的essay，题目是What do you like best and least about where and how you grew up? 同时有部分学校要求本科需要修过数学和统计学。
如下是最新的美国MPA专业排名前30的学校：
排名学校
1Syracuse University (Maxwell) - Department of Public Administration & International Affairs
2University of Georgia - Department of Public Administration and Policy
3Indiana University--Bloomington - School of Public & Environmental Affairs
4Harvard University (Kennedy) - JFK School of Government
5University of Kansas - School of Public Affairs and Administration
6University of Southern California (Price) - USC Sol Price School of Public Policy
7Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey--Newark - School of Public Affairs and Administration
8American University - School of Public Affairs
9New York University (Wagner) - Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
10George Washington University (Trachtenberg) - Columbian College of Arts & Sciences
11University of Washington (Evans) - Evans School of Public Affairs
12Ohio State University (Glenn) - John Glenn School of Public Affairs
13University of Arizona - School of Government & Public Policy
14University at Albany--SUNY (Rockefeller) - Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy
14University of Texas--Austin (LBJ) - Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs
14University of Wisconsin--Madison (La Follette) - Robert M. LaFollette School of Public Affairs
17Virginia Tech - Center for Public Administration & Policy
18Florida State University (Askew) - Reubin O'D. Askew School of Public Administration & Policy
19Arizona State University - School of Public Affairs
19Texas A&M University--College Station (Bush) - Bush School of Government and Public Service
21University of Maryland--College Park - School of Public Policy
21University of Minnesota--Twin Cities (Humphrey) - Humphrey School of Public Affairs
21University of Nebraska--Omaha - School of Public Administration
24University of Colorado--Denver - School of Public Affairs
25University of North Carolina--Chapel Hill - School of Government
26Georgia State University (Young) - Andrew Young School of Policy Studies
26University of Delaware - School of Public Policy Administration
28University of Missouri (Truman) - Harry S. Truman School of Public Affairs
29University of California--Berkeley (Goldman) - Goldman School of Public Policy
29University of Pennsylvania (Fels) - Fels Institute of Government
以上是申请美国公共管理专业硕士的要求简要介绍，希望能对有意申请美国硕士留学的中国学生有所帮助。