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What Does a Career in Public Administration Entail?
Public administration is a field that helps students understand how government decisions are made so that they can make those decisions themselves in roles as community service managers, public sector management or nonprofit management workers, emergency management directors, and other public administration professionals. Prospective students can earn undergraduate and graduate degrees that prepare them for public service, teach them to perform policy analysis, put new policies in place, and find ways to create projects that carry out those decisions. A public administration degree is the first step toward a career in the non-profit sector and nonprofit organizations, the government, or for anyone who is interested in tackling the more significant challenges facing our society.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), people working in public administration jobs spend a good deal of time implementing government and public policy, managing people and resources, conducting inspections, and acting as a consultant. This role requires a great deal of analysis, an openness to public service, and a clear understanding of public policy and how to bridge the gap between decision-makers and their constituents.
Public administration professionals can find that jobs vary by location and may involve working in the government or with nonprofit organizations.