Studiegids

nl en

Public Administration

The MSc Public Administration offers 3 tracks (specialisations)

  1. International and European Governance (IEG)
    1. Public Management: Between Politics and Policy (PM)
    2. Governing Markets: Regulation and Competition (GM)

This master’s is a fulltime day programme taught in English.

  • Every student of Public Adminstration takes two core courses (2*5 ECTS). Those courses constitute the basis on which the specialization builds further.

  • Besides the core courses, each student takes the skills oriented courses Research Design and Report and Presentation (2* 5.0 ECTS).

  • In addition to these courses students take four specialization courses (20 ECTS) or three specialisation courses (15 ECTS) and an elective (5.0 ECTS)

  • Students conduct original research on a topic of their choice within their track and present their results in a thesis (20 ECTS).

  • Only students of the MSc Public Administration can participate in the courses of Public Administration.

You can find the link to the timetable on the right side of this page.

Intro

The Institute of Public Administration focuses on the functioning of various political-administrative systems locally, nationally, and internationally, the relationship between politics and administration, the organisation of the civil service, issues of ethics, and policy analysis. Special emphasis is placed on the importance of institutions for the functioning and reform of political-administrative processes.

The Master’s program in Public Administration builds on topical research in public sector management, public policy, domestic and international and European governance. Students following this program can choose between the specializations:

  • Governing Markets: regulation and competition

  • International and European Governance

  • Public Management: Between Politics and Policy

The program provides students with in-depth understanding of the functioning of administrations in Europe, at the national level, in comparison with other European countries and in the multi level context of the European Union. Several core courses ensure that students master the most important theoretical and analytical approaches in the analysis of institutions, as well as essential analytical skills. Specialization and elective courses allow students to learn more about performance evaluation and networking in the public sector, the relationship between politicians and civil servants, international organizations and their approaches to governance or the way public policy is made and implemented in the European Union’s multi level system.

Practical information for students who started in 2013-2014

Practical information for the students who started in September 2013 or February 2014

IEG

The track International and European governance explores the challenges for governance in conditions of globalisation.

The programme provides a solid foundation of core public administration courses which introduce classical and current debates on institutions and governance across multiple layers of jurisdiction. Next to these, the specialisation courses help students develop an understanding of the role played by international organisations in helping governments cope with the consequences of globalisation, but also in creating new rules and policies that affect the tasks of national and local administrations.

Within this broader theme, specialisation courses deal with a selection of important topics analysing the challenges of governing above and across national borders: decision making in the European Union, EU policies and their effects on the national arena, the role of other international organisations such as the IMF and the World Bank in setting standards for good governance and in promoting reform, global efforts in supporting development and/or democratisation.

Students who start in September 2014 and February 2015 take the following courses:

  • Public Institutions

  • Research Design

  • Public Management

  • Report & Presentation

  • Thesis

  • In addition to these courses students take four specialisation courses (20 ECTS) or three specialisation courses (15 ECTS) and an elective (5.0 ECTS)

Vak EC Semester 1 Semester 2

Not sure which courses you need to do? Check the overview (right on this screen)

Block I

Public Institutions 5
International Organizations and Good Governance 5
Non-state actors 5

Block II

Research Design 5
Building Democratic Institutions 5
EU Decision Making 5

Block III

Report and Presentation-blok 3 5
Public Management 5
Current Issues of International Organisations 5
Governance in the EU: Policies 5

Block IV

Research Design 5
Interest representation 5
Peacebuilding after conflict 5
Master Thesis Public Administration 20

Electives

Executive Accountability 5
Public Policy 5
States, Markets and Politics 5
Economics of Regulation 5
Performance Management 5
Future Proof Regulation 5
Politicians and civil servants: a complicated partnership 5
Democracy, Bureaucracy, Public Choice 5
Networking and Performance 5
Public Values & Ethics 5
Markets and Competition 5
Regulation and Governance 5
Politics, Governance and Media 5
Comparative Public Management 5

PM

The track Public Management: Between Politics and Policy explores key themes which have been the core of the discipline of public administration: politics and administration, policy making and management.

The programme builds on a solid foundation of core courses that provide students with understanding of state of the art research in policy making, from agenda setting to implementation, management and political- administrative relations. The specialised courses build on this foundation to introduce critical insights and recent research on contemporary developments in policy making and management such as performance evaluation, effects of administrative reforms, ethical and normative issues. In various specialisation courses, the students analyse, together with their lecturers, various aspects of the changing relationship between politics and administration and developments in management reforms in the Netherlands, but also in other OECD countries. These are evaluated in the light of research findings, practical experiences in reform and the broader context of current political ideas about government and administration.

Students who start in September 2014 and February 2015 take the following courses:

  • Public Policy

  • Research Design

  • Public Values

  • Report & Presentation

  • Thesis

  • In addition to these courses students take four specialisation courses (20 ECTS) or three specialisation courses (15 ECTS) and an elective (5.0 ECTS)

Vak EC Semester 1 Semester 2

Not sure which courses you need to do? Check the overview (right on this screen)

Block I

Public Policy 5
Performance Management 5
Executive Accountability 5

Block II

Research Design 5
Politicians and civil servants: a complicated partnership 5
Democracy, Bureaucracy, Public Choice 5

Block III

Public Values & Ethics 5
Report and Presentation-blok 3 5
Networking and Performance 5
Public Management 5

Block IV

Research Design 5
Politics, Governance and Media 5
Comparative Public Management 5
Master Thesis Public Administration 20

Electives

Public Institutions 5
International Organizations and Good Governance 5
Non-state actors 5
States, Markets and Politics 5
Economics of Regulation 5
Building Democratic Institutions 5
Future Proof Regulation 5
EU Decision Making 5
Current Issues of International Organisations 5
Regulation and Governance 5
Markets and Competition 5
Public Values & Ethics 5
Governance in the EU: Policies 5
Markets in the Welfare State 5
Interest representation 5
Peacebuilding after conflict 5

GM

The track Governing Markets: Regulation and Competition explores the interface between public authority and the market. For any public administration student, understanding the interaction between regulation and the market is crucial. What do governments regulate and how does regulation work without curbing competition?

The specialisation focuses on the interface between public authority and the market. Interaction between regulation and the market is essential, as illustrated by recent problems with the financial sector, food security or public health. What do governments regulate and why? How to achieve good regulation that does not curb competition and overburden society? How to make sense of the complexity with multiple levels of rule-making and a variety of regulatory agencies? Specialisation courses examine regulation from the economic perspective as well as from the policy and administration perspective. We will discuss what markets are, how they are rooted in societal ideas and institutional frameworks, and how the relationship between states and markets varies in the world.

Economics of regulation helps to conceptualise when regulation is needed and how regulation can make markets work better. We will also look into politics behind regulation and examine regulatory problems in specific policy sectors. In addition to the specialisation courses, the programme is built on the foundation of core courses that create understanding of public policy decision-making and public values, as well as advance skills in doing academic research.

Students who start in September 2014 and February 2015 take the following courses:

  • Public Policy

  • Research Design

  • Public Values

  • Report & Presentation

  • Thesis

  • In addition to these courses students take four specialisation courses (20 ECTS) or three specialisation courses (15 ECTS) and an elective (5.0 ECTS)

Vak EC Semester 1 Semester 2

Not sure which courses you need to do? Check the overview (right on this screen)

Block I

Public Policy 5
States, Markets and Politics 5
Economics of Regulation 5

Block II

Research Design 5
Future Proof Regulation 5

Block III

Public Values & Ethics 5
Report and Presentation-blok 3 5
Markets and Competition 5
Regulation and Governance 5

Block IV

Research Design 5
Markets in the Welfare State 5
Master Thesis Public Administration 20

Electives

Public Institutions 5
International Organizations and Good Governance 5
Performance Management 5
Executive Accountability 5
Non-state actors 5
Politicians and civil servants: a complicated partnership 5
Democracy, Bureaucracy, Public Choice 5
EU Decision Making 5
Building Democratic Institutions 5
Current Issues of International Organisations 5
Public Management 5
Networking and Performance 5
Governance in the EU: Policies 5
Comparative Public Management 5
Politics, Governance and Media 5
Interest representation 5
Peacebuilding after conflict 5

Practical information

Practical information for students who started in 2013-2014.

Practical information for the students who started in September 2013 or February 2014

Timetable

When you have completed your thesis and passed all other courses you can apply for graduation NL / ENG

Research Master

Students who would like to explore the possibility of joining a more challenging, two years Research Master’s programme, should follow a set of courses that make it possible to do so after the 1st semester. If you are interested in the Research master and you consider to make use of this opportunity, please contact the study advisors as soon as possible so they can discuss your study program. We advise you to contact them before September 15.

More on the Research Master and the entry requirements can be found on mastersinleiden.nl

Students start February 2015

Dear Student,

On the first day of your studies (February 2nd 2015) the coordinator of the master Mrs. dr. Dimitrova would like to welcome you in person in room A006. There will be a meeting from 13.30 till 15.00 in which she will welcome you. In this meeting we hope to give you information on the programme, the thesis etc and to give you some insight on how this programme can benefit you with the start of your career. We strongly advise you to be present.

We can imagine that you might have questions as you are about to start a new study, perhaps even in a new country. These are our walk-in consultations and are our contact details

In addition we organize a ‘meet & greet’ on this date:
15.00-16.00, location Schouwburgstraat, room A201

It is not mandatory, you won’t miss out an essential information if you cannot come. It is merely intended as an opportunity to meet and ask questions in an informal setting.

Best regards,
Jolanda den Heijer & Sofie Delpeut