5 Qualifications of a Highly Effective MPA Candidate

A school’s admissions department who is determining whether or not an individual should be admitted to a highly competitive MPA program will often look for five distinctive qualifications. These qualifications can range from academic achievements to personality traits and will help the school admissions department determine who is best suited for attending a highly competitive program. The following five qualifications are what most school admissions departments will look for when you apply for an MPA program.

#1 Academic Achievements

School’s admissions department will want to pick individuals who have shown they are highly qualified to continue their education. Previous academic achievements will help them determine how successful you were in your previous classes and whether or not you can endure the hard work that is required of an MPA program.

#2 Previous Leadership Roles

Most jobs in public administration require the individual to take on a huge leadership role. A school’s admissions department will want to see if you have had any previous leadership roles and how successful you were in those roles. Anything from leading a class project to running for president of student council can count as leadership roles.

#3 Good People Skills

Public administration is about interacting, managing and leading groups of people. A great candidate for an MPA degree program is someone who has great people skills. People skills can range from talking to talking to large groups of people to carrying small one-on-one discussions. To determine if you have good people skills a school’s admissions department may conduct several interviews with a candidate. These interviews can give valuable insight into what, if any, people skills a future MPA candidate may have.

#4 Community Involvement

Many public administration jobs are available in the public sector. School admissions looks for people who have an interest in their community as it is a major part of a public administration position. Volunteering or working closely with programs that work to better the community will show that the candidate for the MPA program has a real passion for bettering the community.

#5 Multiple Areas of Interest

Candidates who are highly effective in MPA degree programs often have multiple areas of interest. A MPA degree isn’t just about working with numbers, or working with people, instead it is a combination of several academic areas. School admission staff will look for someone who has an interest in more than one area as it shows they will embrace all areas of the MPA program and not just hang onto one small section of it.

References –

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masters_of_Public_Administration
• https://www.publicservicecareers.org/