ATHENS, Ohio -- Ohio University's Department of Political Science is launching an Executive Master of Public Administration program that combines online learning with regular face-to-face interaction.

The innovative degree program uses the Internet to meet an increasing regional demand for graduate education in public management. Its target audience is public and nonprofit managers who are unable to participate in the MPA programs offered at Ohio University and its regional campuses.

Unlike traditional online formats, the Executive MPA program includes intensive class meetings at Ohio University's main campus in Athens. Half of the coursework will be online. The other half is completed via monthly weekend residencies at Ohio University's Voinovich Center located in The Ridges. The 70-hour program will take about two years to complete.

The Ohio Executive MPA is the result of a two-year collaboration between eight political science faculty members, the Voinovich Center and Ohio University Without Boundaries.

For more information, contact Assistant Professor of Political Science David Shafie at (740) 597-1348 or shafie@ohio.edu.

Visit the Ohio Executive MPA's Web page at www.ouwb.ohiou.edu/mpa/