Whether you're in the midst of your career or just out of college, graduate school might be the next step for you to pursue. This may be one of the most important decisions of your professional life. Part of the decision is weighing the short-term costs of graduate studies against long-term benefits. As more and more people acquire undergraduate degrees, the top positions in organizations are being filled by individuals who have further developed their understanding of their field through a master's degree.

Investing in your future through education and training for leadership in the public service is a strategic decision that will enhance your career opportunities to promote the public interest and bring added value to your employer. MPA and MPP degrees offer students a unique flexibility in choosing what field they want to enter upon graduation. Graduates with MPAs/MPPs are found in a variety of fields and policy areas across all career sectors. While MPA/MPP degrees offer flexibility in prospective employment, they also provide graduates with concrete professional skills that benefit even mid-career professionals. 

Masters of Public Affairs, Masters of Public Administration, Masters of Public Policy, and Masters of Public Management programs have different names. However, each enables you to synthesize and transfer your college education, volunteer work, and professional experience into a meaningful career in government, nonprofit organizations and associations, the international arena, and the private sector.

What is an MPA degree?
What is an MPP degree?
What are the admissions criteria for an MPA or an MPP program?
Are there special requirements for international students?
Can I combine my MPA or MPP degree with another graduate degree?
Should I choose a NASPAA-accredited MPA or MPP program?
Do any schools offer undergraduate courses or degrees in public administration?
Do any schools offer doctoral degrees in public administration or public policy?
How can I pay for my education?
Are graduate schools ranked?
Is there a student honor society?

The People

What types of undergraduate students pursue an MPA/MPP degree?
Can I go to school and still work full-time?

What is the Presidential Management Internship Program?
What types of jobs do MPA/MPP graduates have?
What are the financial advantages of a graduate degree?
Do MPAs/MPPs work in the international arena?

What is an MPA degree?

The Masters of Public Administration (MPA) degree is the professional degree for people who want a public service career in management. These degree programs  develop the skills and techniques used by leaders and managers to implement policies, projects, and programs that resolve important societal problems while addressing organizational, human resource, and budgetary challenges.  MPA graduates work in a wide variety of public service fields and in all levels of government (federal, state, local, and regional), in nonprofits, organizations, in the international arena, and in the private sector.

Coursework for MPA candidates typically includes required core courses and a concentration or specialization. Core courses often include human resources, budgeting and financial processes, information systems, policy and program formulation, implementation and evaluation, decision making and problem solving, political and legal institutions and processes, economic and social institutions and processes, organization and management concepts and behavior, and ethics. 

MPA candidates who know their specialized interests before beginning their coursework should select a program that offers that specialization or concentration. Specializations and concentrations offered by NASPAA programs include such areas as nonprofit management, health care management, environmental management, criminal justice, and urban affairs, as well as such diverse topics as election administration, aviation security, and philanthropic development. MPA program specializations and concentrations can be searched in the NASPAA database of graduate schools. Click here.

What is an MPP degree?

The Masters of Public Policy (MPP) degree emphasizes analyzing and evaluating information to solve policy problems.  As analysts, managers, and leaders, MPP graduates work with quantitative and qualitative information and data to develop, assess, and evaluate alternative approaches to current and emerging issues. Their careers are in variety of public service fields and in all levels of government (federal, state, local, and regional), in nonprofits, in the international arena, and in the private sector.

Coursework for MPP candidates typically includes required core courses and a concentration or specialization. Core courses often include statistics and data analysis, public finance, microeconomics and macroeconomics, research design, program evaluation, public policy, organization and management concepts and behavior, and ethics.

What are the admissions criteria for an MPA or an MPP program?

Many programs require the Graduate Record Examination (GRE); see http://www.gre.org. Check with particular schools for their other admissions  requirements. Fall admissions decisions are usually made in late winter or early spring; some graduate programs admit new students for the spring or summer terms, also.

Are there special requirements for international students?

Many schools request that TOEFL scores be submitted from international applicants coming from countries where English is not the primary language. See the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) website: http://www.toefl.org. 

Can I combine my MPA or MPP degree with another graduate degree?

YES! Many MPA and MPP programs offer the degree along with another post- baccalaureate degree, e.g., law, social work, health care, Latin American studies, engineering, communications, or business. These programs often allow students to earn both degrees in less time than it would take to earn them sequentially. Search for joint degrees.

Should I choose a NASPAA-accredited MPA or MPP program?

Accreditation is a sign that a program has met a set of standards regarding curriculum, administration, program mission, student admissions, faculty quality, student services and placement, and facilities. It means the program has gone through a rigorous process of self study, an accreditation commission review, and an extensive on-site campus visit by a team of experts. In brief, accreditation is one of many signs of quality that a student can use when considering graduate programs.

NASPAA accreditation has existed for more than 25 years, and more than 135 graduate programs in public affairs are currently accredited by NASPAA.  However, in the field of public administration, public affairs, and public policy, accreditation is voluntary (unlike other fields, like medicine, where graduation from an accredited program can be a prerequisite for licensure). An unaccredited MPA or MPP program is not by any means a program of inferior quality. It simply means that the program has chosen not to participate in the NASPAA peer review process. It is up to prospective students, therefore, to do the investigation of quality themselves at programs that are not accredited, and to ask questions about curriculum and faculty quality. 

Do any schools offer undergraduate courses or degrees in public administration?

Yes. NASPAA schools that offer undergraduate courses or degrees are listed on the NASPAA website. Click here.

Do any schools offer doctoral degrees in public administration or public policy?

Yes. NASPAA’s “Find a Graduate School” page allows students to search for NASPAA members offering Ph.D. degrees and other doctoral degrees. Click here.

The Doctor of Public Administration (DPA) degree is a professional degree for practitioners. Mid-career professionals who are thinking about teaching may be particularly interested in this degree. Search the programs that offer the DPA. Click here.

How can I pay for my education?

To supplement personal funds for education expenses, university financial aid offices provide financial assistance through scholarships, grants, loans, and work-study for students who are eligible. Each institution should provide students with preliminary information about financial aid. Applications for financial aid must usually be submitted no later than March. Students should follow-up their institutional applications with searches for other individualized financial aid details, scholarships, and funding opportunities. To help in this search, NASPAA provides links to financial assistance opportunities. Click here.

Are graduate schools ranked?

Yes. However, NASPAA neither ranks MPA and MPP programs nor endorses such rankings. One source for annual graduate school rankings is U.S. News and World Report; see http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/grad/rankings/pub/pubindex.htm

Is there a student honor society?

Yes. Pi Alpha Alpha is the National Honor Society for Public Affairs and Administration. Pi Alpha Alpha, which is administered by NASPAA, is a member of the Association of College Honor Societies, the coordinating agency for collegiate honor societies dedicated to maintaining high standards for the recognition and promotion of academic excellence in higher education. Each school establishes its own chapter of Pi Alpha Alpha,  but all chapters must abide by the demanding academic standards established by Pi Alpha Alpha's National Constitution. To see the roster of schools that have Pi Alpha Alpha chapters, go to Pi Alpha Alpha.

What types of undergraduate students pursue an MPA/MPP degree?

MPA and MPP students possess a wide variety of undergraduate degrees, including political science, economics, environmental affairs, foreign languages, biological sciences, sociology, English, health, social work, criminal justice, psychology, history, sciences, engineering, information technology, and many others. Indeed, the list is virtually endless! 

Can I earn an MPA/MPP degree and still work full-time?

Absolutely. Many graduate programs in public service offer evening and night classes that allow students to work or intern during the day. Some schools also offer online courses. Click here for NASPAA's On-line Course Clearinghouse.

Many students return to school to get an MPA or MPP degree after having worked for several years because they want to move up within their current profession or move into a new profession. These students are common in MPA and MPP programs. Many MPA/MPP programs also offer Executive Education programs. These degree and certificate programs are intended for experienced professionals seeking high-level positions in government and nonprofit organizations; courses are often offered on weekends.

What is the Presidential Management Internship Program?

The Presidential Management Internship (PMI) Program was established in 1977 to attract outstanding individuals to the federal service from a wide variety of graduate programs, including public administration, public affairs, and public policy. The application process takes place during a student's final year in these programs. Typically, a school nominates candidates for the PMI Program. Candidates undergo an assessment process, and finalists are invited to a PMI job fair in the spring. This is a highly competitive program that provides interns with rotational assignments in different branches and substantive areas of the federal government. While PMIs hold a variety of graduate degrees, the majority are selected from graduate programs in public administration, public affairs, and public policy. To learn more about the PMI program, see the PMI website at http://www.pmi.opm.gov.

What types of jobs do MPA/MPP graduates have?

To get an idea of the wide range of positions held by alumni of MPA/MPP programs, see the MPA/MPP alumni profiles on NASPAA's website. Click here.

What are the financial advantages of a graduate degree?

According to the Bureau of the Census, in 1999 the mean annual income of individuals holding a master's degree was $55,641-- $9,963 higher than for individuals with a bachelor's degree. Over a lifetime, it is estimated that a master's degree is worth approximately $248,000 more than a bachelor's degree. 

Do MPAs/MPPs work in the international arena?

Yes. In fact, many MPA/MPP programs offer specializations that effectively prepare students for international service or for service with an international organization based in the United States. As you search through the NASPAA database of graduate schools (Search now), look for programs with these specializations. In addition, take a look at the Association of Professional Schools of International Affairs website: http://www.apsia.org.