How valuable is a MPA these days? What can you do with it?

[pafan]

Hello,

I am recently considering getting my MPA and I wanted to know if this degree is useful. I have several friends that have this degree, and most of them are in the same careers that they had while in school, it seemed more like a degree to check off a box more than anything else. I do have some conflicting information because the director of my program told me that it does help with employment, and that most people go on to be successful in a variety of careers, but my anecdotal evidence does not support that. My goal however, is to get a job in the nonprofit or local government sectors, but right now I do not have any experience. I am very interested in this, should I try with this degree, or would something else be more useful, thanks!

[kb6]

Of course the director of a program told you the degree is useful. 

How old are you, and what is your current job? What kind of program do you think you could get into? These are important factors.

There are certain career paths where a master's (any master's, an MPA will do) is really important to moving up. The problem is the price tag of the degree in relation to its potential to boost your earning potential. If you're already working at a low level in the nonprofit or gov sectors, and have been explicitly told you need a master's to move up, then I would go for the degree as cheaply as you possibly can. But if you go straight from undergrad with no real work experience, you will probably find yourself starting off at an entry-level position once you graduate regardless, only now you'll have a big debt load to pay off and way less flexibility in terms of career paths than you did two years earlier.  

Edited July 31, 2017 by kb6

[MaxwellAlum]

MPAs don't really teach you many hard skills that you can't learn on the job or by taking evening or online classes.  Jobs in public policy or public administration are different from jobs in areas like social work of law, where you absolutely need the degree to be allowed to practice in the profession.  As you have observed, there aren't too many jobs that actually require MPAs.

However, if you want a career in public policy, and you are having trouble breaking into the field, an MPA can give you that leg up.  For me, it was helpful for shifting my career trajectory to doing more analytical work, as I was previously stuck in an administrative role.  I also met some great people and did learn a lot.  I would not, however, go into six-figure debt for such a degree.  As suggested above, probably the best way to go is to first try to get an entry-level job in government and work your way up. After a couple of years, if you see that a master's degree can help you advance, try to get it as cheaply as possible.

[jarrodthomas]

Honestly, I've heard that going the macro route for an MSW degree can get you into the same policy positions as an MPA. I interned with my state's Department of Human Services and the amount of social workers that are administrators in policy is crazy. I also think an MSW makes you more versatile if the public route is where you want to end up. Not to discourage you at all but my aunt received an MPA and she didn't find many career opportunities afterwards. What are your career goals if you receive an MPA? There are many ways to get to that goal. 

 

EDIT: I just read the last part of your OP. Yes, you can get into non profit management and local gov't with an MSW as well. Do what makes you happy! Experience is key with this career. 

Edited August 1, 2017 by jarrodthomas

[Ben414]

3 hours ago, jarrodthomas said:

Honestly, I've heard that going the macro route for an MSW degree can get you into the same policy positions as an MPA. I interned with my state's Department of Human Services and the amount of social workers that are administrators in policy is crazy. I also think an MSW makes you more versatile if the public route is where you want to end up. Not to discourage you at all but my aunt received an MPA and she didn't find many career opportunities afterwards. What are your career goals if you receive an MPA? There are many ways to get to that goal. 

 

EDIT: I just read the last part of your OP. Yes, you can get into non profit management and local gov't with an MSW as well. Do what makes you happy! Experience is key with this career. 

A macro SW degree can get you into most of the same policy positions if the position involves a traditional social work field (Assuming we're holding the amount of tech/quant skills standard. Good MPA programs more often teach more tech/quant skills, so if a job requires those skills it may be harder to take courses in them via a macro SW.) It does not make you more versatile; it's either the same or less versatility depending on how you want to use the degree. I would only recommend OP choose a macro SW over a MPA if they have decided they want to work in a traditional social work field.

I agree with the others, though, that neither may be a good idea for OP. Don't go unless you will graduate with little debt; don't go if you don't at least have an idea of what you want to do with the degree; don't go if your job provides some connections for your desired career and you aren't planning on switching fields (unless a masters is required for promotion).

Edited August 1, 2017 by Ben414

[ExponentialDecay]

On 7/31/2017 at 2:30 PM, pafan said:

My goal however, is to get a job in the nonprofit or local government sectors, but right now I do not have any experience. 

A job doing what?

The poster above, albeit under the impression that policy is limited to social work, makes a good point: if you can get a specialized degree, it may be more worthwhile to do that. So, if you want to do economic policy, it's better to get a master's in economics, and if you want to do data analysis, it's better to do a master's in applied math, etc. Certainly, if I were trying to break into the field, that's the route I would go - the more evidence that you're competent at the specific thing they're hiring for, the better. Both the asset and the flaw of the MPA is that it's very general. Many early and mid-career people are looking for something that can enhance their existing skills and knowledge in a variety of disciplines, and the MPA works for them. At the same time, you have to contend with the issue that you appear unfocused and not really good at anything, as well as the stigma that the degree has with some employers. 

The value of the degree depends on what you want and where you are. In your position, I wouldn't do it: you can get an entry-level local government job with a BA.

[jarrodthomas]

I'm not sure if people think that I believe policy is just for social work when I never even said that? I simply suggested that they look at other routes as an MPA doesn't teach you much else that you could just get from the field. 

[Ben414]

On 8/3/2017 at 7:35 PM, jarrodthomas said:

I'm not sure if people think that I believe policy is just for social work when I never even said that? I simply suggested that they look at other routes as an MPA doesn't teach you much else that you could just get from the field. 

I can't speak for anyone else, but that's not what I thought you believed. I merely wanted to show that I disagreed with

 

On 8/1/2017 at 2:23 PM, jarrodthomas said:

Honestly, I've heard that going the macro route for an MSW degree can get you into the same policy positions as an MPA.

and

On 8/1/2017 at 2:23 PM, jarrodthomas said:

I also think an MSW makes you more versatile if the public route is where you want to end up.

However, I do agree with your suggestion that people look at other routes other than a MPA. In some situations, a macro SW degree is better. In many situations, getting neither is better.

 

[MPAguy]

I'm in local govt and have been for almost 4 years. I just started my MPA, like first semester just started. You can't be a Finance Director, Assistant Finance Director, Town/County/City manager, Emergency MGMT Director, etc without an MPA or similar degree. I agree that I wouldn't go into a ton of debit to receive my degree but it's totally worth getting in my opinion. Especially is you want to make a solid salary.

[datik]

I graduated from PoliSci and began working in political communications at my local gov't. I wanted to pivot into more policy-oriented roles so I'm beginning my MPP at HKS in order to move into international consulting (I'm from outside the US), and later maybe return to public sector in my country.

I'm just beginning my career path so I can't tell you if I will be sucessful or not.