The Master of Public Administration (Management) is a 72-unit program which is part of the Graduate Program in Public Administration offered by the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences.

The course is available on campus or by online study and students may move between mode of study on a topic by topic basis. It requires two years of full-time study (or the equivalent part-time).

Admission requirements

The Master of Public Administration (Management) is normally available to applicants who hold an approved degree or an equivalent qualification from an approved tertiary institution. However, the Faculty Board may, under certain circumstances and subject to specific conditions, admit others who can show evidence of fitness for candidature.

Credit

Credit may be granted towards completion of the degree for relevant prior study.

Up to 18 units of credit may be granted to applicants who have completed the 18-unit Graduate Certificate in Public Sector Management or the 18-unit Graduate Certificate in Public Policy or an approved equivalent. Students who have completed one of the Graduate Certificates or an approved equivalent but not an undergraduate degree must have achieved an acceptable GPA.

Up to 36 units of credit may be granted to applicants who have completed the 36-unit Graduate Diploma in Public Administration, or an approved equivalent with an acceptable GPA. Approved equivalents include an honours degree of the University in a field acceptable to the Board.

Course aims

The Master of Public Administration (Management) aims to provide a broad overview of issues in public policy and a strong foundation in understanding, knowledge and skills in the practice of management in a public or non-profit environment.

Learning outcomes

Graduates with a Master of Public Administration (Management) will be able to:

  • understand contemporary trends and developments in Public Sector administration and management in both developing and developed countries
  • apply relevant theories in analysing and developing responses to real world Public Administration and management problems
  • demonstrate a broad range of skills needed to tackle problems and challenges facing Public Sector managers.

International English language pathway

Students who are admitted to the course under the International English language pathway are required to enrol in one or both of the following English tuition topics based on their IELTS’ entrance score.

English tuition topics

POAD8005 English Language Tuition 1 (0 units)
POAD8006 English Language Tuition 2 (0 units)

To be eligible to complete the requirements of the course, students must complete the required English tuition topics.

Except with the permission of the Director of Studies, enrolment in the English tuition topics must be undertaken concurrently in the first semester of study with core topics POAD8014 Public Policy and POAD8022 Public Management.

Program of study

To qualify for The Master of Public Administration (Management) a student must complete 72 units with a grade of P or NGP or better in each topic, according to the following program of study:

Core Topics

Students must complete 36 units of core topics comprising:

 POAD8007 Policy Analysis: Frameworks, Approaches and Values (4.5 units)
 POAD8014 Public Policy (4.5 units)
 POAD8017 Contemporary Public Policy: Theoretical Perspectives (4.5 units)
 POAD8022 Public Management (4.5 units)
 POAD8137 Ethics in Public Administration (4.5 units)
 POAD8138 Governance and Public Policy (4.5 units)

Plus two topics selected from:

 POAD8130 Toolkit for Public Management (4.5 units)  
 POAD8139 Organisational Politics, Culture and Management (4.5 units) 
 POAD8142 Leading and Managing Change (4.5 units)

Option Topics

Students must complete 36 units of Option topics, selected as follows:

Select one of the following three capstone topics:

 POAD9140 Public Policy Internship (13.5 units)  
 POAD9132 Action Learning Project (9 units)
 POAD9150 Project in Public Administration (13.5 units)

Plus at least 18 units from Group A topics:

EDUC8601 Strategic Thinking and Planning (4.5 units)
EDUC9605 Knowledge Management for Organisational Learning (4.5 units)
POAD9026 Management in Non-Government Organisations (4.5 units)
POAD9028 Evaluation Methods (4.5 units)
POAD9034 Risk Management - Principles and Practice (4.5 units)
POAD9037 Financial Management (4.5 units)
POAD9118 Managing Human Resources in the Public Sector (4.5 units)
POAD9131 Development Administration (4.5 units)
POAD9135 Project Management (4.5 units)
POAD8139 Organisational Politics, Culture and Management (4.5 units)

Plus topics selected from Group B below to make a total of 36 units of Option topics:

POAD9015 Economics and Public Policy (4.5 units)
POAD9030 Indigenous Issues in Public Policy (4.5 units)
POAD9119 Regionalism, Decentralisation and Governance (4.5 units)
POAD9129 Environmental Policy and Governance (4.5 units)
POAD9133 Critical Systems Thinking and Practice (4.5 units)
POAD9136 Culture and Public Policy (4.5 units)
POLI9004 The Politics of Climate Change (4.5 units)
SOAD9109 Social Development (4.5 units)

A maximum of one topic from any other post-Graduate Programs within the University may be taken with the approval of the Director of Studies.