The MA – Public Management is a two-year, part-time programme that combines instruction in key subjects in public management with an opportunity for students to research and write about a specific topic in the public management field. It aims to raise the level of analysis of Irish public management and to develop more efficient and resourceful public sector managers.
On completing the first year of the programme, students receive the interim award of a Postgraduate Diploma in Public Management. In the second year of the course, students write a dissertation on an issue germane to their work or environment. Students also attend a week-long seminar at the Louvain Institute for Ireland in Europe. Students who do not wish to take all three subjects in any particular semester may choose to study one or two on a phased basis.
The research methods module that students take in the first year helps prepare them for the dissertation year. With assistance from an IPA supervisor, students complete a dissertation on a subject they are especially interested in or one that features in their workplace.