Public Administration

master’s degree

Public AdministrAtion

It is an honor for me to introduce you to the School of Management

and Governance of the University of Twente. Our school provides high

quality and attractive Master’s programmes in Business Administration,

Public Administration, European Studies, Health Sciences, Business

Information Technology, and Industrial Engineering and Management.

Concrete topics at the core of our Master’s programmes are

management and governance, administration, innovation, technology and entrepreneurship.

Prof. Dr. Karen van Oudenhoven-van der Zee, dean of the School of Management and Governance

What makes our Master’s programmes of high quality and attractive?- Our Master’s programmes concern themes that apply

to various sectors at the very heart of our society, from healthcare and higher education, to banking, business services and industry.

- The driving force behind our programmes is a combined philosophy of high tech and human touch: how can we translate principles of management and governance into innovative technologies and what are the management and governance issues related to technological developments?

- We offer Master of Science degrees that represent solid scientific and professional training in each of the six disciplines. Students learn to apply scientific principles in a practical and multidisciplinary way, and get hands-on experience by participating in the research projects being conducted by our academic staff.

- Our educational model is aimed at educating students in research skills, organizational skills as well as skills in designing social interventions.

- We believe in high quality standards and expect commitment, enthusiasm and continuous performance from both our staff and our students.

- Our Master’s programmes are characterized by an open atmosphere built on close collaboration between staff and students. We offer our students great freedom in customizing the curriculum to meet your individual preferences. In that way students can create a Master’s programme that suits their own interests and skills requirements.

The School of Management and Governance prepares you for international professional practice and a promising career. Our aim is to develop the individual talent that the world needs to build a sustainable and creative future. We invite students who share this ambition to come and study with us!

Welcome to the School of Management and Governance!

programmeIn our complex and ever-changing society, the Master’s in Public Administration equips you to tackle

today’s most pressing political and administrative challenges.

The world is facing major problems: an ecological crisis, the near collapse of our financial-economic system, rapid shifts in technology and issues of public safety. The Master’s programme in Public Administration will provide you with the skills and conceptual tools to engage in descriptive, explanatory and normative research and analysis of the political and administrative issues of our time. The entire programme takes a comparative approach, looking at governance and policy-making practices in EU and non-EU countries.

You will be trained to apply problem-oriented research and analysis to the design of performance-oriented policies. Your results will be thoroughly attuned to the demands of effectiveness and feasibility, and will address the requirements of procedural norms such as constitutional legality and democratic legitimacy.

SpecializationSPolicy and GovernancePublic governance was traditionally viewed as a state monopoly. Today it is increasingly becoming an enterprise shared by state, market and civil society. This shift implies a multi-agency approach, public-private partnerships, citizen engagement and policy networks, with actors from the three worlds of governance coordinating their activities. The field is made more challenging by broad political change, globalization processes and social developments (emancipation of citizens, immigration), giving rise to new dilemmas and necessitating new approaches to policy-making and public management.

This Master’s specialization will help you acquire the analytical, problem-structuring and problem-solving skills for a career in public governance:- It provides a thorough understanding of the

institutional arrangements and decision-making processes in the multi-actor and multi-level networks of modern systems of governance, and the skills to deal systematically and successfully with problems of democratic legitimacy and governance effectiveness.

- It enables you to develop an understanding of policy-making processes (how and why do policies differ?) and to produce knowledge useful in strategic decision-making and policy evaluation.

- It gives you a thorough understanding of relevant organizational and management problems.

Public Administration equips you to tackle today’s most pressing political and administrative challenges

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Public SafetyPublic safety is seen as one of the major problems facing Western societies today. Problems of safety and security often relate to the state’s monopoly on the lawful and legitimate use of force.Government agencies addressing these kinds of problems require substantial specialized knowledge, some of which can be obtained in the Policy and Governance specialization of Public Administration. The Public Safety sub-specialization additionally examines issues such as public and private policing, the uses of crime science (evidence-based public safety policy) and other specific characteristics of public safety governance.

Public Safety is one of the specializations within the Public Administration Master’s programme. The one-year programme is divided into four quarters. The first quarter focuses on the main theme Policy, with a combination of general knowledge courses into policymaking and decisions, and courses about the special circumstances within the domain of Safety. During the second quarter you will think about your Master’s Thesis, with the aid of a Master Class Research Methods. At the end of this quarter you should have a theoretical framework to build upon during the rest of the year. The third quarter focuses on Governance, again with a combination of general courses and courses specific on the issue of safety and its governance. The fourth quarter will be devoted primarily to the Master’s thesis. The programme represents a total of 60 European Credits (EC).

The first quarter aims to give you a general overview of public administration policymaking at the Master’s level and the influence on Public Safety. This is done by means of three courses, viz. the general course Public Policy Analysis and the specialization-specific courses Public and private Policing and Social problems. In this last course, a wide variety of safety-related problems can be chosen as the main subject.Several aspects of the policymaking within public safety institutions are quite similar to those of other public institutions. On the one hand, a great deal of research based on general literature of organisational theory has been conducted by or on behalf of public safety institutions. On the other hand, however, safety policymaking has many highly specific characteristics. In completing this specialization, students will make extensive use of the results of research recently

conducted by the Institute for Social Safety Studies (IPIT). This UT knowledge centre has an international reputation in the field of academic research in the safety area. You start with you research during the second Quartile. In the third Quartile, devoted to Governance, you will follow the general courses Public Governance and Policy Networks and Public Governance and Legitimacy. Again, governance issues are somewhat different in the Safety area, which we address in the course Public Safety and Public Safety Governance. During the fourth Quartile, you finish your Master’s Thesis, with the aid of the Institute for Social Safety Studies.

Public ManaGeMentThe Public Management specialization focuses on implementing government policy. More specifically, it aims to provide you with the competencies that enable academics to support public managers, integrating key insights from both public administration and business administration.It not only equips you with a toolkit of instrumental competencies – partly borrowed from general managerial approaches in the private sector – but also

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teaches you to take into account the particular context of the public sector, including political influences on managerial decisions and other governance issues.

An understanding of the various aspects of governance is essential. Besides the more general requirements of managerial effectiveness and efficiency, this specialization considers public aspects such as compliance with laws and regulations and the democratic legitimacy of public organizations or arrangements. Governance in the public sector also implies a wider range of management issues, addressing multi-actor solutions to policy problems.

This specialization introduces relevant concepts from business administration, institutional economics, organizational sociology and political science. In addition, a toolkit of managerial competencies is provided, partly borrowed from more general management approaches also used in the private sector. Students learn to take into account the typical context of the public sector and to reflect on the role of public management. As in the other specializations, the understanding of different aspects of governance is considered essential. In particular, besides the more general requirements of effectiveness and efficiency of management actions, typical public aspects such as compliance with public laws and regulations and the democratic legitimacy of public organizations or arrangements have to be considered.

The one-year programme is divided into four quarters. The first quarter is largely devoted to courses that introduce theories and tools of public management. In the second quarter students start to think about their master thesis, assisted by the Master Class Research Methods. At the end of this quarter a student should have developed a theoretical framework for the master thesis, to be build upon during the rest of the year. During the third quarter the context of and reflection on public management is the main subject of the courses. The fourth quarter will be devoted primarily to the

master thesis, possibly based on an external assignment and carried out under supervision of two university staff members. The programme represents a total of 60 European Credits (EC) while the six courses each represent 5 EC. The programme can be entered either in September or February.

reGulation and innovationThis specialization focuses on the relationship between regulation and technological innovation. The accent is on the legal and public administration dimensions of behaviour regulation to promote technological innovation while maintaining a good balance with the risk-mitigation aspects involved in technological innovation. The specialization has a clear orientation toward the law and public administration. It emphasizes legal forms of regulation. These are studied from the perspective of promoting the effects on societal and public interests.Students and lecturers study the entire spectrum of ‘regulators’ (public, private and hybrid) and ‘regulatees’, such as certification and standardization agencies. Furthermore, we reflect on legal and political aspects and on the legal and public administration designs of regulatory structures, as well as on the associated skills sets.The programme aims to prepare students for careers in leading, regulated technology sectors, both from a public and from a private perspective, with a focus on the behaviour regulation of all relevant societal actors involved in technological innovation. In this field, the career prospects have a common background formed by societal involvement and the public interest, though the perspective may have a private, a public or a hybrid character. Examples include regulatory affairs officers, legal and policy officers and advisors, and agencies of governments and civil society organizations.

The understanding of different aspects of governance is considered essential

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career opportUnitieS

Despite government cutbacks, career opportunities for graduates in Public Administration remain

promising. The Master’s programme provides an excellent springboard to a wide range of careers. Only

30% of our graduates become civil servants in the strict sense of the word. Around 40% find jobs in

private organizations with links to the public sector (e.g. research and consultancy). Another 30% find

employment in areas such as healthcare, labour relations, insurance, charity and housing. The Master’s

programme also provides an ideal basis for obtaining a PhD, in the Netherlands or abroad.

Policy and Governance: GeneralThis specialization focuses on developing academic skills and providing career opportunities in governmental organizations (EU, international governance bodies - like the UN, OECD, WHO and the like -, national, regional and municipal), in addition to social institutions (healthcare, housing associations) and industry (research and consultancy).

Your choice of subjects and your Master’s thesis topic will enable you to place a strong emphasis on higher education or issues concerning the environment and sustainable development. Opting for Social Problems of Management ensures that you will keep your prospects wide open.

Public ManaGeMentThe Public Management specialization provides academic training for a broad range of managerial and supporting positions in public and private organizations involved in design, implementation or evaluation of public policy. Typical sectors include central government, provinces, municipalities and water boards as well as education, health care, social security, police, courts and other publicly controlled or financed organizations. Private sector consultancy firms also provide employment opportunities.

The Master’s programme provides an excellent springboard to a wide range of careers

admiSSion reqUirementSdutch hbo StudentSDutch HBO graduates with a Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field of study may be considered for admission. In cases students will first need to complete a pre-Master’s programme.

univerSity of twente StudentSStudents holding a BSc degree in Public Administration Science or European Studies from the University of Twente qualify for direct admission, conditions may apply.

dutch univerSity StudentSStudents with other relevant Bachelor’s degrees from the University of Twente or another Dutch University will be considered for admission.

international StudentSInternational students with a Bachelor’s degree in Public Administration, Public Policy, Political Administration or a related field and a CGPA of at least 70% of the maximum score are invited to apply for admission.

More detailed admission requirements are available at www.utwente.nl/master/pa

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Public SafetyThe career opportunities of Public Safety graduates are promising. The great majority of graduates find work developing public safety policy for (in order of importance) municipalities, ministries and provincial authorities. Once the exclusive domain of the larger cities, smaller municipalities are now also focusing on public safety policy. In addition, the police force is a major employer. Some graduates work for a regional police force, conducting research and developing policy, while others opt for a career as police officers. Graduates also work for research and consultancy firms and in the field of education, for instance at institutes of higher professional education. A limited number of graduates pursue an academic career. As you will be awarded a Master’s degree in Public Administration, you need not be concerned that completing this specialization will limit your job opportunities to work in the field of Public Safety.

reGulation and innovationAfter completing this specialization of the Master’s programme in Public Administration, various career options will be open to you. You can take up a strategic, advisory or managerial position in the profit or non-profit sector. Your specialist knowledge of the optimal functioning of organizations with a strong legal focus means you are ideally suited to working for regulators, interest groups or companies in new, liberalized markets. Your understanding of the legal context in public and private organizations will give you a strong advantage in this field.

teachinG in Social ScienceSAfter completing this additional Master’s year, you will be able to teach at any level in the Dutch secondary school system or at a university of applied sciences (HBO). You will also serve as a role model for pupils with the ambition to enter higher education.New career paths for teachers and opportunities in fields such as adult education make working in education a more fulfilling prospect than ever before. You could be among the growing number of graduates invited to take part in school management and shaping education policy. Your expertise and experience also make you an ideal candidate for corporate training in businesses and government organizations.

Jobs in education are plentiful and are likely to remain so for years to come. You should have no problem finding a job as a teacher, researcher or education professional. In fact, many of our students receive a job offer before they have even finished their studies.Last but not least, it’s important to remember that your teaching qualification gives you a separate Master’s title alongside your Master’s in Public Administration.

Many of our students receive a job offer before they have even finished their studies

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‘Twente is among the best universities in the country, and the campus facilities are awesome’

NAME carolina ValladareS paSqUel

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN ecUador

I decided to do the Master’s in Public Administration because I have always been interested in learning

how the state processes society’s demands for designing public policies. I see a challenge in the

process of making policy interactive for people.

Public Administration extends my knowledge of Sociology by looking at the perspective of the role of the market in the society. As a sociologist I wanted to learn about the discussions that are being held on the side of the State and public issues, to delve in the society-State relationship. New for me is the emphasized role of market in the public administration. I do not know if this market perspective is a trend in the region, but I think that the possibility of comparing different perspectives allows me to support my ideas with better arguments and can also be used in the south global countries.

I chose for the University of Twente because it has some interesting specializations in Public Administration and I love the facilities of the University of Twente. Twente is among the best universities in the country, and the campus facilities are awesome, suitable for really focusing on studying and also for enjoying free time.

In the future I would like to continue learning about environment, sociology and politics. I want to keep contributing knowledge to my field of study to show the hidden costs of the interwoven relations of power in environmental issues. I hope to continue doing this research in fieldwork, which I think is the best ‘university’. However, I might consider studying a PhD to combine theory and practice.

StUdent’S toUch

contactFor general information about the master’s programme or the university of twente, as well as for questions about the application form of your enrolment status, please contact:

university of twentestudy information deskPhone: +31 (0)53 489 [email protected]/master

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