The Master of Public Administration is a coursework degree, based on three semesters of full time study or equivalent part-time study. It is taught using a combination of flexible delivery with traditional teaching methods comprising lectures, tutorials and workshops. A number of units are available in intensive mode. The course is designed for graduates who wish to deepen their knowledge in the area of public administration to develop the capabilities of those seeking to be top-level managers in the public sector, in particular. The course also emphasises a strategic approach to management to equip managers with the skills and insights required to manage change in the increasingly complex public sector. The course structure allows for the development of a professional body of knowledge plus some flexibility to construct a program around particular interests, such as human resource management.

Specialisations

• Master of Public Administration in Border Management
• Master of Public Administration in Corporate Governance
• Master of Public Administration in Education Leadership
• Master of Public Administration in Public Policy
• Master of Public Administration in Revenue Management

Subsumable Awards

• Graduate Certificate in Public Administration
• Graduate Diploma in Public Administration

Further Study

• Professional Doctorate in Public Administration

Admission Requirements

Applicants must have a degree or equivalent as approved by the University's Admissions Committee and not less than 2 years of relevant work experience prior to admission.

Course Requirements

36 credit points (typically 12 units), of which at least 12 credit points (4 units) must be at PG level, comprising:

(a) Required (18 credit points):

• 8556 Public Administration G
• 7776 Managing Change and Innovation PG
• 6260 Managing Government Finance G
• 6268 Public Policy PG
• 6277 Strategic Management PG
• 8558 Public Admin at the Interface PG

Students with an undergraduate degree in a management-related area may be permitted to substitute up to 18 credit points of additional electives as approved by the course convener for required units equivalent to those they have previously completed.

(b) Restricted choice (18 credit points):
18 credit points chosen from the following units

• 6232 Development Management PG
• 6234 Economics for Managers G
• 6236 Gender & Organisations PG
• 6238 Human Resource Management G
• 6239 Identity Politics & Public Policy PG
• 6254 Management Dissertation PG
• 6255 Management Ethics PG
• 6256 Management Project PG
• 6259 Managers & the Law G
• 6264 Organisational Behaviour G
• 6270 Research Methods PG
• 6426 Governance in Business and Government PG
• 7548 Sociology of Technology and Work G
• 7777 Organisational Performance G
  

Typical Course Structure

Master of Public Administration - no specialisation, full-time example.

Unit Overviews - Core Units

8556 Public Administration G: This is a compulsory subject in the MPA that introduces students to the discipline of public administration. It examines the role of the state and of the public sector and introduces some of the key issues with which governments and academics have been dealing in the past 20 years or so when traditional models of public administration have been challenged. While the emphasis is on Australian developments, they are represented in such a way that they may be seen as part of more general re-design processes in public administrative systems. The question of initiating and managing change will be considered in relation to a number of countries' reform programs.The content will reflect current issues, and addresses managerial change, political-bureaucratic relationships, ethics and accountability, and a range of other matters arising out of the challenges of public sector change associated with current reforms of public sectors across the world.

7776 Managing Change and Innovation PG: This unit explores the issue of change management and innovation in organisations. It will examine various models of change management and how organisational leaders go about influencing, implementing and managing change programs. The unit also examines the importance of innovation in creating competitive advantage and how organisational leaders go about encouraging innovation in contemporary organisations. Key topics will include: driving change; the strategy and process of change; leadership for change; human resource management for change; new forms of organisation; power and resistance to change; and how to maintain change. This unit has linkages with units such as Leadership in Contemporary Organisations, Organisational Behaviour and Human Resource Management.

6260 Managing Government Finance G: This subject is primarily concerned with financial and economic management in the public sector, designed for general managers rather than financial management specialists in government. It deals with the economic role of government in the economy, costing of government programs, pricing public goods and decision making concerning fiscal issues.

6268 Public Policy PG: Topics covered include: policy design; the role of values in policy making; the management of policy development and the implications for evaluation of managerial change.  Extended case studies are used to develop and exemplify concepts, techniques and approaches.

6277 Strategic Management PG: The study of strategic management involves an analysis of the factors which govern the success or otherwise of an organisation operating in contemporary society. The analysis includes an examination of factors external to the organisation which may either threaten its operations, or provide opportunities for development, and internal factors which either strengthen or weaken its capacity to develop, and perhaps, ultimately, to survive. An examination is made of an organisation's core competencies and its ability to take advantage of opportunities in a highly competitive global environment. Management decision making at the strategic level, which determines the future direction of the organisation is examined with a view to judging whether implementation, control and evaluation is feasible. The principles underlying the study of strategic management are applicable to profit-making and non-profit making organisations.

8558 Public Admin at the Interface PG: In the past several decades, governments in Australia and some overseas, have reconfigured their public sectors to accommodate new means of service delivery involving greater use of private sector organisations. As a result, the interface between the public and private sectors has become more permeable raising important issues for public administration. This subject focuses on those changes through examining contemporary approaches to government, in particular, concepts such as privatisation, outsourcing, public-private partnerships, government-business relations and public enterprise. It will be taught in intensive delivery mode and make significant use of workshops, seminars, syndicate groups and case study approaches.

Unit Overviews - Restricted Choice

6232 Development Management PG: This subject provides students with an introduction to and understanding of administration in developing countries. Topics covered include the policy process, bureaucracy and its reform, planning, decentralisation, NGOs and public enterprise reform.

6234 Economics for Managers G: The content of this subject is especially designed for graduate students and provides an examination of economic principles and theories essential to an understanding of current economic problems and economic policy analysis. The syllabus includes both microeconomics and macroeconomics. The essentials of microeconomics are examined including the theory of market systems and the price mechanism, consumer demand theory, resource allocation and the theory of the firm concentrating on production and cost analysis principles. The macroeconomics component examines the inter-relationship between the main economic variables. Microeconomic reform and fiscal and monetary policy measures are examined and related to Australia 's economic problems of unemployment, inflation and slow economic growth.

6238 Human Resource Management G: Human Resource Management provides students with an introduction to debates regarding the development of management thought, the key theoretical principles underpinning human resource management, employee motivation and performance management, managing diversity and equal employment opportunities within the workplace, managing employee recruitment and selection, learning and career management, organisational culture, employee involvement, the law of employment, industrial relations, labour flexibility, downsizing and organisational restructuring, and international dimensions of human resource management.

6239 Identity Politics & Public Policy PG: This subject provides a comprehensive overview of identity politics and political differences in contemporary political life and public policy by examining the complex interplays of Australian national identity, Aboriginality, Asian identities, race, ethnicity, multiculturalism, immigration, sexual identities including gender, masculinities and gay and lesbian identities. The lectures will provide an overview of the key debates and policy developments in political, historical, social and cultural context. The course will explore how political identities are represented in the public policy process examining both theoretical and practical implications, as well as engaging with deconstructionist critiques of identity politics. The central question is how to negotiate the identity politics that are now in place and whether other forms of politics are feasible.

6254 Management Dissertation PG: Under the guidance of a supervisor, a student will complete a dissertation of approximately 15,000 words. The topic will have previously been approved by the MPA course convenor.

6255 Management Ethics PG: This subject provides students with an understanding of the major ethical theories of teleology and deontology and exposes them to the ethical issues that arise within the functional areas of business and management.  The subject provides the opportunity to explore a wide range of contemporary case materials in which managers try to reconcile the demands of expediency and the demands of principles.  The subject aims to assist students to acquire and develop critical thinking skills required for the successful practice of business within the framework of societal values.  These skills include the ability to perceive the ethical implications of a situation, engage in sound moral reasoning and develop practical problem solving strategies.  Topics include:  ethical theory, corporate social responsibility, international business and global ethics, whistleblowing, affirmative action, privacy, marketing, product safety, accounting & finance and environmental protection.

6256 Management Project PG: Under the guidance of a supervisor, a student will complete a practical project on an appropriate management topic.  The approximate length of the project will be 5,000 words although the length of a more practical project may vary according to the nature of the topic selected.  Topics must be approved by the Head of School. Students are encouraged to undertake a practical or reflective project based on their work experience, or based on an organisation to which they can gain significant access.

6259 Managers & the Law G: This subject provides an introduction to the Australian legal systems. Its particular focus is the way in which law influences business decision-making. The areas which are dealt with in the subject are the nature of law and the legislative and judicial process; the common law principles of contract law and the effect of statutory intervention on those principles; the concept of liability; and the law's approach to the organisation of business. The course will also deal with selected topics drawn from the areas of financial institutions, taxation, insurance, consumer protection and competition.

6264 Organisational Behaviour G: On completion of this subject it is expected that students will be able to: demonstrate an understanding of the behaviour of people both as individuals and as members of groups in organisations for the purpose of predicting, explaining, and controlling behaviour that occurs in organisations; demonstrate an understanding of the nature and impact of organisational processes that influence work and behaviour; and integrate the theory of organisational behaviour with management practice.

6270 Research Methods PG: The subject introduces students to the meaning of 'theory', its links with methodology via techniques of research and distinctions between research and policy action. The aim is to allow students to formulate a topic for research by thesis. Specific topics will include the writing of a thesis, the logics of social investigation, forms of explanation including causality, correlation and 'verstehen'. There is also a non-mathematical introduction to statistical concepts sufficient to enable critical literature review. An overview of qualitative research, its techniques and their strengths and limitations is also provided.

6426 Governance in Business and Government PG: Governance is about ensuring that public and private organisations have appropriate structures, processes and systems in place to support effective decision-making. The field is influenced by ongoing changes in legal and regulatory frameworks, machinery of government, institutional cultures, community expectations, government requirements and shareholder expectations. A particular focus is the similarities and differences between corporate governance in private and public sector environments. Because governance is integral to organisational leadership and decision-making, this subject lends itself to analysis of evolving issues, problems and solutions. This subject therefore consists of a series of modules organised around a postgraduate colloquium involving invited eminent speakers who will address topics in the light of their own experience.

7548 Sociology of Technology and Work G: This subject provides an understanding of the relationships between work, technology and the governance of technological change. Students will be introduced to frameworks for the analysis of technological design and innovations in work technologies. The emphasis is on technologies as heterogeneous systems of human and non-human factors, with a focus on the social, organisational and individual human elements integral to successful technological change.  Topics include consumption of information technologies in everyday life (eg mobile phones), e-government, gender & technology, and international implementation.

7777 Organisational Performance G: This unit focuses on issues relating to managing organisations for outcomes. It includes concepts such as determining organisational goals and setting performance measures, performance indicators, benchmarking, evaluation, quality management, and the development of performance information systems. The unit approaches performance management with strong emphases on systems theory and on meaning and interpretation of performance measures.

Note: Information provided as a guide only. Consult the UC Handbook for the year of commencement for official course rules. Units are not offered in all semesters.