Why You Should Consider Getting a Master’s Degree on Public Administration (MPA)

Continuing education is a must for professionals, leaders and public servants. Honing one’s craft and continuous improvement on new trends, strengthening core education principles and application on what you work with and on are must-haves when you want to be set apart as a leader in your field. Each field has professional master’s degree programs that can help you work better. 

 

Master’s Degree on Business Administration (MBA) vs Master’s Degree on Public Administration (MPA)

 

A well-known master’s degree program is Master’s Degree on Business Administration, or what is commonly known as MBA. It provides management training by way of economics, policy, statistics and finance.

A Master’s Degree on Public Administration (MPA) on the other hand, like emergency management masters, is a professional degree that can help prepare you for work at the local, state, and federal government levels or, increasingly, for non-governmental organizations and nonprofits. 

MPA studies focus on the roles, development, and principles of public administration; public policy management and implementation; financial management; administrative law; professional ethics; and many other key elements of working and managing for the public sector. If you are a fireman with a fire science bachelor degree and are tapped to have potential to become head or chief someday, getting an MPA will further your chances on getting that spot.

If MBA programs study the market, then MPAs try to solve market failures– and there’s an obvious difference between studying and solving.

 

Focus on Public Service

 

Students can focus their studies on a variety of specific fields of interest such as urban planning, emergency management, transportation, public health, economic development, urban management, community development, non-profits, information technology, environmental policy, cultural policy, criminal justice and education.

Career Plus

Studies show those that have a master’s degree earn more than the average person with a bachelor’s degree. For public servants, getting that MPA can spell the difference in how quickly you can move up the career ladder.

Makes a Better Leader/Public Servant

While being a public servant is also about being sincere in your desire to help the people, having the heart to serve will be useless if you do not have the capability or know-how to do so. You learn how to better communicate and work in teams, understand the big picture to be able to accomplish more, become more qualified and valuable to your field, open up new career possibilities, and meet others who are as passionate and driven, who may become valuable collaborators and professional connections.

About the Author: Martha Blythe has two degrees under her belt and has been choosing which MBA or MPA degree program to enroll herself into.