Public Administration at University of Birmingham - UCAS

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Course summary

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).

Modules

Compulsory modules: Public Sector Reform; Public Management and Leadership; Research for Public Policy and Management and a Dissertation. Optional modules: You will also choose 60 credits from those M-Level modules available within the School of Government or from within the College of Social Sciences subject to the agreement of the Programme Director.

Assessment method

The programme's modules are assessed by a combination of written assignments and examinations (or time-limited assignments), plus a dissertation in which the student prepares a longer piece of research-based work, with guidance and support from an academic supervisor.


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.


Fees and funding

Tuition fees

No fee information has been provided for this course

Additional fee information

For more detailed information on available funding and fees for postgraduate courses please visit: https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/taught/fees-funding

Sponsorship information

The International Development Department within the School of Government offers up to four bursaries up to the value of 50% of students' fees (UK).

Public Administration at University of Birmingham - UCAS