Heller School to offer MBA in public management

Shift in student demand leads to creation of new concentration

Photos/Mike Lovett

Heller MBA program director Brenda Anderson

A shift in student demand has led the Heller School of Social Policy and Management to add a new MBA concentration to its graduate degree offerings.

“We are seeing an increase in the number of mid-career professionals who are interested in government positions and feel that the MBA is a much more valuable and versatile degree relative to a master’s in public administration,” says Brenda Anderson, Heller’s MBA program director. 

The new public management concentration is designed for individuals who currently hold public sector positions and are interested in taking on leadership roles, and for those who wish to seek new careers in local, state and federal government. The MBA in nonprofit management currently offers specialized training in operations, strategy, data analysis, accounting, marketing and leadership. These critical management skills are well aligned with the needs of the public sector. 

Anderson says that “the range of interests among Heller MBA applicants is broad and frequently includes acquiring skills oriented toward the public sector such as policy, budgeting and healthcare. Those already working in the public sector increasingly recognize the need for stronger management skills as they advance their careers.”

The public management concentration will complement the existing MBA curriculum with both theoretical and applied courses in areas unique to the public sector, including procurement of resources, policy and program implementation, outcome measurement and government budgeting.  Students will hone the skills demanded by the public sector and will be positioned to transition from graduate school to government jobs in leadership roles. 

“Armed with knowledge and practical skills to effect positive change, Heller MBA graduates will be prepared to play important roles in government,” says Heller's Dean Lisa Lynch, formerly chief economist at the United States Department of Labor.