Northern Michigan University offers the 6th most affordable online public administration degree in the country, according to new rankings released by SR Education Group. The company annually researches and ranks hundreds of schools based on value, quality and affordability and posts the results on its OnlineU website.

This is the latest accolade for Northern’s MPA program, which has appeared in previous national rankings for quality and affordability. It is housed in the School of Education, Leadership and Public Service, but includes courses from other departments to augment the core requirements.

“The reputation Dr. Jennifer James-Mesloh has established for this program is stellar,” said Joe Lubig, associate dean of the school. “She moved the program 100 percent online, marketed the program across the country, and led the development of online delivery and connectivity for teaching and recruiting that has allowed NMU to be recognized in this way again. She has leveraged the online program in a way that permits her students and graduates to develop city master plans, obtain grants and lead change in the public sector in spite of the great distances between them and our campus.”  

Students in Northern’s MPA program select one of the following concentrations to advance their career expertise: criminal justice, human resources, public management or state and local government. They also expand their theoretical understanding of the field and develop essential competencies in basic methodological and technical areas.

A couple of previous honors for Northern’s MPA included appearances on the “Top 50 Schools for Online Master’s Degrees in Public Administration” rankings compiled by topmanagementdegrees.com and the “Top 30 Most Affordable Online MPA programs” released by gradschoolhub.com. It also helped NMU secure Affordable Colleges Online’s top ranking among Michigan schools for most affordable online degree programs.