The Department of Public Administration and Policy Analysis offers a graduate program leading to the Master of Public Administration (MPA), a professional degree designed to prepare persons for management careers in the public and nonprofit sectors. SIUE's nationally accredited MPA program serves two types of students: (1) pre-service students who have recently completed a bachelor's degree and wish to use the master's degree to gain entry into a professional career track, and (2) in-service students who have worked for several years in the public or nonprofit sector, but wish to return to the University to enhance or upgrade their skills and knowledge. <br><br>All industries benefit from strong leadership, which makes graduates of MPA programs highly sought after. Historically, graduates of SIUE's MPA program have been very competitive in the job market. Many benefit from the department's strong network with employers in Illinois and the St. Louis metropolitan area. A number of SIUE graduates have become city managers, department heads in the public sector and administrators in the nonprofit sector. MPA alumni are also employed in a number of state and federal agencies, including the Illinois State Police, Illinois Secretary of State Police, Department of Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development and the Department of Justice. Local and state governments are among the largest employers in the economy and job prospects are favorable. Job growth will stem from the rising demand for services at the local and state level, particularly demand for public safety and health services. Two factors are fueling the growth of these services: an increasing population and the assumption of responsibility by local and state governments for services previously provided by the federal government. Local and state jobs, however, are susceptible to budgetary constraints, which is why advanced degrees are highly recommended in order to compete. Graduates of the program hold a wide range of positions such as city managers, finance directors, policy analysts, legislative staff, administrators of nonprofit agencies, healthcare administrators, military staff and line commanders, police chiefs, fire chiefs, recreation directors, museum directors, and social service staff and managers.