Acknowledging the "Professional" in a Professional Degree Program: Waiving the Standardized Exam for In-Service Applicants to a MPA Program

The use of standardized examinations as a factor in admission decisions in Master of Public Administration (MPA) programs is a customary practice at many universities. Aptitude testing of pre-service, recent baccalaureate recipients is a means of assessing continued academic success in a graduate program. However, we contend, a growing diversity in an applicant pool, which includes large numbers of mid-career, working professionals, demands admissions criteria that also recognizes professional experience as a possible indicator of future academic performance as well. This research examines the student records, over a seven-year period, at a NASPAA-accredited MPA program that has implemented a waiver policy for qualified in-service applicants to see if students with waivers fare any differently in the program than students who submit standardized aptitude test scores. The findings show that students with waivers have slightly higher grade point averages than their non-waiver counterparts, indicating that the absence of standardized test scores for a specified applicant profile does not compromise overall student quality. In fact, it demonstrates the need for greater flexibility in what is required in an admissions application. ********** Finding a successful match between applicants and graduate programs is the goal of an admissions committee. Master of Public Administration (MPA) programs wish to draw students who will benefit from the curriculum in reaching their personal and professional goals. Admissions committees only wish to accept those who will, ultimately, be satisfied alumni utilizing the knowledge and skills acquired during their educational experience to advance public service. However, configuring the components of an admissions application that adequately foretells a student's capability to perform well in graduate school and in the workforce is the subject of much debate. The National Association for Schools of Public Affairs and Administration (NASPAA) accreditation standards call for admissions criteria that are "limited to applicants showing good potential for success in professional graduate study and public service" (NASPAA 2006). Formulating standards by which to predict the future academic abilities and professional accomplishments of program applicants is, unquestionably, a difficult challenge for any admissions committee. Most MPA programs use a combination of objective measures, such as a noted threshold for standardized test scores and the undergraduate courses and grade point average (GPA), and more subjective indicators like the perceived quality of letters of recommendation and personal statements. The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Test, Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT), and other standardized aptitude tests have, historically, played a significant role in assessing student intellectual capabilities and aptitude for graduate study and in accepting or rejecting an applicant. This challenge to predict future academic performance is further complicated in a field such as public administration, where MPA applicants may have many years of experience as practicing administrators and are far removed from the academic environment of their bachelor's degree program. With the MPA degree's dual emphases on theory and practice, these students may draw on the benefit of their career experiences in ways that are not adequately captured by more traditional standardized tests of knowledge. In short, the work and life experiences of some students may serve as a reasonable indicator of future performance in a discipline that places high value on the practical application of its knowledge field. At a moment when the traditional measures for assessing future academic performance are being challenged and the diversity of the applicant pool calls into question the 'relevance' of an aptitude test in pursing career advancement with a professional degree, this research examines variability in the admissions process in response to the variability in applicant profiles to determine if the selection criteria is allowing the admission of students ill equipped to perform well in the program. …