Master of Public Administration

Dr. Meg Myers Morgan is an assistant professor at the University of Oklahoma and leads the graduate programs in Public Administration and Nonprofit Management on the OU-Tulsa campus. Her expertise is in nonprofit board development, governance, and collaboration. She is also an award-winning author and keynote speaker, writing and speaking on the topic of career advancement in the public and nonprofit sectors. Her latest book, Everything is Negotiable (Seal Press, 2018), is a best-seller and has now been translated in multiple languages. Meg holds a PhD and an MPA from the University of Oklahoma. She served as the president for YWCA of Tulsa's Board of Directors, and is currently the vice chair for the Tulsa Mayor's Commission on the Status of Women. She was honored as a 2018 Distinguished Alumni from Drury University. Dr. Morgan also and serves as the Co-Director of the OU-Tulsa President's Office for Community Engagement. She most frequently teaches: Nonprofit Management; Program Evaluation; Nonprofit and Government Relations; and Strategic Planning and Performance Management.

Dr. David Blatt helped found and served 10 years as Executive Director of Oklahoma Policy Institute, a state policy think-tank that aims to expand opportunity for all Oklahomans through nonpartisan research, analysis, and advocacy.  He has conducted extensive research on a wide range of state policy issues, including the state budget and taxes, health care, poverty, consumer finance, and education.  David has been selected as Political Scientist of the Year by the Oklahoma Political Science Association, Local Social Justice Champion by the Dan Allen Center for Social Justice, and Public Citizen of the Year by the National Association of Social Workers. David previously served as Director of Public Policy for Community Action Project of Tulsa County, as a budget analyst for the Oklahoma State Senate, and as a Parliamentary Intern for the Canadian House of Commons. He has a Ph.D. in political science from Cornell University (1996), an M.A. from McGill University (1989)  and a B.A. from the University of Alberta (1986). Dr. Blatt most frequently teaches: Health Policy; Legislative Process and Behavior; and Public Policy Inequality

Dr. Valentine earned his MPA from the University of Arkansas in 2012.  He completed his PhD in Political Science from the University of Oklahoma in 2018 with fields in Public Administration, Public Policy, and Research Method. While in graduate school, Dr. Valentine’s studies focused on public management, with a specific interest in policy implementation and how implementation shapes the impacts of a policy on its stakeholders. His dissertation, Consolidations in Higher Education: How Collaborative Structures and Processes Impact the Outcomes of Organizational Change, examined how recent trends in the reorganization of higher education systems are implemented, and how this implementation process impacts their institutions, faculty, students, and broader communities. In addition to his own research, Dr. Valentine spent much of his time at OU working for the Vice Provost for Academic Initiatives as a data analyst for the university’s freshmen retention and community engagement efforts, along with working on other special projects. Dr. Valentine has served as an Instructor for the MPA program at OU-Tulsa since 2018. He most frequently teaches: Public Financial Management; Introduction to Analaysis of Political Data; Nonprofit Law and Policy; and Senior Capstone

Megan helps coordinate the graduate programs in public administration and nonprofit management on the Tulsa campus. If you are interested in the MPA program, or our graduate certificate in nonprofit management, call her at 918-660-3849, or email her at megan.gray-1@ou.edu.

The MPA program accepts applications on a rolling basis. To seek admission, students must apply directly to the Office of Graduate Admissions by submitting the official online application form, along with transcripts and the application fee. In addition, the Political Science Department requires the following to admit a candidate into the program:

- A minimum 3.0 GPA in an undergraduate degree program. 

- Two letters of recommendation.

- A personal statement of no less than 1,000 words describing your academic/professional background and how the MPA degree will specifically enhance your career goals.

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The Graduate Certificate in Nonprofit Management includes four core classes and three 1-hour seminars (15 hours total). This certificate is a stand alone program. Upon completion, however, the certificate can be fully applied to the MPA program, or some of the courses (9 credit hours) can be applied to other programs within the College of Arts and Sciences. All courses are offered on nights and weekends to accommodate the working adult. Student must apply to the program and meet the standards of the OU Graduate College. 

Contact Dr. Meg Myers Morgan (meg.morgan@ou.edu) for more information.

OU-Tulsa MPA Program Profile (PDF)

Degree Requirements, Student Guide & Research

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MPA students use their degree in a variety of ways. Below is a list of the job titles for current students and recent alumni. In 2017, 40% of the current students had either been promoted within their organizations, or had taken a new job at a higher rank since starting the MPA.

Development Coordinator

Director of Agriculture and Natural Resources

Education Coordinator

Area Supervisor

Director of Development

Vice President of Government Affairs

Executive Director

Secretary of Interior Affairs

Director of Communications

TYPros Executive Director

Division Director of Data and Information

Legal Assistant at Social Security Administration

Communications Specialist

Policy Analyst

Program Services Coordinator

Chief Operating Officer

Senior Account Executive

Business Services Specialist

City Council Aide

Department Business Manager

Quality Assurance Associate

Administrative Associate

Assistant Principal

Manager of Quality Assurance

Program Development Specialist

Americorps Vista

Corp Member at City Year Tulsa

Client Service Associate

Community Development Planner

Operations Manager

Creative Director