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.
