The Use of Exit Interviews in Master's Programs of Public Affairs and Administration

Abstract

Exit interviewing is one technique available to schools interested in assessing the outcomes of their academic programs. Schools tend to use the technique to assess impacts upon students completing a program. Exit interviewing can be used in conjunction with other techniques, such as alumni surveys. Exit interviews can contain a wide variety of questions, and a particular strength of the technique is that follow-up questions can be asked. Several adminis trative problems are associated with the technique and must be anticipated. According to a survey of public affairs schools, exit interviewing is used especially for course content changes, curricu lum revisions, and feedback to individual faculty members.