MPA Curriculum Research Articles

“Every day of your life you deal with death:” Incorporating dirty work into the MPA curriculum

ABSTRACT Aspects of public service often involve tasks sometimes considered taboo, including working with grit, grime, blood, guts, grease, and stigmatized populations. Yet scholarship in our field directly incorporating dirty work remains limited yet growing. Importantly, if MPA students are not trained in how to work with and manage public sector employees engaged in such work, there is a chance for misunderstanding and mismanagement. In this paper, we draw on the concept of dirty work and showcase several ways how it can be incorporated into the MPA curriculum through topics such as regulation and compliance, emotional labor, budgeting and procurement, and public health. We rely on stories from deathcare workers throughout the U.S. to supplement the points. A dirty work practitioner from a large Iowa medical examiner department lends expertise in each section, and we conclude with case scenarios and questions for incorporating dirty work into MPA classes.

Exploring hidden curriculum in responsible management education: A narrative inquiry of students' lived experience in management and leadership training programmes

The purpose of this article is to reflect on responsible management education by exploring possible disjunctions between formal and Hidden Curricula in a Business and Management Faculty in Northern Uganda. Using the United Nations (UN) initiated Principles of Responsible Management Education (PRME) as point of departure, we explore intertextual links between the PRME document and two formal master's degree curricula. To unpack Hidden Curricula, we analyse narratives by master's degree students in their final year of study. For this purpose, we apply narrative analysis combined with corpus-assisted genre analysis to identity frequently occurring themes. Our data consists of three documents (PRME, MBA and MPA curricula) and narrative essays from 10 students.While the keywords ‘ethical’, ‘sustainable’ and ‘responsible management’ were salient in the PRME document, themes such as ‘management’, ‘leadership’ and ‘business’ turned out to be more prominent in the formal Master's degree curricula, thus indicating some intertextuality. However, the intertextual relationship between the students' narratives and the PRME was weak.Based on our findings we argue a need for strengthening business and management education along the lines of PRME by paying more attention to the Hidden Curriculum for building ethical, sustainable and responsible competencies.

MPA/MPP programmes and the future of work: Does MPA curriculum align with civil service requirements

In recent decades civil services worldwide have experienced exogenous forces that are transforming their work and workplace. In turn, these changes are altering the skills set associated with civil service employment. As professional degrees oriented towards careers in civil service these changes can have important ramifications on the curriculum. Focusing on member schools of the Canadian Association of Programmes in Public Administration (CAPPA) our research explores whether and how the postgraduate public administration and public policy programmes (MPA and MPP) curriculum has adapted to changes in the natural labour market for their graduates. Our threefold findings are that: A lack of alignment exists between the MPA/MPP currently taught and the requirements of civil services; a recognition by programme heads that some degree of curriculum alignment is indeed necessary; and that engagement between schools and civils services exists, but is typically informal and conducted through intermediary bodies. Our findings further highlight the necessity for civil services to engage with MPA and MPP programmes to ensure that future civil servants possess the skills relevant at a time of significant change in the nature of work.

Talking about antisemitism in MPA classrooms and beyond

ABSTRACT On October 27, 2018, a gunman killed eleven people attending Shabbat services in the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, PA. For many – both Jews and non-Jews – this tragedy served as a wake-up call about the persistence of antisemitism in the United States today. MPA curricula and public affairs research have rarely addressed contemporary antisemitism, yet we argue for including conversations about antisemitism in MPA classrooms. This article serves as a resource for the public affairs teaching community so our colleagues can feel prepared and empowered to address antisemitism in their classrooms.

Prioritizing social equity in MPA curricula: A cross-program analysis and a case study

ABSTRACTMaster of Public Administration (MPA) and Master of Public Policy programs are training grounds for current and future public service leaders. However, many programs may underemphasize the importance of social equity, a pillar of public administration. Without this training, administrators may be poorly placed to understand the causes of inequities and to develop solutions. This article examines these issues in several ways. First, it argues for greater coverage of social equity in graduate programs. Second, it reviews the literature on calls for how to improve teaching social equity. Third, it presents a content analysis detailing the extent to which social equity is integrated into core courses currently offered across 120 MPA programs in the United States. Finally, a case study discusses the authors’ development and teaching of a stand-alone special topics social equity course in a large Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration-accredited program.

Anchored learning and the development of creative, critical thinking and life-long learning skills

Focus groups were convened in 2005 and 2013 as the first step in successive MPA curriculum review and revision processes. Although the criteria for selecting participants and the questions posed to the groups were similar, the focus groups generated dramatically different perspectives regarding the challenges confronting administrators. An analysis indicates that the differences in focus group perspectives are a reflection of the evolving economic, political and fiscal environments. It also reinforces the need to adopt instructional strategies that cultivate the students’ creative, critical thinking and life-long learning skills. Since anchored learning maximizes the probability of achieving these outcomes, this article provides three examples of implementation.

Let’s Stop Educating Closet Historians

Public administration is inherently an interdisciplinary field, prominently incorporating theory and methods from economics, political science, and sociology. Less obviously, however, MPA curricula include historical treatments of particular policy arenas, institutions, the administrative state, and the professions of policy analyst and public management. In addition, the case method that figures prominently in MPA pedagogy and the research MPA students perform depend on doing history. Yet, history as a scholarly endeavor is rarely included in basic courses, much less instruction in research methods. This essay explores the use of history in MPA curricula and how MPA students might acquire a deeper appreciation of history and how historians ply their craft.

Should We Be Teaching Public Participation? Student Responses and MPA Program Practices

An online survey of public administration graduate students in the United States1 was conducted in early 2010 to measure students’ views on public participation. In addition, document analysis was used to investigate MPA curricula and the extent to which NASPAA-accredited programs were teaching courses in this area. Survey results2 indicate that most respondents (a) believe public participation is important to good governance, (b) see themselves as facilitators of public participation, and (c) are interested in learning more about the subject. Analysis of MPA-accredited program curricula showed few graduate-level public administration programs offering courses on public participation and citizen engagement. The findings point to the opportunity, and need, for greater emphasis on public participation in MPA curricula.

MPA and MPP Students: Twins, Siblings, or Distant Cousins?

To address ongoing discussions about the convergence of MPA and MPP curricula and students, data were collected on career values and goals of 175 MPA and MPP students, very similar in terms of their ages, gender, and work experience and matched on university location, tuition costs, and local job market. On none of the multiple measures of altruism, intrinsic, and extrinsic job characteristics did the two groups differ to a statistically significant degree. Along with sharing a very similar career ethos and temperament, MPA and MPP students did not differ in their interest pursuing jobs in the public, private, or nonprofit sectors. Yet these siblings were not identical twins. Most MPAs seemed to already think of themselves as administrators, ranking management issues highly, while most MPPs were analysts who wanted to master quantitative analytical techniques and critique public policies. The findings have implications for MPA and MPP curriculum design and for recruiting the next generation of public servants.

The Return of Public Relations to the Public Administration Curriculum?

There are increasing indications that public relations is slowly returning to the public administration curriculum. This was a common topic in early public administration literature, but by the second half of the 20th century it had largely disappeared from widely used textbooks. Now, with the increased power of the news media and other rapidly growing and changing alternative communications venues that define this information age, public relations is again relevant for future public managers. This article summarizes research results about these trends, based on a survey of the literature. It presents the historical and contemporary normative case for including public relations in the MPA curriculum, and synthesizes these results to provide suggestions for pedagogic approaches.

Limits to Technology-Based Distance Education in MPA Curricula

The growing capabilities of distance-education technologies, combined with potential cost and efficiency benefits, and the possibility to extend opportunities for higher education to wider, sometimes-isolated audiences, is creating a predictable move to offer increasing numbers of graduate public administration courses and even complete degrees, through various technological means. While these trends offer new and exciting opportunities to (1) reach students who in earlier times would not be able to engage in graduate education, and (2) further extend the professionalism of public administrators, there are philosophical and empirical reasons to consider the possible limits of technology-based, distanceeducation practices. This article argues that contemporary governance requires administrators with competence in social and group processes that are best when developed in a live format.

Using Focus Groups and Stakeholder Surveys to Revise the MPA Curriculum

Data generated by focus groups and stakeholder surveys indicated that revisions were necessary in three components of the MPA curriculum at Western Michigan University. Due to the strong support accorded to written and oral presentation skills, their prominence in MPA courses has been enhanced. Research design and statistics generated the lowest survey scores, while strategies for locating information and best practices garnered stronger support. These results, in conjunction with focus group feedback and informal discussions, revealed a disconnect between quantitative skills as taught by academics, and the time constraints under which administrators function. Consequently, the quantitative courses have changed to incorporate a scientific method that can be accomplished within the time constraints of agency personnel. The surveys also suggested that diversity and the related topics of group dynamics, consensus-building, and negotiation will require additional attention in the MPA curriculum.

The Increased Complexity of Public Services: Curricular Implications for Schools of Public Affairs

In the last two and a half decades, the tools of government and methods of public service provision have markedly diversified. The increased complexity of the policy and organizational environment presents difficult challenges for public administration programs, especially in the design of a curriculum appropriate to the new mixed world of public and private services, and particularly if curriculum material appropriate for managing contemporary public and nonprofit agencies is to be fully integrated into the MPA curriculum. This paper discusses the changing public service landscape that the MPA curriculum must address and ways in which the curriculum can be adapted to prepare students to meet the changes and challenges of contemporary public service provision.

Problem-based Learning in the MPA Curriculum

Problem-based learning (PBL) is a pedagogy available to MPA professors who seek to provide students with a learning environment and skills that allow students to solve complex, real-world problems, think critically, learn to collaborate with others, and assume responsibility for their learning. Although problembased learning is best associated with medical schools, its methods and learning style are beneficial to MPA programs. This article discusses PBL and its methods and evaluates the implementation of PBL in an MPA setting. The findings indicate that PBL helps students enhance collaboration and decision-making skills.

Meeting the Challenge of Distance Learning in a Public/NonProfit MPA Curriculum

This article contends that there is a growing interest in the theory and practice of Distance Learning (DL). The article presents a DL application in a public/nonprofit administration curriculum. A description of the major DL platforms is made including the author's use of the WebCT and Yahoo groups platforms. Moreover, the article examines the many technological and behavioral challenges of DL. It is argued that in meeting such challenges, the higher education community must find ways to invest and support flexible platforms that support all faculty. Until such solutions are found, DL may never reach its fullest potential.

Leadership Theory and Practice in the MPA Curriculum: Reasons and Methods

As leadership evolves from a topic of management interest into its own unique topic of study and practice, it has a natural place in MPA curricula. Professionals with MPAs usually enter public service as technical experts, but are then often called upon to fill management—or “leadership”—vacancies in organizations. They are looked to as people who can get things done and serve the people inside and outside the organization. Technical experts are often called upon to be organizational generalists. Such a career path highlights the natural emergence in many MPA curricula to include explicitly some education about and training in leadership theory and practice. This article examines this natural trend generally and traces one program’s attempt to incorporate leadership into its curriculum specifically.

Incorporating Spirituality into the MPA Curriculum: Framing the Discussion

Traditionally, public affairs education has avoided the discussion of spirituality and religion. Perhaps this has been in deference to the tradition of separation of church and state, or perhaps it represented a belief that this was the best approach to ensuring tolerance of religious diversity. However, the result of this silence may be that public affairs professionals lack a basic understanding of spiritual practices and religious differences and are ill-prepared when these manifest themselves in public policy or in the public workplace. If we are to prepare the public affairs leaders and managers of the future to address such issues, educators need to develop a framework of understanding within which a discussion of these topics can take place. The purpose of this paper is three-fold: first, to identify some of the tensions and dilemmas inherent in discussing the incorporation of spirituality into the MPA curriculum; second, to briefly share some curricular and pedagogical examples from the literature; and, third, to articulate a framework for moving this conversation forward.

Designing the MPA Capstone Course: A Structured-Flexibility Approach

This paper presents the mission-driven development of an MPA capstone course. Emerging from the self-study process for accreditation, a major reform of the MPA curriculum, and faculty discontent with the existing capstone course, the new course was designed to provide structured flexibility for students and faculty. The article examines the factors that supported the successful reform of the capstone course.

Ethics Education in the MPA Curriculum: What Difference Does It Make?

This study of 203 public administrators from across the United States, each of whom holds a master's degree in public administration, addresses the effects of ethics education upon professional behavior. Survey respondents were grouped on the basis of whether or not they had in their MPA program a semester-long class that focused solely or primarily on ethics. Those who reported having had this formal ethics education recognized ethical conflict as distinct from other conflicts significantly more often than those who did not. They were also significantly more likely to refuse to engage in unethical behavior, even when directed to do so by a superior, than were those reporting no formal ethics education. Implications for further research are outlined.

The Design and Implementation of an Integrated Values- and Competency-Based MPA Core Curriculum

This article describes the design and development of a values- and competency-based master of public administration curriculum oriented to an audience of in-service professionals pursuing part-time graduate study. To create the curriculum, faculty members undertook a comprehensive, year-long review of their MPA program, including mission, curriculum, and outcomes assessment. The authors present a description of their approach to curriculum reform and the MPA core curriculum that they developed, data and observations on initial outcomes of the curriculum reform effort, and reflections on the experience that may benefit other MPA programs considering undertaking significant curriculum reform.