Our 2022 – 2023 graduates felt that the MPA Program delivered the student learning competencies well. According to the exit survey that year, on average graduates scored us near the top of a 7-point rating scale for each of them.
Graduates are expected to be able to:
- Lead and manage in public governance/Meet challenges of rapidly changing world (6.3)
- Apply a wide range of knowledge about the public service
- Apply a wide range of knowledge about an elective area within public service
- Provide evidence of professional skills necessary for the public service
- Participate in and contribute to the public policy process (6.5)
- Analyze, synthesize, think critically, solve problems and make decisions (6.2)
- Articulate and apply a public service perspective (6.3)
- Communicate and interact productively with a diverse and changing workforce and citizenry (6.4)
- Write effectively and concisely for an audience of professionals
- Present effectively to small and large groups
- Work effectively in groups and teams
- Communicate and work to ensure social justice, equity and other public service values highlighted by the Program (6.3)
Student Competencies in an Elective Area
In an elective area, students are expected to:
- Demonstrate an understanding of ethics
- Understand the roles and relationships (leaders, officials, citizens and stakeholders)
- Articulate the purposes of and processes for communicating with citizens and stakeholders
- Develop strategies for engaging citizens and stakeholders
- Lead, manage and serve to provide services and functions in the elective field
- Apply the management of local government financial resources (for Urban Administration)
- Apply the management of local government human resources (for Urban Administration)
- Develop an understanding of the current policy issues, challenges and solutions
- Understand the complexities of network relationships and develop skills in collaborative management
- Develop skills to lead, manage and serve and to provide solutions challenges
- For AY 2022 – 23 graduates, four assessment criteria reflect their high levels of learning related to the elective SLO managing services and functions:
- Level of Content Displayed: 71% Highly Developed; 29% Developed
- Development & Synthesis: 43% Highly Developed; 57% Developed
- Application of Skills Learned: 29% Highly Developed; 71% Developed
- Level of Learning: 57% Highly Developed; 43% Developed
- None of the 2022-23 graduates achieved only Initial or Emerging for any of these four criteria
- 93.6% of students graduating in Spring 2021 exhibited a Developed or Highly Developed level on their Knowledge of Public Affairs (part of SLO 1, Leading and Managing in Public Affairs)
- 83.8% of students graduating in Spring 2021 exhibited a Developed or Highly Developed level on their ability to identify and analyze issues (part of SLO 3, Analyze and Make Decisions)
- 83% of students graduating in Spring 2021 exhibited a Developed or Highly Developed level on their ability to effectively make recommendations (part of SLO 3 Analyze and Make Decisions)
- 96.4% of students graduating in Spring 2021 demonstrated Developed or Highly Developed skills in their control of the syntax and mechanics of their writing.
The MPA degree is a 39-unit graduate program (42 units, with an internship) and can be completed within four semesters for full-time students. However, almost 85 percent of our students are part-time students, usually taking two courses per semester. The median time to degree is 6 semesters (2 -3 years, depending on whether attending full- or part-time).
Of students admitted to the program in Fall 2018 and Spring 2019:
- 23% graduated in 2 years
- 54% graduated in 3 years or less
- 69% graduated in 4 years or less
- 72% persisted to degree completion
The graduation rate of 72% for the 2018 – 2019 cohort is unusually low (typically it hovers around 85%). We are taking a closer look at possible explanations and remedies, though we suspect some of the attrition to be pandemic-related.