Public administration is the field of service that maintains a civil society and provides for the needs of the public. There are many career paths and degree programs in this field. Read on to learn more about public administration. Public administrators perform a wide range of functions, including managing city budgets, developing policy and legislation, implementing policies, and analyzing data to determine public needs. These functions provide for the well-being of citizens. Public administration is the responsibility of governmental agencies. There are several different routes you may choose to prepare for a career in public administration. Most positions require some business or management skills and a college degree. Programs may focus on a specific area of public administration, such as public policy, public finance, program development, public relations, or labor relations. Bachelor's degree programs prepare students for entry-level careers working with government agencies or non-profit organizations. Bachelors degree programs prepare students for management-level positions where they develop and implement public programs. Doctorate degrees are focused on the academic study of public policy and public administration.

With a degree in public administration, you will be prepared for a variety of public service careers. Government jobs consist of  those in policy formation, budget management, and analysis or serving a particular constituent group. Non-profit careers may involve creating policy, developing and implementing programs or fundraising. Public administration is "centrally concerned with the organization of government programmes and policies as well as the behavior of officials (usually non-elected) formally responsible for their conduct"[6] Many unelected public servants can be considered to be public administrators, including heads of city, county, regional, state and federal departments such as municipal budget directors, human resources (H.R.) administrators, city managers, census managers, state mental health directors, and cabinet secretaries.[4] Public administrators are public servants working in public departments and agencies, at all levels of government.