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Online Master of Public Administration (MPA): career outlook

Upskill in a changing world

To keep pace with new technology and increasing demand for more sophisticated services, public service has changed. For professionals keen to upskill and stay ahead in this evolving environment, this Online MPA provides the necessary practical, contemporary content to help you better serve your local communities.

For those willing to develop the latest skills and expertise, a number of diverse MPA careers are available, from policy management and town planning to corporate services and change management. Underpinned by the latest research, academic insights and practice-based learning, this programme will help you improve your relevance, be it for the public sector, government or an external agency.

Previous graduates on this programme have embarked on MPA careers in local councils, educational institutions, non-governmental organisations and political organisations.

  • Ranked 9th in the UK for Social Policy (2022)1
  • School of Government awarded Bronze Athena SWAN (2020)2
  • 2nd most targeted university by the UK’s top employers (2020)3
  • UK’s leading academic centre for teaching and research on local government and strategic public management4

Policy Lead: 

£52,916/year

A Policy Lead is responsible for shaping the policy environment and aligning policy initiatives to anticipate the future policy landscape. Key activities include undertaking policy analysis and developing and implementing organisation-wide policy positions, engaging with internal and external stakeholders on cross-market challenges.5

Strategic Change Manager:

£42,693/year

The single point of contact for any business change projects, Change Managers are responsible for reviewing, logging, initiating, authorising, planning and implementing all requests for change. Once change is approved, Change Managers will coordinate and facilitate the transition of essential business processes.6

Additional roles include:

  • Policy and performance lead
  • Strategic change manager
  • Senior policy officer
  • Finance secretary
  • Corporate officer
  • Town clerk
  • QA officer
  • Assistant director of corporate services
  • Regional security officer
  • Medical laboratory manager
  • Service manager in adult social services
  • Head of support services
  • Senior nutrition and food systems officer

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Keen to learn more? Our expert team is ready to answer any questions you may have.

Programme outcomes

When you complete this programme, you will be able to:

  • Understand public management and global governance
  • Navigate managerial leadership
  • Apply individual strategies for public service career development
  • Deploy theoretical knowledge using real-world scenarios
  • Use international perspective of strategy and practices

Career support

Your relationship with the University of Birmingham will continue long after your graduation. To make the most of your future career prospects, we will help you gain the skills, knowledge and attributes that employers are looking for.

One-to-one support

Access one-to-one careers advice and support via the University of Birmingham Careers Network for up to two years after you graduate.

Extensive network

Join an alumni network of over 300,000 students worldwide.

Online community

Connect with your peers and lecturers and keep our thriving online community alive.

References:

  1. UNKNOWN (2022) World University Rankings by Subject. QS Top Universities [online] Available at: <https://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/university-subject-rankings/2022/social-policy-administration> [Accessed 09.05.2022]
  2. UNKNOWN (2020) The School of Government receives Athena SWAN accreditation [online] Available at: <https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/schools/government/news/school-wide/2020/athena-swan.aspx> [Accessed 21.02.2020]
  3. UNKNOWN (2020) The graduate market in 2020. High Fliers Research Limited [online] Available at: <https://www.highfliers.co.uk/download/2020/graduate_market/GM20Report.pdf> [Accessed 21.02.2020]
  4. UNKNOWN (2020) Institute of Local Government Studies. University of Birmingham [online] Available at: <https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/schools/government/departments/local-government-studies/index.aspx> [Accessed 21.02.2020]
  5. Average Policy Lead Salary in the United Kingdom. Glassdoor [online] Available at: <https://www.glassdoor.co.uk/Salaries/policy-lead-salary-SRCH_KO0,11.htm> [Accessed 11.02.2020]
  6. Average Change Manager Salary in the United Kingdom. Payscale [online] Available at: <https://www.payscale.com/research/UK/Job=Manager%2C_Change_Management/Salary> [Accessed 11.02.2020]