Admission Practices in Master of Public Administration Programs: A Nationwide Study
Faculty members charged with making admissions decisions are faced with an ongoing problem: the evaluation of student promise based on limited data. Yet, little is known about admission procedures. Since the selection of candidates for graduate study is a significant concern in the profession, an examination of these practices-the purpose of this exploratory studymay facilitate discussion of entrance standards for Master of Public Administration (MPA) programs. Do MPA programs admit nearly any college graduate, only those who meet minimum and higher standards, or just candidates who substantially exceed basic requirements? What criteria do program officials believe are the most accurate predictors of student success? Do they think that a strong relationship exists between academic achievement and professional performance? In short, do entrance requirements and faculty attitudes about them discourage potential students from applying to MPA programs? Following the literature review and methodology sections, an attempt is made in this article to answer such questions insofar as survey data permit.
Examining Admission Factors in an MPA Program
Abstract This article presents an in-depth examination of the validity of the admission factors employed by a NASPAA-accredited MPA program. Admission factors are examined to determine if particular factors, or a set of factors, are most indicative of an applicant’s potential achievement in the MPA program as measured by a student’s final grade point average (GPA) in the program. The study uses truncated regression techniques to analyze student records in order to determine the relative significance of a set of commonly collected admissions information. We find that the best predictor of success in the MPA program, as measured by final GPA in the program, is the applicant’s undergraduate GPA. This finding brings into question the utility of much of the information collected in a typical MPA program application.
GMAT AND GRE APTITUDE TEST PERFORMANCE IN RELATION TO PRIMARY LANGUAGE AND SCORES ON TOEFL
ABSTRACT This study was designed to describe and analyze (1) the, performance of foreign candidates taking the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) or the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE), Aptitude Test in relation to self-reported 'primary language (English vs.,.other), and (2) relationships between performance on the .respective.admissions teats and performance on the Test of English as eforeign Languages (TOEFL) for subgroups of foreign admissions-test Candidates identified by Cross-file matching es having. also taken .TOEFL. Data were obtained from files maintained by the three testing programs and analyses were based on data for examinees tested during the period from September 1977N:through August .1979. (Authdr/PN)