Career in Public Administration

Spanning public, private and non-profit sectors, Administration deals with successful planning, administration and governance of various facets of an enterprise, including Policymaking, Human Resources Management, Financial Management amongst others. If you are intrigued by notions of social justice, centralisation and decentralisation, public interest and good governance, a career in Public Administration is an ideal one to opt for. This blog aims to provide you with all the details about the traditional as well as unconventional options of a career in Public Administration.

Career in Public Administration: Popular Options

It offers a wide variety of career options to choose from, with some being favoured over the years for their job appeal, remuneration patterns and in some cases, international recognition. Typical organisations and industries include, PSUs, multinational companies, trans-national developmental organisation such as Amnesty International, Greenpeace etc as well as non-governmental enterprises. Here is a comprehensive list of key career profiles you can discover in the field:

Budget Analyst

Public Administration, more often than not, concerns with the efficient distribution and apportionment of funds. As a Budget Officer, you will be performing an array of tasks like analysing costs, making budgets and performance evaluation. 

City Mayor/Manager

The job of a City Mayor/Manager can be safely termed as amongst the most sought-after careers in the Public Administration. City managers/mayors are in charge of efficiently managing operations within a locality district, town or city. 

Public Relations Consultant – Career in Public Administration

This field invariably involves maintaining good public relations of an organisation with its audience. The job entails connecting clients and consumers for private organisations and facilitating efficient communication with the public when it comes to governmental organisations. Press releases, information dispensation and advertising are some of the other tasks carried out by a Public Relations Consultant.

Tax Analyst

Whether public or private, complying and management of tax-related issues is of utmost importance. Responsibilities of a Tax Officer include financial statement analysis, tax regulations compliance, duly filing of returns and a host of other tasks including audit and revenue management.

International Development Professional

The job of an international development professional is an all-encompassing one. Whether in India or overseas, it requires a high-level understanding of developmental programs, analysing means and feasibility of solutions to successfully carry out a particular program along with the socio-political-economic conditions of the designated region. 

Fundraising Associate

Amongst the lucrative avenues available for building a career in Public Administration, Fundraising also serves as a crucial aspect of Management for any enterprise, especially non-profit organisations. Devising fundraising strategies through new-age tools and techniques, attracting funds from donors and maintaining healthy relationships with them are only some of the responsibilities handled by a Fundraising Associate.

Public Policy Analyst – Career in Public Administration

Inclined towards policymaking and analysis, the job of a Public Policy Analyst is generally an executive-level job attained after a significant amount of experience in the field of Public Administration. It requires an assessment of existing policies and suggestions of replacement measures in the aim of good governance such as better disbursal schemes for poor and unemployed sections of society, providing educational opportunities to underprivileged sections amongst others.

Pubic Administration Popular Courses

Before listing out the career choices, it is important to take a look at the various courses offered in the diverse field of Public Administration. In general, the specialised area is pursued as a master’s degree such as an MPA or MBA in Public Administration. However, recent trends show a steady increase in prospective students choosing to major in this field at their bachelor’s level as well. In any case, a sound understanding of subjects of Political Science, Economics, History, Management and Human Resources is required as prerequisite criteria for exploring higher education as well as job opportunities.

Also Read: Public Administration Syllabus for UPSC

Eligibility Criteria

In order to pursue a career in Public Administration, students must go through the eligibility criteria necessary for the programs-

• For Diploma/ UG level courses: Formal education of 10+2 from a recognized institutes
• For PG Level Courses: A UG degree in Public Administration or related fields
• Good score in English language proficiency exams like IELTS, TOEFL, etc
• LOR and SOP

Public Administration: Major Subjects

For all those who are looking forward to pursue a degree in Public Administration, here are some of the prominent subjects that you may get to study in a program-

• Political Theory: An Introduction
• Foreign Business Language 
• Self-Development and Interpersonal Skills
• Public Administration: Concepts and Theories
• Public Personnel Administration 
• Dynamics of State Administration
• Conflict Resolution and Management
• Communication for Employment
• Urban and Rural Development
• Administrative Thought
• Governance and Administrative Reforms
• Professional Communication Skills
• E-Governance
• Civil Society & Public Action
• Comparative Public Administration

Alternative Career Options in Public Administration

Along with the above conventional paths of making a successful career in Public Administration, there is a myriad of alternative career options that individuals can choose from. Here is a list of these alternative job opportunities you can discover in this field.

• Revenue Officer
• Urban Planning
• Management Consultant
• Social Worker
• Human Resources Manager
• Healthcare Administrator
• Communications Analyst
• Environment Conservation Officer
• Researcher
• Lecturer
• Police & Law Enforcement
• International Relations Expert
• Immigration Officer
• Foreign Service Officer
• Political Advisor
• Activist

Top Institutes for Public Administration Courses

The above-mentioned courses through which you can kick-start a career in Public Administration are offered by the below mentioned universities-

• Harvard University 
• University of Oxford 
• Princeton University
• London School of Economics and Political Science
• National University of Singapore
• Northern Arizona University
• Australian National University 
• University of Surrey
• University of Leeds
• University of Kentucky 

Indian Universities for Public Administration courses-

• D.A.V College
• Banaras Hindu University
• Jamia Millia Islamia University
• Madras Christian College
• M.C.M D.A.V College for Women
• Banasthali University

Pros and Cons of a Career in Public Administration

As we have discussed the insights of pursuing a career in this field, let us take a quick look at some of the pros as well as cons of having a career in Public Administration to analyse our topic better- 

Pros

• It is one of the top notch fees for those who are looking forward to be a part of politics, law or government services. 
• As compared to others, public administration is a scoring subject that can help you ace any competitive exam for government services. 
• With a detailed study in this field, you can analyse and review the public service policies formulated by the government.

Cons

• It becomes essential to have a master’s degree for securing job opportunities in this field. 
• It is important to have on-point administrator skills.
• Public administration is not considered as a professional course.

Whether you are a recent graduate or an experienced professional, Public Administration offers a plethora of opportunities to make a successful career. Needless to say, it requires consistent motivation and efforts as it is a highly specialised field. Feelings of hesitation and uncertainty are normal while selecting a suitable mix of course and university that suits your preferences. During this phase, you can take the help of the AI-tool at Leverage Edu that maps your interests and inclinations and suggests you options based on it helping you to make an informed decision.