“’Why? Why? Why?’ is the question of the course”: Master’s of Public Administration students’ perspectives on their learning in a standalone ethics course and the implications for ethics education throughout the curriculum

Abstract

This paper reported the findings from 18 qualitative interviews of students across two sections of an elective, standalone ethics course in a Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs and Administration (NASPAA) accredited Master’s of Public Administration (MPA) program at a northeast university. The findings suggested that a survey of normative ethical theories and opportunities to practice applying those theories to case studies in public administration led students to uncover the values upon which they stood and consider the strengths and deficiencies of those values in practice. Students generally described the value of this learning experience as developing the ability to identify and systematically consider the reason and logic of their ethical perspectives, consider alternatives presented by others, and take a principled stance. Implications of these findings for embedding ethics education across the curriculum in NASPAA accredited programs was considered.