The courses in Oregon State’s Master of Public Policy online program “have been challenging and thought-provoking,” according to Meagan Consedine, with enriching conversations with classmates and faculty.
Online master’s program graduate ready to ‘address real-world problems’
I am an Army veteran, an Army spouse, a mother and a manager in the private sector. I joined the military to serve on a team working toward a common goal, grow as a leader and test my ability to meet challenges head on.
After the Army, I worked in corporate America for several years. I missed the focus on a greater purpose, and I applied to Oregon State’s Master of Public Policy online program for a career change. OSU Ecampus is a quality program flexible enough for the military lifestyle that I lead, which involves regularly moving.
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I had the chance to take my first year of courses on Oregon State’s Corvallis campus, and after our move, I finished through Ecampus. The online courses were challenging and thought-provoking. My classmates were often practitioners, with experience in social work, teaching, executive-level leadership and grassroots organizing. The discussions online with these classmates were as enriching as those with our professors.
I focused on social policy in my MPP coursework. These electives combined with the core courses definitely gave me the tools to pursue a career with a state or federal agency, or with an advocacy group focused on social policies aimed at expanding or improving the social safety net for families.
The biggest challenge I faced in my online courses was maintaining a schedule that worked with my other commitments. I set aside time for each of my classes and my research. The best approach is to treat it as a job, with specific hours blocked off to focus on schoolwork.
You get what you put into this program. If you are skipping readings and lectures, it shows in the online discussions – and you may miss the opportunity to learn and grow. I was motivated to persist in my studies and motivated to graduate by a desire to get back into the workforce and serve in a capacity developing meaningful policies to address real-world problems.
I know Oregon State’s Master of Public Policy online program provided me the tools to do this.
The Ecampus staff thanks Meagan for sharing her student experience through the Oregon State Everywhere campaign.
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