Career in public administration: Introduction
For the proper functioning of the organization or institution in every sphere of life, be it social, economic, and political, requires proper rules or management. The idea of administration emerges from here. Behind the laws that are made to govern us and their implementation are a policymaker and a public administrator. A public administration degree can get you the educational foundation required by various roles in government, non-government, and non–profit organizations. A career in public administration can help one influence a future outcome for the institutions and organizations they work with. One may also be integral to establishing and implementing programs and collaborating with key decision-makers for their effective operation.
At the School Level
To embark upon a career in public administration right from school, one should choose Humanities/Arts stream.
Humanities/Arts stream is the most preferred path because knowledge of subjects such as political science, sociology, history, geography, economics and so on, facilitates a better understanding of public administration and policy later on. However, one can pursue public administration with any of the streams, as choosing a stream at the school level does not have any direct bearing upon one’s career in public administration in the future.
Undergraduate and Post-Graduate level
Choosing the right course at the bachelor’s level is the most important step in making a career in public administration. Following are the options one can choose at the undergraduate level:
B.A. (Hons.) Public administration/Political Science*
B.A. Pass/Honours in any of the social sciences/humanities discipline
*Public Administration is not a very popular course at the undergraduate level. Therefore, most students can start off with pursuing either political science or the second option. Knowledge of a subject in disciplines such as political science or law can put the student in a better position of understanding the course at the latter. If while pursuing a bachelor’s degree in any other disciplines other than the above mentioned, one wishes to pursue a career in public administration, one is open to doing so by pursuing a Master’s degree in public administration or courses of similar nature (public policy and governance) by qualifying the entrance tests of recognized programs.
Eligibility
General eligibility to pursue a B.A. degree in Public Administration/Political Science is a Higher Secondary qualification/ 10+2 or equivalent qualification in any stream from a recognized educational Board of the country, with a minimum of 50% in aggregate.
Please note that this is the basic eligibility and is not the same as the actual cut-off/ qualification of entrances needed for admission.
A career in public administration can be established with more fruitful outcomes at the level of post-graduation.