In Proximity to Professionalism: A Regional Analysis of Master of Public Administration Programs and Local Government Management

Differences in the status of professionalism in local government management among U.S. states may be attributed to various cultural, regional, and institutional factors. The prominence of the Master of Public Administration (MPA) degree in the local government profession denotes the influential role of graduate education institutions of public administration and affairs in professionalization. This study examines the impact of municipal proximity to university-based MPA programs on the nature and occurrence of professional local government management in states of the West North Central Midwest region. The findings suggest that an increase in a municipality's physical distance from a state or regional MPA program is negatively associated with local government professionalism. Despite dissimilarities in composition and local government specificity among regional MPA institutions, the results support the proposition that university-based MPA programs may contribute to professional public administration within a geographic sphere of influence.