What do you think of these programs?

[sushitooth]

What do you think of programs such as University of Georgia MPA (public finance), Georgia State MPP, Georgia Tech MPP, University of Florida MPA, George Mason MPP? They are all 2nd tier programs, but do you think good jobs can be found coming out of them? (I know finding a good job has to do with other factors too, but in general, how do you think these programs stack up? Worth going to?)

[mpp_applicant]

What do you think of programs such as University of Georgia MPA (public finance), Georgia State MPP, Georgia Tech MPP, University of Florida MPA, George Mason MPP? They are all 2nd tier programs, but do you think good jobs can be found coming out of them? (I know finding a good job has to do with other factors too, but in general, how do you think these programs stack up? Worth going to?)

Georgia MPA seems to be very good if you are shooting for state or local government or a handful of federal agencies. I think they place a number of people in GAO every year and some in the Presidential Management Fellows program. I think it can also a good program if you want to go on to a PhD in public administration. And it's affordable. If you want to study public POLICY though, I talked to a student there who said the public policy concentration should in no way be mistaken for or compared to an MPP degree.

I know less about the other programs. Look carefully at Tech's course offerings. I think they have strengths only in a few policy areas - environment, technology and economic development (regional/urban, not international).

[sushitooth]

How does the state salary scale differ from the federal one?

And what do you think of Georgia Tech in terms of the policy analysis concentration? That is the one I would be going for.

[stilesg57]

I can't speak for the Georgia or Florida programs, but here's some insight into George Mason:

Looking back over that post, I stand by everything I wrote and I would consider it still accurate.

[mpp_applicant]

How does the state salary scale differ from the federal one?

And what do you think of Georgia Tech in terms of the policy analysis concentration? That is the one I would be going for.

Sorry, I don't the answer to either of these. Just don't know much about the Tech program.

[Fango]

What do you think of programs such as University of Georgia MPA (public finance), Georgia State MPP, Georgia Tech MPP, University of Florida MPA, George Mason MPP? They are all 2nd tier programs, but do you think good jobs can be found coming out of them? (I know finding a good job has to do with other factors too, but in general, how do you think these programs stack up? Worth going to?)

Not to be pedantic, but UGA's MPA program is not a second-tier program. It is ranked 4th in the nation (tied with Princeton; ranked only behind Syracuse, Indiana and Harvard) and second in the public finance and budgeting field (Syracuse being first). Consequently, it's the best program of your listed choices, and you'll find top-notch instructors there within the budgeting and finance specialization. Placements in all levels of government and nonprofit organizations are high. Mason's MPP program is decent, if not ideally located near D.C. Georgia Tech's MPP is also good, but perhaps best for science and technology policy.

[narius]

Not to be pedantic, but UGA's MPA program is not a second-tier program. It is ranked 4th in the nation (tied with Princeton; ranked only behind Syracuse, Indiana and Harvard) and second in the public finance and budgeting field (Syracuse being first). Consequently, it's the best program of your listed choices, and you'll find top-notch instructors there within the budgeting and finance specialization. Placements in all levels of government and nonprofit organizations are high. Mason's MPP program is decent, if not ideally located near D.C. Georgia Tech's MPP is also good, but perhaps best for science and technology policy.

Oh cut the guy a break If we're really to drive into the details, the US News rankings are exceptionally poor measures for public affairs. UGA may in fact be fourth (or first, for that matter), but US News's lack of methodology hardly fleshes that out. Either way, UGA's program is still considered fairly a regional one, which is probably more accurate nomenclature than 'second tier' or 'lacks-gothic-buildings.'

[Alyssa@UGA-MPA]

Only a few years belated, but I wanted to point out to any future GradCafe readers that UGA is an exceptional school and has been repeatedly performed at high levels in a number of Public Administration/Public Policy fields.

 

First of all, the program isn't what I consider regional. Job placement out of the program is nationwide with about 2/5ths of students leaving Georgia after graduation for jobs in DC, other states, or international jobs. There are also over 10% of international students enrolled in the program that often return to their home countries to work in high levels of government.

 

While rankings certainly aren't everything, the US News rankings really highlight the strength of the faculty at UGA. The professors at this university are renowned scholars in the fields of finance, management, and policy. This ranking is backed up further by UGA recently being named the number one worldwide leader in Public Administration publications by an international study conducted by the University of Rotterdam in 2014.

 

Lastly, I would not pigeon hole UGA’s program to local government. In addition to the diverse backgrounds of the scholars within the program, there are strong relationships with other UGA programs such as Higher Education, Nonprofit, and Public Health that allow students to take additional classes for specializations. The strength of policy can be seen in the programs' yearly invitation to the Fels Policy Challenge at the University of Pennsylvania. Here UGA MPA program students are pitted against other top tiered schools including Harvard, the University of Washington, Columbia, Princeton, University of Texas Austin, Georgetown, University of Michigan Ann Arbor, among others. Despite the stiff competition, UGA has placed as finalists for several years in a row.