MPA: Master in Public Administration

Building a much-needed bridge between the people and the government, the field of Public Administration is essentially concerned with gauging the effectiveness of public policies and ensuring their facilitation in the best optimum manner. There are numerous diplomas and degrees available in Public Administration for those interested in making a difference in the lives of citizens of their country and working towards social welfare. One such degree program is MPA, i.e. Master in Public Administration that takes you deeper into the different types of bureaucracies, their functioning, how laws and policies are created and implemented for the public and assessing their impact. Through this blog, we will take a look at what MPA as a postgraduate course entails, top universities you can pursue it from as well as the career scope it offers.

MPA: Course Overview

Generally offered as a 2-year course, Master in Public Administration is a postgraduate program that aims to impart students with the knowledge of public affairs while focusing on policy analysis and design. Studying this degree, the students are equipped with the necessary skills and exposure to serve in the executive positions in Government and Non-Government Organisations. Often considered as the MBA for those wanting to work in the public sector, an MPA comprises of varied subjects on policy development and management, principles of public administration and implementation of policies. This program mainly prepares students to face different kind of challenges in public administrations and finding their probable solutions.

Eligibility Criteria

There are certain prerequisites that one needs to fulfil in order to pursue a master’s degree in Public Administration. Below we have listed down the eligibility criteria for MPA that you need to keep in mind while applying for this program:

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• The candidate must have passed XIIth class from a recognized board
• A bachelor’s degree from a recognized university or institute. 
• TOEFL/IELTS/PTE scores are required to pursue MPA abroad if English is not your native language.
• GRE scores are also required at some institutions along with a few years of work experience in the social services or public sector.

Top Universities Offering Master in Public Administration (MPA)

There are various universities in the world which offer master’s degree courses in Public Administration. To assist you further, we have listed down some of the major academic institutions providing MPA courses across the globe: 

• Texas A&M University
• The University of Melbourne
• Concordia University
• The Ohio State University
• North Carolina State University
• University of Georgia
• Northern Arizona University
• Southern Utah University
• University of Western Ontario
• Columbia University

Career Paths After MPA

At the conclusion of your MPA degree, you can explore a plethora of opportunities in the public sector especially under the different levels of government and with non-government organisations. Below we have elaborated some of the major career paths that you can opt for: 

• Civil Services: Popularly known as government jobs, the field of Civil Services is majorly pursued by those with an MPA degree and aspirants are required to clear the qualifying examination for the specified profile to get selected. It is quite a people-oriented profile and encompasses the varied state and central level government jobs especially in the most coveted sectors of IAS, IFS, along with Revenue Service, Audit and Customs.

• Educational Administrators: If you have the strive to devote yourself to the education sector after attaining an MPA degree, then the career path of Educational Administrator might be the right one for you. They provide direction and take care of day-to-day management of organisations, schools, colleges and private institutions.

• Administrative Service Managers: The job role of the Administrative Service Managers is to plan, coordinate and direct supportive activities of the organisation. They also assess staff performance and facilitate the recruiting and training processes of the personnel.

• Budget Analyst: Under this career profile, you will be required to find the best way to distribute resources and funds in various departments within government and its institutions. An MPA degree aims to equip students with the essentials of optimal use of resources through which you will be able to locate the areas where budget needs to be allocated. Apart from, analyst evaluate budget and government performance as well.

• Fundraising Manager: Pursuing this role, your main task will be to is gather financial resources in a non-governmental organisation and help them in the allocation of funds for various projects.

Other than the above-mentioned, you can also choose from the following career profiles after completing your MPA:

• Foreign Service Officer
• Audit and Revenue Officer
• Customs Inspector
• Public Administration Consultant
• Employee Relations Specialist

Thus, we hope that this blog has helped you gain clarity about what an MPA degree is, its constituents as well as the scope it entails. If you are unsure about the right institution to pursue this program from, reach out to our Leverage Edu experts and we’ll assist you in finding a suitable university as well as throughout the admission process to ensure that you get successfully shortlisted.