Mentoring online MPA students: Assessing mentorship qualities and aligning program goals

Mentoring is important for students in a Master of Public Administration (MPA) program. This can be even more complicated when the academic program is fully online. Effective mentoring is about building relationships and guiding academically, professionally and emotionally. This can be challenging in the online environment due to a lack of social cues and technology barriers, but is possible through e-mentoring. This contribution is focused on both the quality of mentorship for MPA students and the complexities of providing mentoring in a fully online environment. Additionally, this involves the centering of mentoring in program delivery and how this is integrated into program goals including the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration (NASPAA) competencies. A survey was sent to current and former MPA students in a fully online MPA program to assess student perceptions of the ideal mentor and their achievement of the NASPAA competencies. It was found that there is considerable overlap between some mentorship qualities and perceptions of NASPAA competencies.