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.
Read more...
