Category: Public and Nonprofit Management

As the Founder and Executive Director of a nonprofit, I was gaining a lot of experience in management. I was also becoming increasingly aware of the impact of the public sector, laws, and the economy on my clients. The importance of sectoral collaborations was also becoming evident. … Therefore, I decided to pursue this degree.

Aditi Mutatkar is a former international Badminton player and has represented India in all major events including Asian Games, Commonwealth Games, and World Championships. She is a Commonwealth Games silver medalist and was ranked 27 in the world in the year 2008 in women’s singles.

I am fortunate to have had the opportunity to study abroad in the Middle East and focus on language and area studies while also learning a lot about U.S. politics through EPPS, which absolutely helped me succeed later during graduate study at Harvard and now in Washington. 

While enrolled in EPPS for undergrad, I had the opportunity to intern at a law firm in downtown Dallas. The experience of the internship while taking coursework really taught me about the intersection of the private and public sector. Having had extensive nonprofit professional experience, some of the principals discussed during my coursework days definitely resurfaced.

Gain practical experience through internships, fellowships, join organizations and travel.

Get involved and start networking. As soon as you graduate, you will rely on your network of contacts to get your foot in the door and hit the ground running.

Consider every door that is presented to you, even if you do not want to open it. You never know who you will meet, what you will learn, how you might apply what you have learned, or what opportunity might come next — it might be your career.

There is no question that my doctorate studies and work on my dissertation has given me a valuable perspective on my work and business relationships.

I credit my success in the field to the strong quantitative skills required by the program at UT Dallas.

Look for opportunities to dive into the work you think you want to pursue. There’s no better way to determine if you’ll truly enjoy a particular path than actually walking it.

My advice to any student is to network, network, network.

Always follow your dreams and never stop the learning process – we should strive to learn something new each and every day!

The stuff you learn at UT Dallas matters. Taking a deep dive on policy analysis will put you a step ahead, adding value to your organization.

“Always take by choice the job you do not know how to do. By doing so you will build into your life the variety of experience that is required of the public administrator.” – Harlan Cleveland

The MPA at UT Dallas gave me the practical skills necessary to succeed in the federal government.

Get to know your classmates; they are interesting, talented, and will become an important part of your professional network.

My advice for all students is to pursue your goals with passion and persistence. More importantly, never settle when it comes to going after your dreams.

The knowledgeable instructors helped me to see the value in research and attention to detail. Understanding the process is just as important as getting to the desired end result.

I went to a couple of classes and loved it. I was around other adult learners like myself, all from different branches of government and other local entities. I really made a lot of friends.

UT Dallas is the best thing that ever happened to me. It has a small-family feel but big-school resources. I loved being surrounded by smart people who constantly push you to be better, with professors who give so much attention to the individual success of each student.