Bachelor of Administration Honours in Public Administration

Purpose

The purpose of the qualification is to provide learners with skills and knowledge that will enable them to serve as Junior Managers in the arm of local, provincial and national government. The focus for the qualification is on the systematic study of executive organisation and management. It includes instructions in the rules, development, and principles of public administration; the management of public policy; executive-legislative relations; public budgetary processes and financial management, administrative law; public personnel management; professional ethics; and research methods.

The purpose of the qualification is therefore

• To deepen and extend already acquired knowledge of the discipline of Public Administration.
• To explore and develop professional implications of the discipline of Public Administration.
• To train and equip learners with broader knowledge of the discipline of Public Administration as well as a broader range of other academic disciplines.
• To establish a sound basis for Masters (and further) research.

Rationale

The rationale of this qualification is to provide learners with specialised knowledge and skills in public administration required to enable them make a positive contribution to the development and implementation of public administration practices and principles in the public sector environment as well as to enable them to solve socio-economic needs of South Africa as a developmental state. The national priorities of South Africa include the need for increased job provisioning and sustainable livelihoods. The institution responds to this need particularly by increasing managerial and entrepreneurial capacity in the country but particularly in the regions served by the institution in a variety of fields such as Agriculture, Mining, Tourism, Public Service etc.; and by improving the effectiveness and efficiency of national, provincial, and local government structures in successfully implementing basic service delivery programmes and maintaining governance levels marked by professionalism and integrity.

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) is guided by the institutional policy and is aligned to the objectives of the NQF. Entry into the qualification is possible via RPL as well as indicating advanced standing, provided that it is aligned to the institutional policy and that the applicant is evaluated by a qualified RPL assessor in a manner that is free from any form of discrimination. RPL practices also include standard Credit Accumulation and Transfer (CAT) practices of equivalent modules that may have been achieved in the course of the applicant's studies.

Entry Requirements

The minimum entry requirement for this qualification is

• Bachelor of Administration in Public Administration, Level 7.

This qualification consists of the following compulsory modules at NQF Level 8 totalling 128 Credits.

Compulsory Modules at Level 8,128 Credits

• Public Management in Contemporary Society, 24 Credits.
• Financial Administration, 32 Credits.
• Municipal and Community Governance, 24 Credits.
• Personnel systems and Management, 24 Credits.
• Research in Public Administration, 24 Credits.

1. Demonstrate detailed knowledge of Public Administration as applied in both private and public management contexts.
2. Select, apply and transfer standard management procedures based on suitable methodologies of enquiry in the field of Public Administration.
3. Solve problems in the field of Public Administration.
4. Act in an ethical and professional manner.
5. Access and manage information.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 1

• Apply knowledge in the context of Public Administration and be able to utilise concepts used in the public administration discourse.
• Interrogate multiple sources of knowledge in Public Administration and evaluate them for suitability as knowledge sources.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 2

• Demonstrate the ability to select appropriate techniques to manage public policy; executive-legislative relations; public budgetary processes and financial management.
• Select and evaluate suitable methodologies of enquiry in response to specific problems that present themselves in Public Administration.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 3

• Use a range of specialised skills in problem identification and analyses.
• Draw on the body of knowledge in Public Administration to present solutions to identified problems.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 4

• Identify and address ethical issues in Public administration.
• Reflect critically on the suitability of different ethical value systems in Public Administration.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 5

• Critically review information gathering techniques and information assessment methods in Public Administration.
• Demonstrate an understanding of the roles and relationships of elements in the field of Public Administration.

Integrated Assessment

Learning and assessment across exit level outcomes within the qualification should be integrated to ensure a well-structured cohesive qualification. Assessments are based on formative assessments which are in place to assure continuous learning and feedback to learners and summative assessments, which ensure a judgement of learning at exit level outcomes. Such assessments should assess the learner's ability to integrate the larger body of knowledge, competencies and attitudes that are represented by the exit-level outcomes, either as a whole or as components of the qualification.