The Master of Public Administration (MPA) provides students the opportunity to develop the requisite knowledge and skills for success in a variety of positions. Previous work experience, undergraduate degree, personal interest, and technical skills in addition to the MPA, all play an important part in obtaining a position. Ultimately, most Public Administration graduates pursue a career in public service. The National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration has developed an excellent overview of public service careers, available at http://www.naspaa.org/

Types of organizations. The National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration conducts annual surveys to track national employment trends of Public Administration graduates. In 2000, the results were as follows:
 

Multiple search engines exist for job opportunities across these sectors, including:

Careers in Public Administration: this site is maintained by the American Society of Public Administration
Careers In Goverment: leads to local government employment opportunities in a variety of states
GetAGovJob: a good site with job opportunities searchable by job title, region, salary range
GovtJobs: leads to a variety of jobs opportunities in local, state and nonprofit organizations
Idealist.org: this is a great list for anyone interested in nonprofit or humanitarian organizations
 

Internships: If you do not have prior work experience or would like to radically change your professional orientation, an internship may be the solution. Internships are offered by various federal agencies, multiple states and a large number of major cities. The links on these programs change frequently or are available only during specific months, thus you might need to dig deeper than the first URL for any given program. Two lists to consult are:

Calling Students to Public Service Careers: this is the same brochure and site mentioned in the opening paragraph
Careers in Public Administration: this site is maintained by the American Society of Public Administration
 

Sampling of position titles. Though qualifications for given positions vary from organization to organization, individuals who earn Bowie's public administration degree are employed as: