Master of Public Administration

The Masters in Public Administration (MPA) Degree is offered to provide learners with an in-depth knowledge of Public Administration and Management skills so as to equip them for further intellectual development, gainful economic activity and the enhancement of professionalism in the South African public service. The qualification meets the needs of, inter alia, middle and senior management practitioners in the public sector who are keen to further enhance their career paths by obtaining the qualification. Furthermore, learners will be able to engage with and critique current theory and policy, and advance scholarship by conducting independent research in Public Administration and related fields, disseminating their findings and conclusions, thus making a significant contribution to the development of knowledge and professional practice in this field at an advanced level.

Rationale

The qualification fits the academic needs of middle and senior management practitioners as well as political functionaries in local, provincial and the national spheres of government. Therefore providing for the building of skills.

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)

As per the institution's RPL Policy will apply.

Entry Requirements

The minimum entry requirement for this qualification is

• Honour's Degree in Public Administration, National Qualifications Framework (NQF) Level 8.

This qualification consists of the following compulsory modules at National Qualifications Framework (NQF) Level 9 totalling 190 Credits.

Compulsory Modules,120 Credits

• Advanced Public Policy Analysis and Planning, 20 Credits.
• Advanced Project Management, 20 Credits.
• Professional Ethics for Public Managers, 20 Credits.
• Advanced Local Government Administration, 20 Credits.
• Treatise, 90 Credits.
• Administration for Development, 20 Credits.

1. Demonstrate specialist knowledge of public administration and management theories and practices with an ability to conceptualise new approaches and so contribute to knowledge development.
2. Review and critique the application of capital and human resources and the implementation of development plans with a view to more accountable government and enhanced service delivery.
3. Participate in and contribute to the development, implementation and review of policy and legislative prescriptions pertaining to the domain of public administration and management.
4. Analyse and evaluate existing public sector development programmes and projects and propose strategies for improvements towards improved sustainability and efficiency.
5. Access, process and manage information demonstrating an ability to design, conduct and report research grounded in public administration and management theory.
6. Integrate public administration and management theories and apply them to, inter alia, relevant associated fields.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 1

• An overview of contemporary theories on public administration and management will be undertaken.
• The theories will be critically reviewed and reflected on.
• Existing and alternative models pertaining to the internal and external environments of public administration and management will be conceptualised and critiqued.
• Socio-economic, cultural, environmental, service delivery and political tensions will be appraised against the background of contemporary public administration and management theories and legislative prescriptions.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 2

• New methods, processes, systems and technologies are applied in innovative ways to review and critique contemporary public sector strategies and plans (for example Integrated Development Planning, Developmental Local Government, the Batho Pele People First Principles and the Local Government Turnaround Strategy), practices and resource application, demonstrating cultural awareness and sensitivity for the rights of all communities.
• A contribution is made to the development of ethical standards and applied as ethical criteria to specific socio-economic and political developmental contexts, demonstrating autonomous ethical decision making.
• Complex socio-economic and political developmental challenges will be analysed and realistic interventions recommended, at an appropriate level and within a defined system.
• Community acceptance of programme planning and development processes (for example the ward committee system and Integrated Development Plan (IDP) processes) will be reviewed through the application and interpretation of a variety of legislative prescriptions. The importance of community consultation and participation in development-appropriate discourses to a range of audiences with different levels of knowledge or expertise will be interrogated.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 3

• An analysis of a variety of pertinent legislation will be undertaken and the impact thereof on the public sector will be evaluated.
• Selected public policy perspectives will be critically engaged with and the impact of these perspectives on public sector resource allocation evaluated.
• Diversity challenges in a vast changing world through globalisation will be interrogated and reported for the benefit of public sector managers, politicians and the community.
• The role of civil society and communities generally, in the success or failure of public sector policy and implementation at both the macro and micro levels will be evaluated against a background of, inter alia, culture, gender and human rights, community needs and aspirations, local pressure groupings and power structures, political, legal, social and financial realities.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 4

• Selected public sector development programmes and/or projects will be analysed and evaluated.
• Specific challenges in the way these programmes and/or projects have been devised and/or are being implemented will be identified, analysed and interventions or alternatives based on sound public management principles and practices will be proposed.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 5

• Learners will be required to produce a well-structured research treatise of approximately 35 000 words (80 to 100 pages) demonstrating the following:
• An appropriate research approach.
• An appropriate (and justified) research design (for example, quantitative, qualitative or a mixed methods research methodology).
• Appropriate data collection techniques, processing and analysis thereof.
• An ability to draw appropriate conclusions.
• Research report writing skills.
• Adherence to prescribed ethical protocols pertaining to research.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 6

Public Administration and Management theories, policies, principles and associated practices are integrated and applied to, inter alia, the following fields:

• Macro and micro economic environments.
• Public sector finance.
• Monitoring and evaluation for public sector practitioners.
• Public sector development strategies.
• The environments of the National, Provincial and Local spheres of government.

Integrated Assessment

The research project and case studies are used for Integrated Assessment methods will include a combination of Formative and Summative Assessment tasks, assignments and progress checks that will inform teaching and learning. Analysis of relevant case studies or simulation represents closely the typical situations faced by senior public sector practitioners and politicians, who often have to sift through data in the form of statistics and legislative prescriptions to take informed decisions. In this process, learners learn how to function effectively in this type of decision-making environment. Formal Assessment tasks, for example prescribed assignments, case studies or other related tasks will contribute 50% of the final semester mark while the three-hour examination counts 50% towards the final mark. The treatise (SOA 515) will be examined by a team consisting of both the internal examiner, who is also the supervisor, and an external examiner, specifically appointed for the purpose. The treatise will account for 100% of the final module mark.