MPA Program Questions and Concerns

[Tedium]

I've been doing some volunteer work for some non-profits lately, and I think that is a field that I would really like to pursue, career and degree-wise. An MPA appeals to me so much more than an MBA. I like the versatility of it. If not working for a non-profit organization, I could use it getting a job in the government. I have no interest going into the private business sector.

I'm looking at some programs now, and I'm a little hesitant. I'm looking for openish admissions and no GRE.

Wilmington University has a Masters of Management w/ MPA concentration. They are about $444 per credit, so they are not the cheapest and they are not NASPAA accredited. I don't like that it's not a straight MPA, so that is a turn off. Classes are 7 or 8 weeks, so the time is right. Master of Science in Management - Wilmington University

Probably the best looking one is University of Illinois at Springfield. It is NASPAA accredited, but it is the most expensive program I'm looking at. I can't seem to find much about class length, so I'm thinking that it may take the full 2 years to get. That's a huge negative for me. But it has the best name. The MPA Online – Department of Public Administration - University of Illinois Springfield - UIS

Here's where it gets a little messy. I think my favorite of all is American Public University. The class length and price are right where I need them to be. I can double up and get a MS Emergency and Disaster Management in the same time and for the same price that it would take for me to finish the MPA at UIS. Or I can just pick up the grad. certificate. They also have a grad. certificate specifically in Non-Profit Management. It is not NASPAA accredited, but the big red flag for me is that it is a for-profit university. Online Master's Degree in Public Administration | American Public University

I've done the research looking online at various non-profit job listings and government listings, and I don't see any specification for NASPAA accredited degrees, so I don't think that will be a big issue. I've even looked at some university job listings and saw no requirement for NASPAA. I think I will be reasonably safe in the job market without that.

My big concern is that APU is for-profit. I know it's one of the good ones, and if I were going for history or just EM I would have zero issue with the school. I don't know how employers view an MPA from there though. I've gone on linkedin and checked to see where graduates of the program were working. Some were military or other federal or local government agencies, some were in private consultation. Are there any other sites where I can search by degree and school to see where graduates are working? Is there a more effective search string I can use?

Do you guys think I'm making too much of the for-profit issue? Should I just go for the cheaper degree and continue gaining my volunteer experience? I know the school is not University of Pheonix or DeVry, but I don't want to have to explain myself for the rest of my life.

Sorry for the long post and thanks in advance for any help/advice.

[mednat]

Not to add to the confusion, but have you concerned Arkansas state's program? http://www.degreeforum.net/general-educa...eview.html

I don't have huge bias against for-profit, but at the price of the Arkansas state program and the other options I've seen, i'd choose it.

[Tedium]

I actually had. Perfect world, I would definitely choose Arkansas. The problem I'm running into with most programs is the GPA requirement. Arkansas is looking for cumulative undergraduate GPA, if I remember correctly. That takes me out of the running. I made a lot of missteps in my seven year journey to a BA. While I've done better at COSC, I don't have enough good grades to qualify for "GPA in the last 30 or 60 hours", I'm pretty sure. That's why I said "openish admissions." If they just accept the graduating institution GPA, like UIS, I'll be fine. If they ask for all transcripts ever then I'm in trouble.

Thanks for thinking about it at least.

[mednat]

I actually had. Perfect world, I would definitely choose Arkansas. The problem I'm running into with most programs is the GPA requirement. Arkansas is looking for cumulative undergraduate GPA, if I remember correctly. That takes me out of the running. I made a lot of missteps in my seven year journey to a BA. While I've done better at COSC, I don't have enough good grades to qualify for "GPA in the last 30 or 60 hours", I'm pretty sure. That's why I said "openish admissions." If they just accept the graduating institution GPA, like UIS, I'll be fine. If they ask for all transcripts ever then I'm in trouble.

Thanks for thinking about it at least.

I missed the open admission part. It looks like the conditional admission gpa is 2.75 (cumulative). Unconditional is 3.0. Depending where yours sits, it may be worth taking some easier classes at community college to inflate yours to 2.75 (if you really like the program). Before doing that even, it may be worth a quick call to admissions to see if there can be an exception.

I don't think programmatic accreditation will matter much, but I'm not in the field. In most areas (other than the helping professions), programmatic accreditation is mostly interesting for academics, not hiring managers.

[Tedium]

I missed the open admission part. It looks like the conditional admission gpa is 2.75 (cumulative). Unconditional is 3.0. Depending where yours sits, it may be worth taking some easier classes at community college to inflate yours to 2.75 (if you really like the program). Before doing that even, it may be worth a quick call to admissions to see if there can be an exception.

I don't think programmatic accreditation will matter much, but I'm not in the field. In most areas (other than the helping professions), programmatic accreditation is mostly interesting for academics, not hiring managers.

I really do like that program. That or Valdosta State would be ideal. Valdosta requires the GRE though. Maybe it would be more beneficial to combine strategies and take the GRE along with some NMJC courses, or something similar.

From what I've seen, programmatic accreditation in this instance is not as important. I'm just having a hard time swallowing the for-profit pill, even though I like APUS.

[LaterBloomer]

My GPA shouldn't get me into Arkansas State. When I wrote, however, I was told that if I were denied admission, I could appeal. Maybe you should check with them? If your GPA has shown improvement, if you've been involved in a job or volunteer position that shows your commitment, you might get in. (I don't know what they'd look for in an appeal.) I haven't applied, but it's on the radar. Let me know if you go that route, okay?

[Tedium]

I forgot about appeals. I am volunteering at the American Red Cross and (soon) at the Literacy Council in my area. Maybe that mixed with some better grades at NMJC might get me in. I'll take the Econ and US Government there. Several other programs require those two, so a couple of more A's should only help. The Arkansas programs really does look fantastic. I'm probably going to at least try that.

Thanks a lot for letting me know about that. It sounds like they are pretty willing to give you a second look if they sent you that. That's really promising.

[LaterBloomer]

I'll keep my fingers crossed for you! Good luck, and let us know how it goes.

[inkleind]

Did you look at Hodges University? Someone posted about their MPA the other day and I think that might be the direction I go after I knock out this BSBA.

[Tedium]

Did you look at Hodges University? Someone posted about their MPA the other day and I think that might be the direction I go after I knock out this BSBA.

I did. Their admissions process was a bit murky to me. They say they need an admissions essay and your GPA to get some kind of score and the score has to be 3.0 or better to qualify you, but they don't provide you with any sort of scale. So I have no way of knowing if I will meet their requirements without applying. I sent for an information request and asked specifically about that, so we'll see what they say.

ETA: A competency-based MPA is pretty freaking cool though. That would save you a lot of time and money. I would probably go with them if they could talk me through their process a bit more, and if I qualified.