Want A Leadership Position in The Public Service Sector? Get A Master of Public Administration Degree
December 18th, 2012
Public administration is a field that is especially relevant nowadays as demand for well-rounded leaders emerges. A blend of business, management and communication skills is critical and people who earn a Master’s in Public Administration Degree are extremely employable in any sector.
If you want to pursue a career in this field you should consider an online degree. Distance learning is becoming accepted worldwide as a great alternate to traditional learning, and the flexibility it affords is a great advantage. Lower tuition costs, no hidden costs and the ability to continue working simultaneously make starting a career with an online degree an easy task.
An MPA gives students the ability to lead and serve others, as well as a career-building key to greater professional opportunities.
What Will You Learn?
- How social and political factors influence organizations
- Organizational leadership
- Strategic thinking
- Quantitative analysis
- Interpersonal and communication skills
- Business and management principles
What Concentrations Are Available?
Each college has its own curriculum and program design with varying specializations. Some of the most common and popular concentrations are:
- Human Resources Management:
A diverse and dynamic workforce is the focal point of this concentration. The program prepares you for top executive positions by focusing on courses that teach how to promote positive labor/management relations, conflict management and productive recruiting.
- Public Affairs Administration:
This focus area deals specifically with developing managerial and administration skills that can be generically applied to a wide variety of industries such as non-profit organizations, the pharmaceutical industry, service industries, healthcare providers, or government agencies. If you are interested in community engagement and policy making then this is the area for you.
- General:
Some colleges even let students design their own programs by mixing and matching different concentrations.
Typical CoursesIn Master’s of Public Administration:
The Master’s in Public Administration degree takes two years to complete.
Some typical courses include:
- Markets and Market Failure
- Economic Analysis of Public Policy
- Finance and Policy
- Empirical Methods
- Corporate Social Responsibility
- Behavioral Economics
- Game Theory and Strategic Decisions
- Risk Management
- Global Strategic Management
- Capital Market Regulation
What Are The Career Growth Options?
When you have a degree in public administration you can work in following sectors:
- Government Policy Analysts
For the U.S. government, lower-level employees with graduate degrees earn about $32,000, while higher-level workers with significant experience can make up to $145,000 yearly.
- Social Advocates
Non-supervisory roles typically earn $32,500 annually, while higher levels of management can earn $77,800 or more.
- Civil Officers
Non-supervisory personnel typically earn a mid-range of $25,000 while supervisory positions can pay $70,000 or higher
- Healthcare Administrators
The median annual salary for a health care administrator is $67,000.
- City managers.
City managers will earn salaries between $51,000 and $79,000, but earnings could go as high as $175,000, depending on the size of the municipality.
- Grant Makers
Non-supervisory roles earn $45,600 on median while that figure jumps to almost $99,000 for managerial positions.
The salary earned by public administrators will depend upon the level of the position that is held as well as the industry/sector they are working in. Geographical locations also determine the remuneration packages offered. The growth of the profession is about the same as all other careers, but this is a discipline that will always remain relevant.
As the figures show, the key is getting into a managerial position and that can easily be achieved by enrolling in an Online Degree Program in Public Administration.