Developing a Competency-based MPA Curriculum:

ABSTRACT

This article addresses the problem of how to design a MPA curriculum focused on competency-based outcomes. An approach that integrates political science, management, and value-based approaches to MPA education into a holistic framework is described and evaluated with a student survey. Pedagogically, it seeks to balance conceptual knowledge with skill acquisition. The former provides administrators with important guides to action, while the latter allows them to apply their knowledge successfully in specific situations. The result is an approach to public service education that promises to increase the relevance of MPA programs to the needs of agencies and practitioners without sacrificing academic rigor.