PMPUBADN - MA Master of Public Administration (MPA)

The overall aim of the course is to develop high quality practitioners in the field of administration. Policy and management of public services and non for profit sector who will play a critical role as ‘change-agents’ in their home country environments.

This will be achieved through an interdisciplinary programme of study which is intellectually rigorous and professionally relevant to the student’s local context and organisation. The course proposes a unique blend of theoretical and practical skills development, benefitting from first hand interaction with practitioners, the possibility of undertaking a placement and the possibility of focussed development in a policy area (health and social care) or in advanced strategic planning and policy design.

The course will be delivered through a blended learning approach incorporating a variety of teaching and learning strategies appropriate to Postgraduate level study. These include practical workshops with practitioners, role plays and simulations, e-learning, group and individual directed research.

The course will develop a variety of academic capacities and transferable skills related to public administration: analytical skills, report writing skills, strategic and policy analysis, user centred design etc.

The course will encourage flexibility of thought and attitudes and a commitment to lifelong learning and reflective practice.

The specific aims of the course are to:

provide a critical perspective on the concepts of public administration and public management reform in theory and practice;
equip students with the multi-disciplinary knowledge base and the transferable skills to act as effective agents of change in a range of administrative, policy and managerial environments;
provide students with an understanding of the broader national and international context within which debates and practices of public service transformation are located;
enable students to apply academic course content into their own working context;
to help students develop research and evaluative skills to support an evidence based approach and to enable them to engage in critical reflective practice.

On successful completion of this course students will be able to:

1. Apply methods and techniques appropriate to their own research or advanced scholarship in Public Administration, Management and Policy.

2. Apply knowledge with originality, based on a practical understanding of how established techniques of research and enquiry are used to create and interpret knowledge in Public Administration, management and Policy.

3. Evaluate critically current research and advanced scholarship in Public Administration.

4. Evaluate methodologies and develop critiques of them and, where appropriate, to propose new hypotheses.

5. Deal with complex issues both systematically and creatively, make sound judgements in the absence of complete data, and communicate their conclusions clearly to specialist and non-specialist audiences.

6. Exercise self-direction and originality in tackling and solving problems, and act autonomously in planning and implementing tasks at a professional or equivalent level.

7. Advance their knowledge and understanding, and to develop new skills to a high level of proficiency.

8. Exercise initiative and personal responsibility, including decision-making in complex and unpredictable situations.

9. Learn independently for the purposes of continuing professional development.

SH7061
GI7031
GI7004
GI7032
GI7P06
GI7085
GI7003
GI7005
GI7034
GI7035
SH7007
GI7033

Course Learning Outcomes cover LO1-9

The course draws on a variety of teaching and learning styles, and they are in turn reflected in the variety of assessment tools employed throughout the course. Within the general principle of mixed mode formative and summative assessment, we use a diversity of assessment instruments: these include a range of written assignments (essays, reports, portfolios and the dissertation) and individual presentations.

Transferable skills have been embedded in the learning outcomes of the modules within the MPA. This includes formative assessments so that students can test and assess their own performance before submitting of presenting summative work. The MPA includes a 60 credit dissertation based on a topic within the students’ own area of interest.

Detailed verbal and written feedback is given on all assessments, and significant tutorial support is given during the dissertation.

The Public Service Placement module offers students the chance to experience directly the work of a relevant area of public service in an organisation over a substantial period of time. Through a sustained period of work-based experiential learning, and through exposure to and engagement with current professional practice in public administration, students will have the opportunity to become familiar with current practices and recent developments in public administration methods and processes, within a specific organisational context and policy area; to develop and strengthen their practical knowledge and theoretical understanding of public service systems and mechanisms; and to acquire a range of appropriate professional competencies and more general transferable skills in public administration work, which can support them in future practitioner roles as change agents in their own societies and future work roles.

Postgraduate Certificate in Public Administration: students must complete one of SH7061, GI7030 or GI7031, one further core or option, and one option, equalling 60 credits.

Postgraduate Diploma in Public Administration: students must complete 3 cores (SH7061, GI7004 and GI7031), plus three options equalling 120 credits.

Masters in Public Administration (MPA): see para 22.

In induction week, students are asked to complete a personal development plan, in which they offer an evaluation of their current academic / professional strengths and weaknesses, and identify the skills / capabilities they wish to develop. This is used as the basis for developing an action plan, which is monitored through periodic tutorials with the course leader through the year.

QAA Quality Code

Former students report increased employment and promotion prospects as a result of studying the MPA. Many return to their home country and gain promotion within their own public bodies as a result of the skills and knowledge gained on the MPA. Other students obtain jobs within the UK public and voluntary sectors, often as a result of a successful work placement.

Our recent graduates have gone on to find roles in the central governments of Romania, Poland, Bangladesh and more. They can also be found in executive agencies and local government branches of the British government, as well as in a wide range of voluntary sector organisations in the UK and abroad.

You’ll be able to apply for a host of public administration job opportunities on graduation. Our course is also ideal if you’re currently employed in the sector and want to update your skills or progress on to further study.

Remember - your work placement will be an excellent opportunity for you to forge long lasting professional relationships within the sector. Our recent students have praised the work placement, highlighting it as the key link between the employability skills they developed and improvements in their career.

You will be required to have:

• a good honours degree in a relevant subject discipline

If you have lower qualifications but appropriate and substantial professional work or voluntary experience in a relevant area, your application may still be considered.
All applicants must be able to demonstrate proficiency in the English language. Applicants who require a Tier 4 student visa may need to provide a Secure English Language Test (SELT) such as Academic IELTS. For more information about English qualifications please see our English language requirements.