A career in public administration typically begins in specialized positions and progresses toward higher level positions in which generalist, leadership-oriented capacities are of greater importance. Since MPA students may take seven electives, this gives you great flexibility in designing a course of study that suits YOUR interests and career needs. The majority of the MPA students take one of the School’s laid-out specializations, the other half design a course of study from School courses and other courses at the University in conjunction with your faculty advisor. To develop your own specialization, you need to submit a proposal to your faculty advisor and receive approval.

When experienced students have specialized knowledge gained on the job, but they lack theoretical perspective in their field, the school specialization in their field may provide valuable knowledge and enhance their career prospects. A specialization that complements an existing expertise (e.g. a specialization in information resource management to complement existing expertise in personnel or financial management or emergency and environmental management) is often an attractive choice.

Other experienced students, however, may choose to take those electives that will best develop their capacities to become generalist administrators. The specialization in leadership and strategic management is especially appropriate for experienced students who wish to prepare themselves for executive positions.

Pre-service students are especially encouraged to focus on one of the school sponsored specializations or certificates. Most inexperienced students enter the program with general liberal arts degrees. Such degrees are valuable because they provide important insights into social problems, values, and human behavior. Pre-service students, however, need some specialized knowledge and skills to begin their careers.

Several of the specializations are designed to provide this specialized knowledge, including: local government administration, nonprofit management, human resource management, emergency and environmental management, budgeting and financial management, policy analysis and evaluation methods, and public information management. Certificates (that are 15 or 18 hours of courses) are also available in some of these fields. The other specializations may be better suited to mid-career students. Pre-service students wishing to study these other specializations should work closely with advisors to assure that they select courses that will enhance their prospects for initial placement and early career advancement.

Each specialization is organized around central required courses. Students should consult with designated faculty members in order to make an informed choice. The specializations are not listed on students' diplomas or transcripts but those who complete them may list them on their resumes.

Students may choose electives from other programs in the university such as political science, communications, business, adult education, population studies, comparative studies, criminal justice, social work, urban planning, and arts administration. These elective courses should be graduate-level courses (courses numbered 5000 or 6000). [Courses numbered 3000 and 4000 level are generally undergraduate courses.] In so doing, prior consent must be obtained (on the blue form) from a faculty advisor or the MPA director. Failure to obtain approval for elective courses taken outside the Askew School may result in the course being disallowed for the MPA degree. It is possible to take elective courses in several different subjects, with approval, so long as these lead to a coherent program of study.

Want to fashion your own specialization? The MPA program director, or your faculty advisor, will work with any student who wants to fashion a personally tailored specialization from the many courses offered by the university. An advantage of a large diverse institution like Florida State is that it offers many courses that are relevant to careers in public service. Reflecting our location in the capital city of a "mega-state," many departments across the campus include policy related studies in their curriculums. An individualized specialization should complement well the student's past studies and experiences and provide a coherent body of knowledge that will enhance the student's ability to make a meaningful contribution.

Students may enroll for six hours of elective coursework in another department on a pass/fail basis. This may be advisable when taking specialization courses in other fields where MPA students might be in competition with students who have had years of preparation in that field. Any course taken from the School of Law should be taken on the S/U basis as that school follows a different basis for determining grades. Public administration courses, however, may not be taken on the S/U basis unless normally so offered.

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