Prospectus

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Public Administration: Public Management and Leadership

Master

The MSc Public Administration offers 3 specialisations:

  1. International and European Governance (IEG)

  2. Public Management and Leadership (PML)

  3. Economics and Governance (EG)

This master’s is a fulltime day programme taught in English. Only students of the MSc Public Administration can participate in the courses of Public Administration.

If government wants to solve societal challenges and improve society, individual public organisations must be able to achieve results. The Public Management and Leadership specialisation focuses on how management and leadership shape the performance of organisations in the public sector. In times of increasing complexity, management is needed to ensure that public organisations operate in an effective, efficient and reliable manner. At the same time, leadership is necessary for public organisations to be adaptive, responsive and innovative.

Specialisation: PML

Please consult the programme overview of the Master Public Administration for the September and February intake to see which courses you follow in each block. Your study load is 15 ECTS per block. The core and skills-oriented courses are offered twice per year and the specialisation courses are offered once per year. Please note: the range of electives differs per block II and block IV. You can find the overview on the right side under 'Files'.

  • In your first block, you follow one core course Public Institutions (5 ECTS) and the specialisation courses Collaborative Governance (5 ECTS) and Citizen-State Interactions (5 ECTS).

  • In your second block, you follow one core course Public Policy and Values (5 ECTS), one skills-oriented course Research Design (5 ECTS), and one elective course (5 ECTS).

  • In your third block, you follow the specialisation courses Leadership in Organizations (5 ECTS) and Politicians and Public Managers (5 ECTS) and start with your Master's Thesis (20 ECTS)

  • In your fourth block, you work fulltime on your Master's Thesis (20 ECTS).

Courses

Course EC Semester 1 Semester 2
Career Preparation

Block 1
Public Institutions 5
Collaborative Governance 5
Citizen-State Interactions 5

Block 2
Public Policy and Values 5
Research Design 5
Elective (see below) 5

Block 3
Public Institutions 5
Politicians and Public Managers 5
Leadership in Organizations 5

Block 4
Public Policy and Values 5
Research Design 5
Elective (see below) 5

Master thesis Public Administration
Master's Thesis Public Administration 20

Electives
Markets and Competition Policy 5
EU Policymaking and Implementation 5
Regulatory policy: Theory and practice 5
International Environmental Governance 5
Institutional Foundations of Good Government and Governance 5
Lobbying and Public Affairs in Theory and Practice 5
Managerial Economics, Business and Politics 5
Data-driven Policymaking 5
Markets in the Welfare State 5
Public Leadership Across Borders 5

Organisation

Board and co-participation

The programme Public Administration has a programme board that consists of:

  • Programme coordinator, responsible for the content of the programme amongst other things: Dr. R. (Rik) de Ruiter.

  • Student member of the board, who brings in the student perspective of the programme board: R. (Rassoul) Coelen

The Master Public Administration has a Programme Committee (OLC). This is a co-participation body that consists of academic staff as well as students.

Study counseling and support

The study advisers are your first point of contact within the programme. They can help you with study-related questions and problems, such as study delay, planning and choices, thesis issues, internships, exchange, rules and regulations etc. Please inform them of personal circumstances, especially when they affect your studies and/or wellbeing. Examples include (acute or chronic) illness, disability, family circumstances, pregnancy, top-level sport and certain board activities.

Depending on your question or problem, the study advisers might forward you to the:

  • Student counsellors. They help you with any questions or problems you might have concerning combining studying with top-level sport, a disability or pregnancy/with children, academic delay, complaints and financial matters.

  • Student psychologists. They can help you with study-related and personal problems. They also provide mindset and study skills courses and workshops, and support groups for students who are writing their thesis.

  • Board of Examiners. The board of examiners is responsible for examination and monitors the level of exams and elective courses/packages, including adherence to the rules and regulations, granting exemptions and taking measures with regard to fraud, plagiarism etc. For individual requests to the board, please read the rules and regulations.

  • Educational Service Centre (OSC). The OSC is responsible for the organisation of exams and exam facilities, registration of final grades and processing of requests in uSis, diploma requests, transcripts and schedules. They can be reached at the desk and by telephone during opening hours, and via email 24/7.

Complaints

  • The study advisers are the first point of contact within the programme. Please inform them about your complaint first so they can forward you the right contact person, department or procedure.

  • The university offers different channels where you can discuss your question or complaint.

  • Do you have a questions, suggestion or complaint about a specific course, exam or about the study programme and time schedule? Please check the complaints page of your programme.

  • Every faculty has a complaints coordinator: the assessor of the Faculty (student member of the Board). He or she is the complaints coordinator for all other complaints.

Study association

The study association Bestuurskundige Interfacultaire vereniging Leiden (B.I.L.) forms a link between students and the Institute and organizes several activities for students.

Transitional arrangement

PML specialization courses (PML February 2021 cohort and earlier)
Due to the restructuring of the Public Management and Leadership program the courses Strategic Public Management and Collaboration and Leadership and Organisational Behaviour are no longer offered from the academic year of 2022-2023 onwards.

Students from the PML February 2021 cohorts and earlier who did not finish (one of) these courses follow the following courses instead:

  • Strategic Public Management and Collaboration follow: Collaborative Governance and Citizen-State Interactions

  • Leadership and Organisational Behaviour: Politicians and Public Managers and Leadership in Organizations
    Students that have obtained partial grades from one of the courses please contact Voet, J. van der (Joris). NB In principle partial grades will not remain valid in the new academic year.

Career preparation

Career Preparation in the Master Public Administration

In addition to offering you a solid university education, Leiden University aims to prepare you as well as possible for the labour market, and in doing so contribute to the development of your employability. In this way, it will become easier for you to make the transition to the labour market, to remain employable in a dynamic labour market, in a (career) job that suits your own personal values, preferences and development.

'Employability' consists of the following aspects that you will develop within your study programme.

1. Discipline-specific knowledge and skills These are knowledge and skills specific to your study programme, such as application of institutional theories, and policy analysis, solutions and presentations taught in Public Institutions and Public Policy and Values .

2. Shared transferable skills These skills are relevant to every student and job, irrespective of study programme. Think of researching, analysing, project-based working, collaborating, presenting, societal awareness and independent learning. Each course teaches shared transferable skills that are distinguished in the course descriptions.

  1. Self-reflection The Career Preparation programme in Brightspace helps students reflect on their unique profile and drives, and develop their application skills and resilience. When you have completed the self-study modules, you are able to position yourself in the labour market and target your dream job(s) effectively.

  2. Practical experience You follow one specialisation course with career preparation explicitly embedded in the curriculum. You are required to perform an assignment and reflect on your learning experiences and applied skills, and to apply these insights to your future career perspectives.

  3. Labour market orientation Professors invite guest speakers to share their practical experience and career choices in the courses. Furthermore, each specialisation offers a challenge where you work on a real policy case from a public organisation. Lastly, the master organises alumni network meetings.

Leiden University’s Career Service and our study association B.I.L. offer various resources to facilitate your transition from university to labour market. They communicate their activities in the university newsletter, Brightspace and social media.