Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2011
Publication Title
Journal of Public Affairs Education
Volume
17
Issue
3
Pages
447-460
Abstract
This article presents an in-depth examination of the validity of the admission factors employed by a NASPAA-accredited MPA program. Admission factors are examined to determine if particular factors, or a set of factors, are most indicative of an applicant’s potential achievement in the MPA program as measured by a student’s final grade point average (GPA) in the program. The study uses truncated regression techniques to analyze student records in order to determine the relative significance of a set of commonly collected admissions information. We find that the best predictor of success in the MPA program, as measured by final GPA in the program, is the applicant’s undergraduate GPA. This finding brings into question the utility of much of the information collected in a typical MPA program application.
ORCID
0000-0002-5014-5748 (Lombard)
Original Publication Citation
Leavitt, W. M., Lombard, J. R., & Morris, J. C. (2011). Examining admission factors in an MPA program. Journal of Public Affairs Education, 17(3), 447-460.
Repository Citation
Leavitt, William M.; Lombard, John R.; and Morris, John C., "Examining Admission Factors in an MPA Program" (2011). School of Public Service Faculty Publications. 29.
https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/publicservice_pubs/29
Comments
NOTE: Copyright National Association of Schools of Public Affairs & Administration.