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Local Government Practicum

What is the Practicum?

In 2007, the Georgia Municipal Association started a partnership with the University of Georgia to create a program that connects Master of Public Administration students with cities that needed assistance with research projects. That partnership has since evolved into the GMA Local Government Practicum program. Today, GMA collaborates with universities around the state to provide invaluable real-world experience for Georgia’s future local government managers and administrators. Cities can receive objective analysis and recommendations to guide their decision-making.

This program:

• Extends a helping hand to cities, offering support with student-led research projects that cities may not otherwise have the capacity or resources to undertake;  
• Fosters connection between students and cities, enabling students to gain hands-on experience, cultivate relationships and expand their networks within local government;  
• Create essential ties between universities and cities, promoting community engagement and contributing to workforce development efforts.  

Since 2007, this program has overseen 100+ projects, including but not limited to:  

• Conducting a housing inventory 
• Executing citizen satisfaction surveys 
• Evaluating stormwater utility billing procedures 
• Assessing police department workloads 
• Developing social media/ communications plan 
• Streamlining business licensing process 
• Developing a performance measurement system for specific projects  
• Performing revenue analyses 
• Conducting benchmarking of permitting fees 
• Undertaking feasibility studies and more. 

Access past student project presentations by clicking the following link:

Past Projects

How Your City Can Get Involved

GMA accepts project proposals year-round, but cities can look out for specific Calls for Projects twice a year:

• December for the upcoming Spring term
• July for the upcoming Fall term

If your city has a project it wishes to pursue, please review the general program guidelines at the link below. When ready, you can click here to submit a project proposal. After submitting the form, GMA will reach out to confirm your project is on the list.

Program Guidelines

A city can submit multiple proposals. In this case, please submit a separate form for each project.

Not every project submitted by a city may be assigned that semester. GMA will reach out to confirm if the city wants to keep their project on the list for consideration in the next term.

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