{"id":78552,"date":"2026-08-26T07:57:21","date_gmt":"2026-08-26T14:57:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/?p=78552"},"modified":"2026-08-26T07:57:21","modified_gmt":"2026-08-26T14:57:21","slug":"two-degrees-one-streamlined-path","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/two-degrees-one-streamlined-path\/","title":{"rendered":"Two degrees. One streamlined path."},"content":{"rendered":"

For students passionate about serving their communities, pursuing a master\u2019s degree can feel like a long and expensive journey. But what if\u00a0they\u00a0could earn two graduate degrees without doubling the time,\u00a0tuition\u00a0and effort?\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

An online dual master\u2019s program in public\u00a0administration\u00a0and social work offers students the opportunity to combine two complementary fields into one streamlined, flexible path.\u00a0By sharing coursework and completing the program online, students can save valuable time and money while earning both degrees.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This innovative pathway allows students to advance their education without putting their careers or other responsibilities on hold, all while gaining the knowledge and skills needed to create meaningful\u00a0changes\u00a0in communities\u00a0and\u00a0organizations, as well as\u00a0in\u00a0the lives of the people they serve.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Sara\u00a0Rinfret<\/span><\/b>,\u00a0professor and director of the\u00a0Master of Public Administration\u00a0(MPA)<\/a> program in the Department of Politics and International Affairs,\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span>Natalie Randolph<\/span><\/b>,\u00a0associate\u00a0clinical\u00a0professor\u00a0and\u00a0associate\u00a0director\u00a0in\u00a0the\u00a0<\/span>School of Social Work<\/span><\/a>,\u00a0collaborated\u00a0for four years to make\u00a0this program a reality.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

“This fall we will be finally launching the first-ever joint master\u2019s degree at NAU, bringing together folks who really care about public service and might want to specialize and amplify in terms of social services,\u201d\u00a0Rinfret said.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The hope\u00a0is\u00a0the new program\u00a0will\u00a0help prepare students for current workforce demands.\u00a0Randolph said\u00a0more people need to be prepared for leadership roles across different macro-level settings in the community, especially in rural\u00a0areas.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe challenge is finding qualified people to take on leadership roles\u00a0to address\u00a0issues that impact marginalized populations,\u00a0while challenging\u00a0social justice issues and\u00a0the\u00a0loss of funding,\u201d\u00a0Randolph\u00a0said.\u00a0\u201cThis dual degree program\u00a0will help train the next generation of leaders who will positively impact their communities\u00a0by preparing\u00a0students to take on the unique challenges in their communities\u00a0and\u00a0create sustainable change.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The\u00a0program focuses on offering dual degrees that will be\u00a0in\u00a0high demand in the workforce. Rinfret said government entities are looking for people\u00a0with\u00a0master\u00a0of social work\u00a0(MSW)\u00a0and\u00a0MPA\u00a0degrees,\u00a0and\u00a0that\u00a0these\u00a0jobs\u00a0are expected to\u00a0increase by 20%\u00a0in the next decade.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cJust in the last year,\u00a0enrollment\u00a0of\u00a0both\u00a0the public administration and social work programs have seen\u00a0continued\u00a0growth,\u201d Rinfret said. \u201cBy joining\u00a0forces, students will have a leg up when they apply for jobs.\u00a0We\u00a0think\u00a0the dual skill set students will\u00a0acquire\u00a0in this program\u00a0will give them the tools they need in human resource management, policy\u00a0analysis\u00a0and organizational leadership,\u00a0with the social work\u00a0component\u00a0to work for a nonprofit organization or a government entity.\u00a0We have merged our curriculum so\u00a0students can complete both degrees in three to four years, saving time and money.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Randolph\u00a0said\u00a0the\u00a0online\u00a0platform\u00a0will\u00a0not only provide more accessibility but will\u00a0also\u00a0serve\u00a0as a vital link to rural communities by equipping\u00a0individuals\u00a0with the knowledge and skills needed to lead initiatives that address the unmet needs of their communities.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Students interested need to apply to the programs separately. Once they are accepted, the program administrators will make sure they\u00a0meet\u00a0the necessary requirements for the dual\u00a0degree\u00a0program.\u00a0Because\u00a0both programs are\u00a0fully\u00a0accredited, one by the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs and Administration\u00a0and the other by the Council of Social Work Education Network, applications\u00a0will\u00a0be\u00a0received during the spring for students to start the\u00a0dual\u00a0program\u00a0in the fall.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cCombining the fields of\u00a0public\u00a0administration and\u00a0social\u00a0work into an interdisciplinary degree fosters an expansion of knowledge, theory and practice which will ultimately result in advances that will serve individuals, communities and our society,\u201d said\u00a0Regent\u00a0Steve Peru\u00a0of the Arizona Board of Regents\u00a0and former\u00a0Coconino County community manager.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For more information on the dual MPA\u00a0and MSW degree,\u00a0email\u00a0<\/span>Sara Rinfret<\/span><\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0<\/span>Natalie Randolph<\/span><\/a>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Northern<\/a>Mariana Laas | NAU Communications
\n(928) 523-5050 | mariana.laas@nau.edu<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For students passionate about serving their communities, pursuing a master\u2019s degree can feel like a long and expensive journey. But what if\u00a0they\u00a0could earn two graduate degrees without doubling the time,\u00a0tuition\u00a0and effort?\u00a0\u00a0 An online dual master\u2019s program in public\u00a0administration\u00a0and social work offers students the opportunity to combine two complementary fields into one streamlined, flexible path.\u00a0By sharing…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3019,"featured_media":78557,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,1829],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-78552","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-research-academics","category-student-edition"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78552","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3019"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=78552"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78552\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":78670,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78552\/revisions\/78670"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/78557"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=78552"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=78552"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=78552"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}