Masters in Public Administration

Entry requirements

The normal admission requirement for our taught postgraduate programmes is a good first degree or an equivalent professional qualification. Subject to interview and a written statement, candidates without a first degree who have work experience relevant to the study of local policy and politics, may be admitted.

Months of entry

September

Course content

Our Masters in Public Administration (MPA) programme will enable public managers, and those involved in public sector policies and services, to acquire a clear foundation of knowledge about the nature, role and development of the public sector and current trends in its evolution.

The Masters in Public Administration (MPA) will show how ideas about government, organisation, motivation, leadership, efficiency and performance have influenced management practice in governmental organisations and public services.

The MPA includes an international group field trip with visits to city, regional and central government organisations to learn about public administration in a practical, international context.

The programme will focus on the following themes:

• Current trends in public administration including different approaches to the reform of public institutions, to improving performance and accountability.
• The nature of leadership in a public administrative context, its role in effecting cultural change in public institutions.
• The purposes, methods and outcomes of public administrative reforms, including performance management and fiscal decentralisation, in an international context”
• Principles and techniques of research design and problem analysis in the context of public policy and management in an international context.

The normal admission requirement for our taught postgraduate programmes is a good first degree or an equivalent professional qualification. Work experience in the public sector is desirable, but not essential. Candidates without a first degree who have substantial work experience in public administration may be considered for admission (subject to interview and/or written statement).

Who is the programme for

The MPA is an international masters programme, aimed at those who aspire to a career in public management or policy-making in government, public agencies or non-governmental organisations working with government, whether at local, regional, national or international levels, worldwide. Since the programme was founded in 2009 it has attracted students from Azerbaijan, Brunei, Canada, China, Costa Rica, Croatia, France, Georgia, Guyana, India, Indonesia, Jamaica, Japan, Kazakhstan, Korea, Mexico, Moldova, Romania, Russian Federation, South Africa, South Sudan, St Kitts, St Lucia, Tajikistan, Thailand, United Kingdom, Vietnam.

Modules

Compulsory modules

• Public Sector Reform (
• Public Management and Leadership
• Research for Public Policy and Management
• Dissertation

You may also take some optional modules

Information for international students

• IELTS 6.5 with no less than 6.0 in any band
• TOEFL: 88 overall with no less than 21 in Reading, 20 in Listening, 22 in Speaking and 21 in Writing
• Pearson Test of English (PTE) including online: PTE Academic 67 with no less than 64 in all four skills
• Cambridge English (exams taken from 2015): Advanced – minimum overall score of 176, with no less than 169 in any component

Fees and funding