Earning a Master of Public Administration degree can help public sector professionals advance to upper-level management. This can equate to an increase in earning potential and the positive impact individuals can have on their communities. This drive to help people is, after all, a strong motivator for pursuing a career in public administration.
Yet earning a master’s degree can be expensive. And busy professionals and parents may find it difficult to commit a lot of time to their education. Arkansas State University’s online MPA Public Management Track degree program can be a sound option. The program is transparently affordable, accelerated and flexible, which can make earning an MPA feasible for students with family and work obligations.
Tuition and fees are designed to be simple and straightforward — $11,916 for the entire MPA program or $331 per credit hour. Degree completion requires 36 hours of coursework, and tuition is the same for in-state and out-of-state students.
How Does This Compare to Other Programs?
Peterson’s estimates that tuition and fees for graduate programs average $30,000 at public schools and $40,000 for private schools. This cost may be compounded for multiple-year programs. Clearly, A-State is markedly more affordable than the average graduate program.
As for similar online MPA programs, A-State is still comparatively affordable. For instance, the cost per year of Southern Arkansas University’s online MPA program is $6,597 for in-state students and $9,477 for out-of-state students. The program is estimated to take two years, bringing the total to $13,194 (in state) or $18,954 (out of state). And, unlike A-State’s online MPA, that total will increase if a student takes longer than two years.
Tuition for an online MPA offered by Strayer University is $21,160, which does not include textbooks. This could be $150 per course if not included in other course materials. Nor does it include technology fees, graduation fees, transcript fees, etc.
What Other Cost Benefits Derive from Earning an MPA Online?
Scheduling flexibility means professionals can keep working, earning wages and pursuing promotions, in contrast to the opportunity cost of lost wages and missed opportunities when attending traditional full-time, campus-based programs.
This flexibility enables students who are also parents to save money on childcare, since they can work around family time. Moving costs, driving costs, and room and board are also not a consideration as students do not have to relocate or commute to attend school.
The cost savings of online learning and the low tuition of A-State’s MPA make earning this degree relatively inexpensive. Plus, it can be completed in 18 months, meaning a quicker return on investment following graduation. Earning an online MPA from A-State is an affordable, convenient way to move into public administration.
Learn more about Arkansas State University’s online MPA in Public Management program.
Sources:
Peterson’s: Is the Cost of a Graduate Degree Worth It?
Peterson’s: An Insider’s Guide to Calculating the True Cost of College
Peterson’s: Real-World Cost Comparison: Online vs. On-Campus