Do undergraduate public administration, policy, and affairs programs mimic graduate curricula?

Abstract

Curricular mimicking between undergraduate and graduate public administration, policy, and affairs degrees is an ongoing concern of program administrators. Mimicking occurs when the curricular elements of an undergraduate degree overlap those of a graduate degree. Missing from the discourse surrounding this issue is empirical evidence of curricular mimicking. We contribute to the ongoing discourse by providing evidence from a random sample of 42 universities. We find evidence of mimicking both between and within schools, but the mimicking is not complete. Although comparisons indicate mimicking exists, there is also evidence of substantial variation in curriculum coverage and emphasis. We recommend NASPAA take a leadership role in defining a continuum of learning for public administration, policy, and affairs degrees that covers bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral curricula.

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