What do you expect to accomplish by completing this M.P.A. Program? Specifically, what work and/or life experiences have prepared you for this program, and how will completing this program assist you in achieving your career goals?
Over the course of my undergraduate career, I developed an enormous passion for analyzing
data and solving problems. This was facilitated through a comprehensive curriculum in the academic
field of economics at Valdosta State University. An undergraduate degree in economics, involving
coursework in topics such as public finance & fiscal policy, urban & regional economics, managerial
economics, environmental economics, organizational behavior, applied statistics, the
quantitative field of econometrics have refined my professional and academic interests toward
an emphasis in the public sector, the implementation of public policy, and the largely
complimentary field of public administration.
In addition, as an undergraduate, I participated in extra-circular organizations on campus,
including the VSU Debate Team and the VSU Emerging Leaders program - which involved helping
incoming freshman adjust to campus life. These programs emphasized and required team building, the
ability to motivate others, the ability to manage others, setting SMART goals, planning events,
organizing activities, and leading groups and discussions. I'd like to use the unique set of skills achieved
through my undergraduate economics degree (which include the ability to conduct a regression
analysis and benefit-cost analysis) and student activities toward an even greater societal purpose as a
civil servant. As a result, I humbly request to be considered for the Masters of Public Administration
program with a concentration in public policy at Valdosta State University.
At its core, public administration, as Woodrow Wilson once described, "[is] government
in action; it is the executive, the operative, the most visible side of government, and is of course as
old as government itself." In light of the increasingly complex and expanding public policy
environment, particularly in fields like health care, education, and the environment, the United States
is in a desperate need for qualified and eager civil servants and public administration officials. I would
like to see myself, using the knowledge and practical skills attained from Valdosta State University's
Masters of Public Administration program, to begin my professional career as a public sector economist
for a federal level institution. I strongly believe an MPA degree with a concentration in public policy
is equipped to serve as a compliment to my undergraduate economic studies,
and enhance a specialization in the public sector.
