Bachelor of Public Administration

The Bachelor of Public Administration (BPA or B.P.A.) degree is one of several Bachelor's level management degrees that provides training in the public policy field as well as public management. A bachelor's degree in public administration provides a background for those interested in pursuing careers in governmental agencies, non-governmental organizations, management in hospitals,consulting in private firms, school boards, and human resources. Careers in international relief agencies, urban planning, city management, financial planning, public finance and public relations also tie into the BPA degree.

BPA programs focus on public administration at the local, state/provincial, national/federal and supranational levels, as well as in the nonprofit sector. Through its history, the BPA degree has become more interdisciplinary by drawing from fields such as economics, sociology, anthropology, political science, and regional planning in order to equip BPA graduates with skills and knowledge covering a broad range of topics and disciplines relevant to the public sector. A core curriculum of a typical BPA program usually includes courses on microeconomics, macroeconomics, public finance, research methods / statistics, policy process and policy analysis, ethics, public management, leadership, planning & GIS, and program evaluation/performance measurement.

The BPA degree is very similar of the Bachelor of Public Policy degree and also the Bachelor of Business Administration degree but to a lesser extent.

See also