MPA Alumni Assessment of Perceived Educational Outcomes: The “Value” of the MPA

ABSTRACT

Although there is some agreement in the public administration education community about the goals and purposes of graduate work in public administration, there appears to be significant disagreement as to how we go about meeting these goals. This disagreement is manifested in the myriad of NASPAA accredited and affiliated programs with apparently different program foci, ideologies, and values. The convenience study reported here involved surveying alumni from two seemingly disparate MPA programs in order to compare alumni perceptions of their programs. Although the rhetoric of the programs would lead one to think that the alumni's program experiences would be very different, these two groups were more similar than expected with regard to their perceptions about what is important in their careers and how a MPA program can contribute to their careers. Implications for educational strategies of MPA programs are discussed.