A Master of Public Administration (MPA) degree allows graduates to work in various jobs at local, regional, and national levels, including nonprofit agencies, lobby groups, and political parties. The program includes courses in public management, economics, finance, policy making, and specialized courses in a specific area of government or industry. Related fields include public relations, nonprofit organizations, and public policy. Graduates interested in public affairs, public policy, or not-for-profit organizations can take specialized courses and internships to gain experience in those fields.
A Master of Public Administration (MPA) is an advanced teaching degree from an accredited college or university that allows a person to work in a variety of jobs at the local, regional and national levels. Examples of jobs include jobs with nonprofit agencies, lobby groups, and political parties. Graduates with a Masters in Public Administration regularly work in private companies and also with companies that provide medical and healthcare assistance. The work is typically diverse and involves courses that integrate employee management, research, finance, budgeting, planning, and administration.
Training for the Master of Public Administration typically involves enrollment in a college that includes the study of public administration and public policy. Required courses may include public management, economics, microeconomics, financial management, systems analysis, and policy making. Additional courses in public and private management may also be required. A course dealing with ethics and values is usually part of an MPA program. Once the basic master’s level classes are completed, the student will typically take advanced courses in a specialty area.
Advanced specialized courses usually involve understanding the systems and work of a specific branch of government or industry, as well as the principles of public administration. For example, students working toward a master’s in public administration with an emphasis on environmental science and policy are often required to take courses in environmental chemistry, climatology, and ecology. Graduation requirements may also include an environment-focused applied policy analysis course.
Graduate schools of public administration sometimes combine studies in related fields, such as a master’s in public relations or a master’s in nonprofit organizations. Other related fields offered include a Master of Business Administration (MBA) or a Master of Public Policy. The student can earn a dual master’s degree to offer skills that match a desired field of work. Field employment at the highest levels of business and national government may require an employee to hold a Doctor of Public Administration (DPA).
MPA holders interested in the field of public affairs often take courses focused on working with the general public. Specialized courses in journalism, communication, public relations and marketing are generally complementary requirements to the general Master in Public Administration. An internship or internship for an MPA with this emphasis typically includes working in an official public relations office for a government agency or company.
A not-for-profit emphasis for a master’s in public administration program typically involves courses in managing and recruiting volunteers. Developing a support base in the community and promoting a not-for-profit organization among local and regional businesses are often also part of the specialty curriculum. The internship for this program specialty usually emphasizes working with a non-profit organization and shadowing a professional in the field. The shaded professional might be the head of the nonprofit, the person in charge of development, or the director of human resources.
Courses for MPA candidates interested in public policy often include history courses that emphasize the development of political institutions and processes, public management, and government bureaucracy. It may be necessary for the student to also adopt statistical methods with a focus on policy analysis. Topics in this course typically include making statistical inferences, testing a hypothesis, and exploring the concepts of data sampling, probability, and statistical sampling. Courses examining international political economy, policy analysis, and public management generally round out program requirements. Depending on the student’s specific emphasis, additional courses and an internship dealing with child welfare, mental health, poverty, health, crime or transportation may be incorporated into program requirements.
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