Public Administration Program Student Testimonials
Committed to Helping Build Your Future
Hear from some of our online Master of Public Administration graduates as they share about their experience at Anna Maria College, the MPA program, and how it has helped them in their careers in public service and lives.
Since graduating with my degree online from Anna Maria College, I have received two promotions both at my full-time and part-time teaching job. I have no doubt that the addition of my degree to my resume played a large part in that. I encourage everyone to further their education early - don’t wait!
The program has prepared me well to respond to contemporary challenges faced by emergency services. It helps with the EFO program. The most beneficial part of the program was gaining the perspective of a city manager, exploring budgets and strategic plans. We need to make budget requests based on DATA! My advice to incoming students would be to apply yourself. What you learn at Anna Maria will help you accomplish your goals.
The higher level educational experience with AMC has allowed me to truly make a difference for our internal and external customers by applying what I have learned to help make our community a safer place to live. The flexibility in scheduling and the online learning promoted a more student oriented environment while working a full-time job. My advice to incoming students would be to utilize the services AMC has to offer and seek assistance if you need it. Everyone is here to help you so that you will be successful.
The professors were very understanding of what I had going on in my personal life. They were very good about not overwhelming students with work but at the same time it was challenging and I felt that I learned a lot. I would recommend incoming students to come into the program with an open mind. Before I started the program, I would have never thought I would thrive in a program that was 100% online but I did. I’d tell incoming students to not get intimidated by the course load and to complete all assignments in a timely fashion even if professors give leeway on due dates because each individual assignment requires special attention.
Fire and rescue services are more complex than most people think. My AMC MPA has provided both global and specific tools to be an effective and contemporary fire service leader. The most beneficial part of the program would be the diversity of ideas, concepts and fellow students. My advice to incoming students would be to commit to the program, work hard and be engaged.
This online program has allowed me to continue my education through some significant events in my life. Retirement from Marine Corps after 50 years and a move to our home in Tennessee. I found quality instruction and interacted with a wide spectrum of people from varying walks of life. My advice to incoming students would be to never stop learning. Use the modern tools of education to continue to advance your understanding of your area of focus, a new area and most importantly – other people.
The Masters in Public Administration online program at Anna Maria is great. I have been in the program for 6 months and I have completed three courses. The flexibility of the online environment really helps to cater to the full-time professional. The best advice I would share with incoming students is time. To be successful, you must put the time into learning. It is critical to complete the readings and read all of the posts from other students. The more you put into the program, the more you will get out of it.
The most beneficial part of the program is the quality of the instructors. They are knowledgeable and push you to do well. They will work with you if there is a problem and are concerned about your learning – not just getting to the end of the course. My advice to incoming students would be to be prepared. The online learning platform is great but you must be disciplined and stay with it. Stay involved in the online forums because it is a great way to get several perspectives on the week’s topic. I wish my own college was as student oriented and helpful. Everyone from the first person who contacted me about beginning my degree to the last person checking to make sure I had everything in order to graduate has been wonderful.
The most beneficial part of the MPA program in Fire Service Administration was having the many professors that had extensive backgrounds and history in the fire service. Their knowledge and experience in fire service administration was passed along to those of us wishing to advance in rank so that we may continue the rich history of the fire service while enabling us to create new visions for our fire agencies.
The ten-class program was very beneficial to me on many different levels. It was a huge benefit to be in class with people from so many different areas of the country with such diverse backgrounds—everyone from non-firefighters and cops to fire chiefs—participating as equals and learning from each other. The repeated help registering me for my next class and getting my book lists early was awesome and made my life easy. The 24 hour IT support was knowledgeable and helpful every time I called.