3 skills master's in public policy graduates bring to global development

A master’s in public administration — which typically focuses on management and implementation — or a master’s in public policy, which has a heavier emphasis on policy and analysis, are popular degree choices for people wanting to pursue a career in public service such as international development. In fact, global leaders like United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon and former head of the World Bank Robert Zoellik hold an MPA and an MPP, respectively. In a survey of international development recruiters Devex conducted earlier this year, 17 percent identified an MPA or MPP as the most in-demand degree for their hiring needs this year. READ: 2015: Who are global development employers hiring? At Devex, we work with many university MPP and MPA programs to help students launch a career in global development. From speaking with them and the employers that eventually hire them, we’ve learned there are specific skills MPA and MPP graduates gain that are valuable for jobs in this sector. Here are three key skills MPA and MPP graduates bring to global development jobs. 1. Qualitative/quantitative analysis The ability to gather, synthesize and analyze data is becoming essential to a development professional’s toolkit. Whether it’s using geographic information systems to more effectively distribute relief supplies after a disaster or monitoring the spread of an infectious disease to measure the impact of a development program, today’s development professional needs to be comfortable working with data. Not all development efforts are quantifiable, so in addition to number crunching and understanding how statistics work, qualitative experience like conducting focus groups and interviews is equally important. READ: What you need to know: Careers in monitoring and evaluation 2. Policy analysis and research Policy analysis is a very valuable skill in international development work — whether you’re helping develop a donor government’s global food security policy for a bilateral agency like the U.K. Department for International Development or the U.S. Agency for International Development or advising a developing country’s education policy as part of a specific project. So are strong research skills. You can find jobs that focus solely on research, typically within think tanks, academia or large institutions like the World Bank, but even project management or technically focused positions value the ability to incorporate research and succinctly present the most important findings. In fact, the ability to write for a non-academic audience is often one of the most valuable skills MPA and MPP graduates tell me helped them in their career. READ: 5 development jobs to tackle with a journalism background 3. Managing and leading MPA and MPP programs seek to build the future generation of public leaders, so management and leadership training is a core component of most program’s curriculum. When we asked development recruiters to identify whether technical or management skills were more important for their top positions, 70 percent said the ability to lead effectively was the more desirable skill. Today’s development leaders need to understand how to work not only with the public sector, but also to build collaboration across the private and nonprofit sectors as well. Graduates who have developed what is often called “tri-sector leadership” skills will be particularly in demand as partnerships across sectors continues to increase. READ: Want to become a tri-sector leader? Master these 3 skills Do you have a master’s in public administration or public policy? What skills have you found most valuable from your degree program in your international development career? What would you advise someone considering — or just finishing — this degree? Please leave your comments below. You know you need a postgraduate degree to advance in a global development career, but deciding on a program, degree and specialization can be overwhelming. In partnership with APSIA, Duke Center for International Development and the MPA/ID Program at the Harvard Kennedy School, we are digging into all things graduate school and global development in a weeklong series called Grad School Week. Join online events and read more advice on pursuing a post-graduate education here.