Public Administration MPA

University of Birmingham

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).

Accredited by the Royal Society of Biology for the purpose of meeting, in part, the academic and experience requirement of membership and Chartered Biologist (CBiol).