What can you do with your MPA degree?

What can you do with your MPA degree?

The childhood games of a nurse, office administration, teacher, and doctor personifications were part of everybody’s life. Little does anyone know what they will turn out to be when they grow up? Every individual has their interest and inclination towards taking up a profession as their career in life. Whatever career one may choose, it should be in line with the individual’s passion, likes or dislikes, educational background, keeping in mind the excellence in any particular subject, and the individual potential of handling work chaos. If you are inclined towards serving the community and welfare of the society, you are just the right candidate to acquire a degree in public administration.

People who are idealistic and want to change the world by helping the people out to do better things are fit to embark on a career based on a Master’s in Public Administration degree. Similarly, professionals in public service usually pursue their masters of public administration education to advance in their careers and make more money. The masters of public administration are also known as the MBA of the public sector. It is considered as one of the top degrees to earn as a professional working in any public area. Commitment is the first thing that any graduate program requires lifelong implications for your decision. If you are still wondering if you should take a plunge into the masters of public administration program or MPA online, first take a look at what it is? 

An MPA program is a professional degree program for people with an education in the public sector, which prepares you to work in the departments of local, state, or province and federal government offices. Not necessarily within these departments, public administration professionals can also work in a non-governmental organization and non-profit sectors, as an analyst, managers, and executives.

It helps the working professional to move into the position of higher authority and acquire higher paychecks. This type of decree focuses on turning the students into knowledgeable and effective public sector leaders, with optimized management and communication skills, and development or management of the policies in all types of organizations. Its versatility in the career possibility is one of the best things about an MPA degree and below are the few listed things that you can do with your Masters in public administration degree: 

1.   Federal or State Manager:

As a state and federal government official, you will require to use your skills and expertise to implement, manage, and supervise various programs. You can choose any of the career paths at the state and federal government level, given below:

  • Working for the FBI or CIA
  • Different cabinet-level positions
  • Working for the United Nations 
  • Working in NIH, FDA or any governmental or state-level public health organization
  • Director of any agency at state or local level

Working in Federal or state governments is similar to those working in local government. Nature added responsibility at the country, and the Federal level is close supervision of the programs that are much bigger in scale.

2.   Charity or Foundation Manager:

If you have the aim of making an impact in your community, you can excel in the career of working for a foundation or charity. As a charity director or a manager of an organization, you will have the responsibility of raising funds for a particular program. A manager or director responsible for overseeing the fundraising is also answerable about how the donated funds are spending. This role includes many other tasks and people having management, organization, problem-solving, and leadership skills are a perfect fit for this position as a career

3.   Administrative Services Manager:

As an administrative services manager, you need to look after the planning, directing, and coordination of the day-to-day activities and services of an organization. You will need to take care of the facilities and as well as supervise the public and private businesses within the organization. The administrative services manager is in charge of keeping a record of adequate inflow of supplies within the public and private organization, timely mail distribution, available funds, and general upkeep of the organization, apart from many other responsibilities. As an administrative service manager, you might be responsible for the proper coordination of the office space allocation keeping into account the employee morale and the funds available to arrange the best possible office location and space.

4.   Public Affairs Director:

Holding an MPA degree can make you eligible to be utilized as the public affairs manager, who works with the government and understands the operational aspects of a government; in managing every business or organization. There has to be one person within the team, who understands the complexities of the government rules and regulations and can represent the company or organization most efficiently and insightfully. He is the go-to person who understands the operational aspects of the government and legal matters.

5.   Budget Director:

Another challenging career that you can acquire after pursuing an MPA degree, at the state, local or federal level, is the position of budget director. In this role, you will have to manage the process of how the public funds are being used most transparently. The person working as the budget director requires the skills of analytics and financial reporting of all maintenance and administrative staff, along with the necessary paperwork to be documented most efficiently. 

6.   Public Housing Manager:

Those who are interested in real estate and land distribution can aspire to be a public housing manager. This career involves the oversight of public housing, including the entire operation at a state or a local level and any specific housing facility in the local area. Being a manager in the public housing sector, you are required to regulate the proper renting of apartments for residential complexes ensuring the timely payment of utilities and ensuring abiding by local and federal regulations. Those who understand the appropriate compliance and local rules will be successful in undertaking proper documentation and maintenance and administrative works.

Conclusion:  

With a public administration master’s degree program, you are not only achieving the skills in many areas by the versatility of the subjects that are offered. But also, you will be equipped to succeed in the fields as mentioned above and many others as well. The average annual income for the masters in public administration is approximately $68,000, although your role and experience level also impact the salary at large.