Why Worry about Role Conceptualization? ◾ 21
Opheim, and Tajalli 1999; Lowery and Whitaker 1994). Much of this socializa-
tion occurs through professional degree programs like the MPA (Heck 1995; King,
Feltey, and Susel 1998) in addition to doctoral programs (PhD and DPA) and grad-
uate certication programs like the certied public manager (CPM). On the one
hand, only a small percentage of public administrators receive degrees in the eld,
even fewer during preservice years. So, one might suggest that professional social-
ization in the academy has a minimal impact on the eld. On the other hand, a
very high percentage of public administrators in the upper echelons of government
agencies do acquire degrees in the eld. ese professionals