International Master of Public Administration

International Master of Public Administration (I-MPA) students

Learning and Leading for Global Human Well-Being

The University of Pennsylvania, known as Penn, is a highly selective and top-ranked Ivy League university that is located on a beautiful urban campus in historic Philadelphia. The Penn International Master of Public Administration, known as the Penn I-MPA, is an exciting, innovative, skills-based graduate degree program that is expressly dedicated to improving global human well-being by professionally educating, nurturing, and networking present and future problem-solving leaders. 

The Penn I-MPA takes only one academic year and ten courses to complete. It is an academically cutting-edge cohort model program (all I-MPA degree candidates take all I-MPA courses together and participate in numerous extra-curricular learning experiences together) led by a distinctively interdisciplinary, multinational, and multilingual team of world-class scholars and noted leaders in government, business, and the nonprofit sector who teach, advise, mentor, and inspire our students. In the summer immediately following graduation, IMPA program alumni may be eligible for summer research and service fellowship awards of up to $6,000.

Philadelphia

I-MPA degree candidates are educationally equipped and professionally empowered through five interlocking program components, four required and one optional:

  1. Curriculum: Ten well-integrated courses that culminate in advanced individual research and writing capstone paper and two group capstone course projects.
  2. Languages: Proficiency in English and proficiency in any one or more of the following five languages: Hindi, Mandarin, Portuguese, Spanish, or Swahili.
  3. Extra-curricular activities: Extra-curricular experiences including special events and distinguished speakers series.
  4. Advising: Year-long, robust, individualized academic advising and career mentoring.
  5. Alumni fellowships: An optional paid alumni research and service fellowship in the summer following graduation.

The I-MPA program starts on August 24, 2022, with new student orientation. Classes start with the first semester on August 30, 2022, and finish at the end of the second semester on May 9, 2023.

Earn an Ivy League graduate degree in one year

Hear from Penn’s I-MPA Faculty Director, Professor Chao Guo, about the program, its unique cohort model, and innovative curriculum that addresses boundary-spanning leadership.

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Bruce Zou

Bruce Zou

I-MPA ’19, PhD candidate at Penn Graduate School of Education

“I-MPA offered me a placement among Penn’s engaging community and supportive group of distinguished faculty. I learned about the program at the beginning of my career with Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development, where I served as a liaison between policymakers and business decision-makers. The focus on public-private partnership through the lens of US-China relations was a perfect match. Moreover, Dr. Chao Guo’s research on social entrepreneurship expanded my perspective on developing a public-private partnership with creating social values in mind.”

Learn more about the I-MPA’s intensive and exciting coursework >

Looking for financial assistance?

Learn about the options available to international and domestic students.

Professor Chao Guo, PhD

Meet the faculty

Learn from the university's most celebrated scholars and the industry's leading minds.

Course descriptions

See the courses and electives available to master's students.

IMPA Features

Top 5 Reasons to Pursue an I-MPA Degree

Learn how Penn’s faculty and resources provide an exceptional graduate school experience.

See the top 5 reasons to apply

Contact us

International Master of Public Administration

3440 Market St, Suite 100
Philadelphia, PA 19104-3335

(215) 746-6229
Penn-IMPA@sas.upenn.edu