MPA Program Questions and Concerns

[Tedium]

I've been doing some volunteer work for some non-profits lately, and I think that is a field that I would really like to pursue, career and degree-wise. An MPA appeals to me so much more than an MBA. I like the versatility of it. If not working for a non-profit organization, I could use it getting a job in the government. I have no interest going into the private business sector.

I'm looking at some programs now, and I'm a little hesitant. I'm looking for openish admissions and no GRE.

Wilmington University has a Masters of Management w/ MPA concentration. They are about $444 per credit, so they are not the cheapest and they are not NASPAA accredited. I don't like that it's not a straight MPA, so that is a turn off. Classes are 7 or 8 weeks, so the time is right. Master of Science in Management - Wilmington University

Probably the best looking one is University of Illinois at Springfield. It is NASPAA accredited, but it is the most expensive program I'm looking at. I can't seem to find much about class length, so I'm thinking that it may take the full 2 years to get. That's a huge negative for me. But it has the best name. The MPA Online – Department of Public Administration - University of Illinois Springfield - UIS

Here's where it gets a little messy. I think my favorite of all is American Public University. The class length and price are right where I need them to be. I can double up and get a MS Emergency and Disaster Management in the same time and for the same price that it would take for me to finish the MPA at UIS. Or I can just pick up the grad. certificate. They also have a grad. certificate specifically in Non-Profit Management. It is not NASPAA accredited, but the big red flag for me is that it is a for-profit university. Online Master's Degree in Public Administration | American Public University

I've done the research looking online at various non-profit job listings and government listings, and I don't see any specification for NASPAA accredited degrees, so I don't think that will be a big issue. I've even looked at some university job listings and saw no requirement for NASPAA. I think I will be reasonably safe in the job market without that.

My big concern is that APU is for-profit. I know it's one of the good ones, and if I were going for history or just EM I would have zero issue with the school. I don't know how employers view an MPA from there though. I've gone on linkedin and checked to see where graduates of the program were working. Some were military or other federal or local government agencies, some were in private consultation. Are there any other sites where I can search by degree and school to see where graduates are working? Is there a more effective search string I can use?

Do you guys think I'm making too much of the for-profit issue? Should I just go for the cheaper degree and continue gaining my volunteer experience? I know the school is not University of Pheonix or DeVry, but I don't want to have to explain myself for the rest of my life.

Sorry for the long post and thanks in advance for any help/advice.