Online Master’s Degree in Public Administration

The Master’s Degree in Public Administration is the public sector cousin to the vastly popular master’s degree in business administration. Accredited online master degree programs in public administration hone students’ professional skills to prepare them for jobs in local, state or federal government agencies as well as in non-profit organizations.

Online Master’s Degrees in Public Administration Requirements

Candidates interested in pursuing an online master degree in public administration should be honest and trustworthy natural leaders full of integrity. Through coursework and interaction with teachers and fellow students, online master’s degree public administration students will have ample opportunities to cultivate these important characteristics.

Before enrolling in a top program for an online masters degree, public administration students may choose to earn an online bachelor’s degree in public administration. However, many online masters public administration students hold bachelor’s degrees in different fields such as:

• Criminal Justice
• Business Administration
• Human Services
• Sociology
• Nursing
• Health Care Administration
• Public Policy

Many people who decide to pursue a top public administration master’s degree online will be coming from the active workforce. Students may have experience as civil servants, health care workers, school administrators, non-profit workers or office administrators.

An online master’s in public administration is a standard prerequisite for students who want to later pursue an online PhD in public administration.

Online Public Administration Master’s Degree Education

Good online master’s degree programs in public administration typically take between 2 to 3 years to complete. The types of public administration degrees offered by the best public administration master’s programs online include:

• Master of Science in Public Administration (MS in Public Administration)
• Master of Arts in Public Administration (MA in Public Administration)

Information on Public Administration Courses

The best online master’s programs in public administration teach students about the practical, theoretical and behavioral challenges that surround public policy. An accredited online masters degree in public administration should prepare the student for the constantly changing work environment present in the public sector.

Most good online master programs in public administration will offer courses such as:

• Delivery of Public Services
  This course examines how public services reach the people of the area being served. Students learn how government agencies, private organizations and regional resources all work together to provide services to the population.
• Human Resources Management
  An essential part of public administration is managing the people who make organizations work. This online public administration masters degree course hones the skills necessary to manage a workforce.
• Microeconomics
  Public sector organizations typically operate on limited resources. Microeconomics teaches the fundamentals of managing those limited resources in a way that still provides for the needs of the organization.
• Legal Issues in Public Administration
  This public administration masters degree online course examines the legal issues present in public administration. The evolution of public policy is studied, and the student learns about the legal constraints placed on elected officials in the area of public administration.
• Professional Ethics
  Public administrators can often find themselves in sensitive situations. This course is geared toward teaching the online master in public administration student how to approach and deal with these ethical dilemmas.

Specializations and Concentrations

Because public administration is a broad field, in order to become an expert in a specific niche, some online master’s public administration students will pursue specialties or concentrations in areas including:

• Defense Management
• Non-Profit Management
• Health Policy
• Emergency Management
• Urban Policy

Careers in Public Administration

Online masters degree programs in public administration prepares graduates for a number of rewarding careers. Some of the most popular careers for graduates of online masters programs in public administration are:

• City or County Manager
  A city or county manager is an individual appointed to handle the administrative tasks involved in the operation of a city or county. This rewarding job is perfect for graduates with online masters degrees in public administration and comes with an average yearly salary of approximately $94,000. Projected growth of this government job is expected to be steady, but slower than comparable private-sector positions.
• Public Relations Director
  A public relations director is responsible for coordinating an organization’s relations with the media, community and other organizations. The average salary for someone in this position is $104,800 yearly. The anticipated job growth for this particular job looks to be average as compared to all other industries.
• Public Policy Analyst
  Policy analysts are entrusted with solving society’s problems through the formation of public policies. The average income of a person holding this position varies widely based on location, but graduates of online masters programs in public administration can expect to make at least $50,000 per year in this occupation. The projected job outlook for public policy analysts will be steady, but slower than private-sector industries over the next ten years.
• Elected Official
  Graduates interested in holding an elected office position should consider starting with an online masters in public administration. The skills learned in this comprehensive degree program are extremely helpful for future politicians. There is a wide range of possible annual salaries for elected officials based ranging from around $30,000 to well over $100,000. Job prospects for elected officials are ever-changing but expected to be steady over the next decade.

Public administration is a field with almost endless possibilities. Attending accredited public administration masters programs online has allowed countless professionals to keep their current jobs while training for higher salaries, advanced job titles and expanded responsibilities.