Subject to the provisions of General Academic Regulations and the Faculty of Social Sciences Special Regulations, the following Departmental Special Regulations shall apply:
The programme of study shall be offered for the award of the Master’s Degree in Public Administration (MPA). There shall be the following streams: MPA General; MPA Human Resources Management; MPA Local Government Management; MPA Public Finance Management; MPA Environmental Resource Management; MPA Public Policy and Administration.
The minimum entrance requirement shall be a Bachelor’s degree in the Social Sciences with at least a second class second division (GPA 2.8) or equivalent. Applicants who hold a university degree, other than in the social sciences, may be admitted if they passed with at least second class, second division (GPA 2.8), or its equivalent, have at least three years relevant administrative experience, and satisfy Senate of their potential. Such applicants may be required to undertake additional courses as specified by the Department.
The Master’s degree shall be offered as follows: option one (course work only); option two (course work and Dissertation); option three (coursework and Research Essay).
To successfully complete the programme, a student shall be required to take and pass a minimum of 36 credits. However, a student taking a combination of course work and Dissertation option shall be required to have a minimum of 42 credits. All students shall be required to complete a total of 12 credits of common core courses.
A student pursuing option one (coursework only) shall be required to complete the 12 credits of common core courses, and 24 credits of specialization, optional, and elective courses. A student opting for the MPA General stream shall in addition to the 12 credits of common core courses, complete 12 other credits from the MPA core and optional courses, and a further 12 credits from any MPA optional or/and elective courses.
A student opting for a specialized stream shall in addition to the 12 credits of the common core courses, complete 12 credits from the preferred specialization core courses, and 12 credits from any MPA optional courses or/and from elective courses.
A student intending to take option two (coursework and Dissertation) shall be expected to complete the coursework with GPA 3.5, and a minimum of 65 per cent in the Research Methods course.
A student who chooses option two (coursework and Dissertation) shall in addition to the 12 credits of common core courses, complete 6 credits from MPA optional/specialization courses (for MPA general option), or 6 credits from the preferred specialization core courses (for MPA specialization); and write a Dissertation, which shall be equivalent to 24 credits.
A student taking option three (coursework and Research Essay), shall in addition to the 12 credits of common core courses, complete 6 credits from MPA op-tional/specialization courses (for MPA General option), or 6 credits from the preferred specialization core courses( for MPA specialization) , and any 6 additional credits from the MPA specialization core/optional courses and/or elective courses; and write a research essay, which shall be equivalent to 12 credits.
The following shall be the Common Core Courses:
MPA 601 Foundations of Public Management and Institutions
MPA 602 Public Policy and Administration
MPA 603 Research Methods & Computer Applications 1 (Co-code/DVC607/POP 604)
MPA 604 Economics for Development Management
The Specialization Core Courses shall be:
Human Resources Management:
MPA 605 Industrial Relations in the Public Sector
MGT 745 Human Resource Development.
MPA 606 Human Resource Management
MGT 640 Behavior in Organizations
Local Government Management:
MPA 607 Intergovernmental Relations and Cooperative Governance
MPA 608 Local Government Management
MPA 609 Public Budgeting and Finance
DVS 610 NGOs and Development.
Public Policy and Administration:
MPA 609 Public Budgeting and Finance
MPA 610 State and Development Policy in the Developing Countries
MPA 611 Development Management and Poverty Alleviation
MPA 612 Project Management and Evaluation
Public Financial Management:
MPA 609 Public Budgeting and Finance
MPA 613 Public Sector Financial Management
MPA 612 Project Management and Evaluation
MPA 614 Aid and Debt Management
Environmental Resource Management:
Any four (4) from the following:
MPA 615 Environmental and Natural Resources Management
ENV 610 Integrated Environmental Analysis And Management I
ENV 612 Integrated Environmental Analysis And Management II
ENV 628 Wildlife Management & Tourism Management
ENV 629 National Resource Use Policies
MPA 618 Global Environmental Politics
The Optional Courses shall be selected from the following
MPA 611 Development Management and Poverty Alleviation
MPA 610 State and Development Policy in the Developing Countries
MPA 701 Occupational Health and Safety
MPA 702 Local Government Financial Management
MPA 703 The Politics of Public Budgeting
MPA 704 Public Sector Accounting
MPA 705 Environmental Management and Human Health
MPA 706 Politics of Water Resources Management
MPA 707 Public Policy and Micro enterprise Development
MPA 708 Organization Development & Leadership (Co-coded MGT 746)
MPA 709 Organization Theory and Practice
MPA 710 Comparative Public Policy
MPA 711 Managing Negotiations, Contracts, and Conflict
MPA 712 Public Sector Management, Reforms and Innovation
MPA 713 Strategic Planning and Management
MPA 714 Information Resources Management and e-Governance
MPA 715 Southern Africa in the World Economy
MPA 716 International Organizations
MPA 717 Management of Public Enterprises And Privatization
MPA 718 Ethics and Accountability in Public Administration
MPA 719 Development Planning: Theory and Practice
MPA 720 Traditional Leadership and Local Level Governance
MPA 721 Human Resource Management and Development in Local Government
MPA: 722 Research Methods and Computer Applications II
MPA 723 Seminar and Directed Readings in Public Administration
LAW 607 Law and Public Administration
DVS 606 Gender and Development
ENV 627 Urban and Regional Planning
0.4 CAPSTONE COURSES
MPA 724: Research Essay
This shall be a desk-based research paper, including critical appraisal of literature on the selected topic.
MPA 725: Dissertation
The Dissertation shall involve elaborate research, analysis, and presentation of the findings, aimed at producing new or critical knowledge or perspectives on the student’s chosen topic of study.
The minimum period of study for the MPA shall be three semesters (continuous enrolment), and maximum twelve semesters. Minimum load of 6 and maximum of 15 credits per semester shall be taken. Additional credits could be earned, say through Winter courses between June and August, if approved by the Head of Department.
A student intending to write a Dissertation or Research Essay shall be required to submit the research topic to the Head of Department before the completion of course work. The Dissertation proposal shall be presented to the Depart- mental Board for consideration and approval.
A student intending to take the Seminar and Directed Readings in Public Administration shall consult the Head of Department prior to registration. The Departmental Board shall approve the seminar topic, and nominate a Supervisor. The seminar paper shall be submitted to the supervisor, and presented before the end of the semester within which the course is taken. The paper shall be assessed on the basis of a percentage grade.
Course assessment shall be based on written assignments, or/and an examination at the end of the semester in which the course is taken. The department reserves the right to review the mode of assessment, and shall specify mode of assessment prior to any intake or at the start of the semester in which the course is taken. Academic General Regulations 40.73 to 40.74.3 shall govern the assessment of the Dissertation and the Research Essay. The ratio between written assignments and examination shall be 1:1, or as decided by the department at the start of the semester in which the course taken.
Progression from one semester to the next shall be governed by Academic General Regulations 40.6 to 40.64.
Participation in the Intensive Orientation Week (the week before commencement of lectures) shall be required of all in-coming students. This non-credit requirement will include academic orientation, computer applications for research and study, and introduction to other University services and facilities.