The Masters in Public Administration (MPA) course is aimed at both those who want to pursue a career in the public sector and those who want to further their career in the public sector. The course focuses on critical issues and key developments relating to public management (eg leadership, strategy, performance management and human resource management).
The course is designed to blend both practitioner and academic perspectives on public management, and the wide range of modules draws on examples from different countries around the world.
There are internships opportunities for those studying on the course.
The programme is full-time over 12 months or part-time over 24 months. Students must take 180 credits of modules, including a 60 credit dissertation.
Students must take the following core modules:
Core modules
- Dissertation (60 credits)
- Public Management and Governance (30 credits)
- Leadership, Strategy and Performance in the Public Sector (20 credits)
- Research Methods and the Dissertation (20 credits)
- Managing People (10 credits)
- Policy Analysis: Concepts and Theories (10 credits)
- Public Sector Financial Management (10 credits)
Elective modules
Students must take 20 credits of elective modules from the following list:
- Comparing Policy in Societies (10 credits)
- Economics and Policy Analysis (10 credits)
- Globalisation, Europeanisation and Public Policy (10 credits)
- Information Age Management in Government (10 credits)
- Public Administration in Developing and Transitional Economies (10 credits)
- Welfare Policy (10 credits)
There is also a Postgraduate Diploma in Public Administration (PgDipPA); students pursue the same programme of study as MPA students, but do not undertake a dissertation. PgDipPA students can be upgraded to the MPA if they perform satisfactorily in the first semester (if full-time) or in the first academic year (if part-time).
The Masters in Public Administration can be taken on a full-time basis over one year or part-time over two years.
Teaching on this programme is cutting edge, research-informed, multidisciplinary, and internationally-focused. Modules are normally taught by a mix of lectures, group-work, and class discussion. Most modules are taught weekly over one semester; a few modules are taught over three consecutive days.
Nearly all modules are timetabled to take place on one or two days in the week. Part-time students need to come into the University for about 30 days per academic year.
Taught 10-credit modules are normally assessed by a 3,000 word essay (or equivalent), and 20 credit modules by two 3,000 word essays.
We also offer a Postgraduate Diploma in Public Administration, which does not require you to complete a dissertation.