UUÖ±²¥

More than 25 years ago my mother and I hopped into her (now vintage) Honda Civic, armed with road snacks, several California maps and Thomas Brothers Guide books, and embarked upon what we heard was the traditional method of selecting an institution of higher learning on a college tour road trip. For 1 week during school break we pinpointed colleges of interest, on recommendation from my High School Counselor and visited campuses. Despite promises of athletic scholarships from a few far off schools,... Read More I chose somewhere closer to home and paid full fare at UCLA. I am a first generation college graduate. While paying off the degree was worth every penny, I struggled to do so, (having come from a lower-middle class family), I worked full time every summer and part time throughout school to pay my way. It would take me 10 years to pay off the remaining balance. When I did write my final check, I promised myself that when I went go to graduate school, I would try to take advantage of scholarships, to ease the burden of studentship. My Graduate School selection would come by a different path, with the goal of selecting an appropriate professional program to advance my career- fortuned favored me. I came to ASU first, for a position as an immigration advisor, and would find a suitable program once I became comfortable in my job. Not only was my supervisor incredibly supportive, but the degree program administrators in my degree of choice have been just as encouraging before and during my 1st year in. As luck would have it, my degree program is ranked one of the top in the nation- a fact I had only learned after I had been accepted. Without the larger structure of community and services at ASU, I could not imagine working full-time while pursuing a degree program. Despite the scale of the university (100,000 students) my name is immediately recognized by my program advisor and our career-services advisor sends constant local networking positions available to students in the form of lucrative internships and post-graduate career opportunities. Furthermore, the degree program has a massive amount of flexibility and customization in the way that elective coursework is handled and approved. I have been able to modify my focus specifically on comparative international higher education, whereas other universities may not give such quarter. The larger ethos of the University, that of innovation, inclusion and diversity, is ever-present, both in the attitudes expressed by administrators, faculty and my fellow colleagues. I feel fortunate that I fell into my graduate program and am excited by the academic and career opportunities to come.

Although I have only completed one semester of the Master of Public Administration program, I can already see why Arizona State University's MPA/MPP program is among the best in the nation. My professors are top-notch - easy to approach and extremely knowledgeable and the location of the college in downtown Phoenix makes for fantastic internship and permanent employment opportunities. I look forward to the remainder of this challenging and rewarding program as I continue to cultivate the skills necessary... Read More to be an effective public administrator in the future.

Let's close our eyes and imagine... You walk on to campus and are enveloped into the desert vibe, Phoenix style. You can feel the sun's warmth and you are surrounded by students of all backgrounds with great energy for their projects and what's currently happening at the school and in the world. We are all involved in various activities, excited to learn and enjoy our time, all with a backdrop of the beautiful and otherworldy cacti-filled landscape. Your sense is that there's always something to... Read More be a part of: football games, late-night tacos on Mill Ave., workshops of all kinds, student-run initiatives, faculty-organized contests, dorm activities and the vibe abounds that anything can happen at anytime. And with 750+ undergrad and graduate degrees and creativity encouraged, it sure does...and now you're a part of it.

The Master in Public Administration at ASU is excellent and I feel underrated for MPA programs! The professors are commonly working professionals. Many of the professors have worked or currently work for local governments. They integrate their experience into the lectures and will give insightful answers based on what they have done. The program is not solely about teaching the material, but seeing how it has applied or could apply to a professional setting. I have been able to analyze my experience... Read More working for governments and a 501(c)(3) non-profit into my writing. The program is still growing, but it is definitely a strong program with invested faculty and students alike.

The pros are definitely the support you get from professors and career advisers. I feel that there are always innumerable experiences that are available to me. The workload is rigorous, but invaluable. I have learned so much in my graduate program and it was definitely the best decision I have made. Some cons are transportation and parking. The location of my school is downtown where there are many one-way streets and limited parking. I live too far to take advantage of public transportation. Another... Read More con is how expensive graduate school is and how there are very limited scholarship opportunities.

This semester will be my first on campus, I began school while living out of state and greatly appreciate the regular communication and assistance of my advisors throughout my studies. The downside to the program that I have found thus far is more towards the financial opportunities for part time students, even in the attempt to become full time, having access and regular information to scholarship/grant/fellowship opportunities. That being said, the program is excellent in regular communication... Read More with upcoming events, both volunteer and job offerings, course offerings for the semester, and ways to become more involved. The surrounding area has a variety of amenities, but this can also be somewhat problematic if you're looking to park close to or on campus depending on events being hosted in the area - again though, the light rail is available. The campus has made moves to be accommodating towards their students. I am actually in a concurrent program and hope to graduate with two Masters. I feel as though the professors as well as those advising seek to create an environment that is both challenging and supportive as students seek to gain further knowledge, experience, and expertise.

The graduate program at Arizona State University is perfect for the working professional. The main issues with the program is the lack of diverse teaching tools to enhance the classroom experience. Also, there is not a consistency in the types of classes are offered; such as, offering similar class styles every semester to allow working students to plan. Since the campus is spread across various locations, having a pan-campus experience is difficult due to the limited amount of public transportation.... Read More This can limit the social life component. A plus side is the amazing value on off-campus housing.

There are certain aspects of this survey that I gave lower scores to because my knowledge on the subject is limited. I actually begin attending ASU while still living in Indiana. The directors of my concurrent degree played a very important role in my being able to begin graduate studies while living out of state. I was able to take an online course so that I could continue working full time and living out of state for my first semester before transitioning to living in state. I am very grateful... Read More to my advising team as they allowed me to pursue what I am passionate about even though geography proved to be a challenge the first semester. If not for their help I would have had to re-apply the following school year. ASU a great school and is one of the few schools I found that offers a concurrent Masters in Public Affairs and Social Work, which is the specific program that I was looking for when applying to schools.