Introduction
People face situations in their daily life that require them to make decisions either on individual basis or collectively. The process by which people make decision collectively is called politics. Public administration translates politics in to real life situations that people face in every day life.
People serving in public administration are called public administrators and they serve the public. There may include the police, government employees and other civil servants. Public administration is important in every country because it helps control the functioning of the state and public sectors.
The increasing importance of public administration in the world today increases the need for studying public administration as a separate discipline (Power, 2008, p. 2). The objective of this research paper is to describe the rationale of creating a separate discipline of public administration and the creation of graduate schools of public policy, whether public administrators should matriculate in a Masters in Public Administration program and its advantages or disadvantages to those interested in entering the field of public administration
Discipline of Public administration and graduate schools of public policy
Since public administration focuses on the means of management of public programs, there is need to have professionals trained in that area. Public administrators interact with the members of the community on daily basis and therefore, they need to have skills on how to deal with them (Power, 2008, p. 1).
They need to have special knowledge that will enable them serve the public effectively. The rationale of creating a separate discipline of public administration is to provide public administrators with knowledge, skills and competence that they need to offer services to the public.
Public sectors on the other hand have organization structure that is different from that of private sectors and needs specialized skills to operate them. For instance, the principles used in auditing for public sectors are different from those used in private sectors. To effectively establish a body of knowledge or discipline of public administration, graduate schools of public policy are essential.
These graduate schools of public policy offer public policy courses that will enable public administrators in their responsibilities of public service. These schools offer degrees and master’s degrees in public policy and public administration.
Matriculation in a Masters in Public Administration (MPA) program
It is essential for the public administrators to matriculate in MPA, a post graduate degree in public administration, because it equips them to serve in governmental and non governmental sectors.
It also equips them with skills necessary in public policy management. In doing MPA, the public administrators gain skills in different fields of public sector such as urban management and planning among others. Others that are interested in joining public administration will also be equipped with the necessary skill to serve effectively in public sectors.
Public administration, business administration and political science
The three disciplines differ in definition and the reason why they are taught. According to American Global University (2010, p.1) Public administration is meant to provide the students with knowledge of governmental and administrative concepts that will enable them in serving effectively in public organization.
In political science, governing procedures and governments are studied for better understanding by students. It also studies international organizations and their structures. Business administration on the other hand, has to do with manning of business operations and criteria for making major decisions in the organizations (American Global University, 2010, p.1). The three disciplines are slightly different but they improve efficiency in organizations and government operations.
Conclusion
The discipline of Public administration is important to all the public administrators because it will enable them gain the necessary skills in their service. It should be a separate discipline so that it can develop high specialized skills applicable in public sector. Public policy schools should be separately established to aid the development of public administration as a discipline.
Reference List
American Global University (2010). Political Science and Public Sector. USA: American Global University, Inc. Web.
Power, J. M., (2008). The Discipline of Public Administration and the Study of Local Government. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc