MPA vs MBA

Hey guys-

I'm in the process of getting a BS from Excelsior, and I am looking for graduate programs. I am interested in taking a leadership role in whatever industry I can find an interest in.

I am only 20, and fairly inexperienced in the business world...ok..very inexperinced and this may sound like a stupid question to some of you out there...but I was wondering what is the difference between an Master of Public Administration and a Master of Business Administration?

If you guys could give me a little info on this subject that would be great

Thanks

 

Hi Matt-

I went through the same dilemma when I was deciding whether to go for my MBA or my MPA. My experience may be a bit different from yours, though.

I am an HR exec and the bulk of my work has been in the non-profit/public sectors. Initially, I had considered an MPA, but ended up opting for the MBA, instead. It is very likely that I will spend the rest of my career in the public sector, but chose the MBA because I felt it had a bit more versatility for me than an MPA would offer.

If you take a look at the coursework required for each of the degrees you will see the difference between them:

http://www.ubalt.edu/cla_spa/mpa/courses.html

http://ubonline.edu/msb/curriculum.html

I will soon be at the next level of decision-making -- my doctoral program. I am now trying to determine which program might be the most beneficial to me:

A PhD in Public Administration, a DPA or a PhD in Organizational Leadership. At this point, I'm leaning toward the latter -- again, I just feel that it leaves me a bit more flexibility than I might have with either of the Public Administration doctorates.

Just my two cents...for what they're worth...Mary

 

Although simular, you would want to get the MPA if you wanted to administer in the public sector and the MBA in the private. It is two separate worlds.

My brother has an MPA and is a career civil servant. I was going over my classes for my MBA and we found one huge difference: The public sector is not concerned about profit - and that is all that really matters in the private.

 

Matt,

you may want to search on this topic. I believe it was discussed.

As a career civil servant I have a couple of thoughts. If you select your program carefully and with the right courses an MBA will have application to many parts of the civil service and provide use after you leave the civil service. An MPA does not have the same utility. However, I have seen some good MPA curriculums. I also believe that a Masters in Management can provide some of the focus of the MBA or the MPA.

And to disagree somewhat with Mr. Engineer while we are not as concerned with profit making we are concerned with limiting expenses (I know, hard to believe) so developing business cases and fiscal responsibility are issues. Additionally, some federal agencies are fee for service (they charge other agenices for the support provided and only support federal or designated agenicies) and function similar to a business but have to very closely monitor their finances since the government cannot make a profit. (Imagine getting penalized for making too much money.)

To get a feel for the difference take a look at Troy's MPA vs the MBA.

http://www.tsulearn.net/Graduate.htm

In today's world of greater accountability and streamlining processes business acumen and professional certifications are becoming more of a plus in the civil service than ever before so I would recommend an MBA with a concentration.

Good luck in your studies....

 

Do no business schools actually teach the reasons why profit is important other than what most people think "lining one's pockets"? business degrees really need to get back into teaching more (and correct) economics.

 

There are a few. An example is Cameron's MBA program ($250 a credit, ACBSP accredited, 100% online). You can take up to twelve credits of economics however only three credits are required.

http://www.cameron.edu/online/mba.html

 

Think About Your Career Direction

Matt,

As you seem relatively undecided about your career direction, I would definitely recommend that you obtain some more work experience before deciding on any graduate business degree. Most MBA & MPA programs either require or strongly recommend some work experience for admission. As stated in the "Which MBA " book from the Economist Intelligence Unit, having work experience and being clear about your career direction will help you not only in getting into the MBA/MPA of your choice, but also in getting more out of the program in terms of an educational experience.

I would also recommend some sort of career exploration to help decide on your career path. Some helpful sites are:

http://careerplanning.about.com/

http://www.cdm.uwaterloo.ca/steps.asp

A highly recommended book is "What Color Is Your Parachute?" by Richard Nelson Bolles (available pretty much everywhere). The companion web site is http://www.jobhuntersbible.com/

Good luck in your career and education odyssey!

Michael Weedon