Online Public Administration Degrees
If you are pursuing a career in public administration, you know how important a degree is. Yet earning one isn’t easy if you are already working and trying to maintain your pay grade. Online degrees in public administration allow you to keep your place in your organization while earning the credentials that can propel you forward in your career.
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Advice from an Experienced Professional
We interviewed Antoinette Samuel, Executive Director of the American Society for Public Administration, and John Saunders, Executive Director of the National Forum for Black Public Administrators. Antoinette Samuel discusses the current and emerging issues in public administration that students should be aware of, as well as how to best prepare for a career in the field; John Saunders discusses the mission of the NFBPA and how they increase opportunities for black public administrators in the field. We also interviewed Dr. Lisa Sperling, MPA Recruiter and Career Services Coordinator at the University of Georgia, about their Master of Public Administration degree program. In the interview, Dr. Sperling discusses the admission requirements and structure of the program, as well as the current trends in the field of public administration. More information on public administration degrees and careers can be found below.
Most online public administration degrees are offered at the master’s level. While you do have a few options for online bachelor’s degrees in public administration, bachelor’s degrees in general business usually give you the prerequisites you need to get into a quality online master’s program.
In both online bachelor’s and master’s degree programs in public administration, your course of study begins with liberal arts courses and foundation courses in business. The remainder of your credit hours will likely concentrate on issues specific to public policy, both from a governmental and non-governmental organization perspective. The better programs include practical work experience and profit opportunities to network.
Old Dominion University: This institution offers a Bachelor of Science in business administration with a public service minor. The emphasis is on processes, such as public administration and management and the interplay of public entities and society. You can choose from electives focused on policy issues based on where you want to go in your career, including areas such as healthcare, poverty, security and the provision of public services.
Adams State College: This online Master of Business Administration has a public policy emphasis option designed to give you a foundation for pursuing leadership positions in the field of government and public policy. Classroom work covers basics such as public management, budgeting and finance and policy analysis and formulation. The format of the program includes online classes and online group discussions. Your active participation is required. In addition, you will complete a thesis for the ?capstone? course that requires you to put the theories you have learned into practice.
Columbia Southern University: This online Master of Business Administration program is more demanding than average. Most MBAs can be completed in eighteen months to two years, whether online or on campus. This program requires three years of focused study, and is really an “MBA-plus.” You will study much of the expected material for a regular MBA, including human resource management, marketing, organizational theory, information technology, ethics, law and policy. On top of that, you will add a public administration concentration with classes in public finance, public administration, policy development and the legislative process. A written thesis with original research caps the requirements for earning this degree.
Introduction to Public Administration Careers
Public administration is the business-end of a career in the political or public arena. Public administration involves supervising, directing, coordinating and implementing policies mainly within the government realm. In many cases, it is a public administrator who molds policies and helps her organization clarify its functions and corporate philosophy. Job titles can include: city or county clerk or manager, tax assessor, customs inspector, among many others.