Improve Your Community with a Master of Public Administration
You are passionate about serving your community and believe that you can make a meaningful difference in the public sector. A variety of career paths allow you to bring your vision to life, but few are as centered around service as public administration.
Public administration is a wonderfully diverse field that encompasses a variety of public-facing programs and initiatives. It takes a lot of skill to design and implement these, however, especially given the many financial and regulatory constraints that public service professionals face. A Master of Public Administration (MPA) can prepare you to tackle these challenges and uncover new opportunities, as explained below.
What Is a Master of Public Administration?
An MPA represents the culmination of a rigorous, yet rewarding graduate program centered around the many manifestations of public service. This degree is built on a solid foundation of core coursework that examines essential topics such as ethical leadership, data-driven decision-making, and public budgeting.
Many courses are taught from an interdisciplinary standpoint, offering you the opportunity to apply your own unique perspective and experience to a new theoretical framework, while also discovering how such concepts might be applied in other settings or situations. What’s more, an MPA allows you to specialize in topics you find compelling.
Another exciting opportunity? The chance to apply newfound skills during a fascinating capstone project. This encourages you to take a deep dive into real-world scenarios and to showcase your strong potential as an aspiring public administrator.
Why Is Public Administration Important?
As our community faces a myriad of unprecedented challenges, there is a need for passionate professionals who are eager to shape our society and empower the community through targeted public sector initiatives.
As advocates for people from all walks of life, public administrators form the crucial link between policy and reality. They ensure that government agencies and community organizations help the people they’re intended to support and confirm that our public dollars are spent wisely. Many serve in human resources within government agencies or nonprofit organizations, where they streamline critical processes and empower other public sector employees to do their best work.
At a fundamental level, public administration helps to shape a more cohesive and functional society. Public administrators bring a voice to those who need it most, while advocating for and helping to manage community-building programs. Given the stark divisions and conflict we face in our society, it’s even more important that public administrators step up to serve the community.
How Earning an MPA Can Help You Positively Impact Your Community
A targeted graduate degree can make a great difference for your personal and professional prospects, providing a competitive edge as you embark on your job search. It also offers a reliable path to stable employment and many opportunities for advancement.
Chances are, however, your main motivations for becoming a public administrator involve the very community you hope to support. Below, we’ve highlighted a few of the most meaningful opportunities you may enjoy after earning your MPA.
Get an Opportunity to Work on Various Public Sector Issues
A variety of public sector concerns call for the passion and expertise of highly trained public administrators. While these professionals often work in a general capacity within government agencies or large-scale organizations, many specialize in initiatives that spark personal passion. Top examples include:
- Environmental regulation
- Criminal justice
- Educational policy
- Parks and recreation
Gain Strong Leadership Skills
It takes a lot of planning, coordination, and influence to pull off complex public initiatives. Without strong management, great ideas would inevitably stall amid a myriad of complications. Highly capable and determined public administrators have what it takes to see these opportunities through and to ensure that such efforts receive appropriate funding and public support.
Therein lies the value of leadership training, which is a core component of any MPA program. Through interdisciplinary courses on ethical leadership and talent management, you can develop the much-needed ability to lead decisively as you tackle a variety of organizational challenges. With high-level training, you can also bring a much-needed spirit of innovation to the public sector.
Assist or Build Programs to Combat Inequality
As a public administrator, you have the opportunity to address ongoing issues of inequality and the many ways they play out in modern society. Your efforts could facilitate vital opportunities for the education system, health care, housing, and other areas of need. Urban planning is an especially bright spot in this field, allowing you to shape how entire communities are structured so that these environments are as equitable and accessible as possible.
Other areas of community service include fundraising, budgeting, and financial management, which allow you to help allocate public funds to ensure that underserved individuals and communities receive the support they require. The programs you develop or promote could bring not only immediate benefits to those in need, but also long-term positive outcomes such as sustained economic growth.
Promote Community Engagement and Activities
Fragmenting communities are a huge source of concern these days, but the answer to this problem may lie in stronger public sector initiatives. Community activities and other engagement strategies aim to build stronger connections between people. This, in turn, increases trust among community members while also improving the general perception of the public sector.
Many public administrators view community development as the public sector’s most rewarding pursuit. Simply put, planning and promoting community activities is fun! There’s nothing quite like seeing community members interact with one another in meaningful ways, and watching as these newfound connections carry forward into their daily lives.
Work in Government to Make Changes in Your Community
Community engagement and grassroots movements matter, but the most impactful changes often begin with legislation. As a public administrator, you can advocate for changes at the local, state, or even federal level. You will have valuable insight into the initiatives that can make a difference for the community members you serve—and you will advocate strongly for these solutions.
Many public administrators work in government, often providing the essential link between ideation and implementation. These professionals put public policy into action, taking on essential roles to ensure that a variety of government functions run smoothly and are improved upon to better serve the community.
Pursue Your Master of Public Administration
Do you have a strong desire to positively impact your community? You could have a bright future in public administration, but you will first need to seek targeted training. An MPA can provide a solid foundation while preparing you for a variety of public-oriented leadership roles.
At Excelsior University, we are pleased to provide an excellent MPA program. Our goal: to empower aspiring public administrators to make meaningful changes in their communities and beyond. Reach out today to learn more about the MPA degree and other graduate opportunities that help you to live your passion.
