Postgraduate Courses

Prospective students must consult the Postgraduate Faculty yearbook and  search for more information on the offered.
 
 

The School of Public Management and Administration offers the following postgraduate degrees:

BAdmin (Honours)

Frequently asked questions

The closing date for applications is 31 October 2023

One of the postgraduate programmes offered by the School of Public Management and Administration (SPMA) is the BAdmin Honours in Public Administration and Management (07241113).  The BAdmin Honours degree is well sought-after locally and internationally.  The BAdmin Honours degree is a one year full-time programme offered on a block release system. The curriculum consists of five compulsory modules relevant for the public sector. The degree prepares students for research master’s degrees. For admission into the programme, one must have a relevant degree with Public Administration passed with an average of at least 65%  at 3rd year level.

 
MAdmin (Public Management and Policy)
 
The closing date for applications is 31 October  2023
 
 
The SPMA offers an integrated degree, namely the MAdmin in Public Management and Policy (07251162), which combines two degrees previously offered separately, the MAdmin in Public Management and Public Administration and the MPhil in Public Policy. The programme is a research-focused degree which caters for students who have successfully completed an honours degree in Public Administration or Public Management or related field of study. The research topics will determine which trajectory (public administration, public management or public policy) is followed by an individual student.
 
The MAdmin programme aims at providing graduates, public managers and administrators with the key research skills they need in order to investigate and address the various challenges faced by the public sector in a developing or transitional country context. The programme targets individuals who have research and/or practical experience and who are motivated to investigate, assess and analyse the controversies, challenges and issues associated with the core functions of the public sector. Students are expected to not describe problems but to come up with solutions that would enhance the capabilities of the public sector. The programme would also prepare students to gain insights into the challenges and opportunities of a career in today’s public administration and management environment.
 
The programme is designed to meet the needs of a new generation of leaders in South Africa and even beyond the national borders as it intends to assist students to confront the challenges faced by the public sector through meaningful research projects.
 
Admission requirements
The detailed selection guidance set out below, should be read in conjunction with the Postgraduate Selection Regulation contained in the postgraduate yearbook of the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences. Should you not have access to this document, please click here before proceeding.
 
The minimum selection requirements of the MAdmin in Public Management and Policy are the following:
  • Students who completed a BAdmin Honours degree in Public Administration and Public Management or a relevant degree should achieve an average of at least 65% for all the modules in that programme.
  • A research proposal must also be submitted.   Candidates must write on a topic that is in line with the School of Public Management and Administration’s research focus areas. The template for writing a research proposal can be found on the School of Public Management and Administration’s website.
 
MPA Master of Public Administration 
 
The closing date for applications is 30 September 2023
 
 
 
The MPA degree is a sought-after programme for working managers within the public sector who have graduated in fields other than public administration. Upon completion, they will understand the history and global role of public administration, understand and apply different public management theories and conduct research.
 
Unlike the MAdmin and MPhil degrees that require a BAdminHons degree as a prerequisite, the admission requirement for the MPA is a bachelor’s degree or equivalent. However, candidates must provide proof of administrative and managerial experience, preferably in the public sector. The SPMA annually receives over 200 applications for admission to the MPA programme, of which only 50 applicants are selected.
 
This programme was developed to provide for the needs of employees in the public sector with diverse undergraduate qualifications, but who have entered the managerial cadres. This is because the duties of a manager demand expertise that would normally not have been included in the undergraduate study. It is an internationally accepted postgraduate qualification and is characterised by its management-orientated approach. Its objective is to enable the manager in the public sector to perform his or her managerial functions effectively, irrespective of undergraduate qualification.
 
The curriculum includes seven prescribed modules, as well as a mini dissertation.  To access the year book click here 
 
PhD Public Administration and Management
PhD Public Policy
 
Learning Programme for Doctoral programmes in Management Sciences 
 
The closing date for applications is 30 September 2024
 
The PhD Public Administration and Management and PhD Public Policy degrees are  advanced research-focused degrees and only students who have successfully completed an applicable Master’s degree are allowed into the programmes. Candidates should also provide proof of research competence in the form of published articles or reports. Students are required to complete a thesis based on a topic that is in line with the research focus areas of the SPMA and approved by the Postgraduate Committee of the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences.
 
Upon completion, the thesis will be evaluated by national and international external examiners. Students who have completed the PhD Public Administration and Management or PhD Public Policy are expected to make a considerable and original contribution to the discipline in both its domestic and international contexts, and have the skills to understand and address the public sector problems that confront their countries and the world. The PhD is a research-intensive programme. The submission of an article to an accredited journal on the thesis topic is required as part of the graduating process.  
 
To access the relevant yearbook click the link below:
Public Administration and Managment Programme here
Public Policy here

Copyright © University of Pretoria 2024. All rights reserved.

COVID-19 Corona Virus South African Resource Portal

To contact the University during the COVID-19 lockdown, please send an email to [email protected]

FAQ's Email Us Virtual Campus Share Cookie Preferences