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Accreditation journey begins for Master's programmes

Students, stakeholders and the School of Government are all in line to benefit as the School starts a process of gaining global accreditations for its Master of Public Policy and Master of Public Management programmes.

Dr Amanda Wolf.
Deputy Head of School Amanda Wolf

Students, stakeholders and the School of Government are all in line to benefit as the School starts its journey to gain global accreditations for its Master of Public Policy (MPP) and Master of Public Management (MPM) programmes.

The School's Deputy Head, Dr Amanda Wolf, explained that until recently the Network of Schools of Public Policy Affairs and Administration (NASPAA) did not accredit degrees outside the United States.

Now that it does, and if the School gets its accreditation in 2017 as planned, it may well have the first NASPAA-accredited programmes in the southern hemisphere.

The School likes the fact that NASPAA accreditation is not an end in itself – it's merely the focus of an on-going, continuous improvement that forces participants to clarify what they do.

"It means that if things don’t quite work out, we step back and ask what happened there? What can we do differently?

"We're not meant to be perfect either – we're meant to be constantly trying to improve what we do, to listen and respond respectfully to our stakeholders, all within NASPAA’s framework of standards," says Dr Wolf.

She notes that accreditation will be based on how well NASPAA's assessment stacks up against the own unique mission statements for the MPP and MPM programmes.

"Everything we do has to hook into that mission statement – what we tell students, NASPAA, stakeholders.

"We need to show how we contribute to that mission through the staff we hire, how we tell students how they are doing in the classroom, what we expect from them, and what we value."

NASPAA has a specific focus on five student skills and competencies:

  • leading and managing in public governance
  • participating in, and contributing to, the policy process
  • analysing, synthesising, thinking critically, and making decisions
  • applying a public service perspective
  • communicating and interacting productively with diverse colleagues and citizens.

Intense self-examination and external review

February saw the start of a year of intense self-examination for the School, the first main part of the accreditation journey.

During the year, the School will be looking at what it's doing, and how and why it's doing it, before producing a major report. A NASPAA team will visit the School in 2016, assess that report and talk to stakeholders, students, staff, alumni, and employers before making its decision.

For a student, Dr Wolf says that accreditation confirms your education is based on 'global' standards of quality.

"It assures you that the programme and its teachers are thinking ahead and deeply about your professional needs, and ensures you are well-prepared for the next phases of your career.

"The improvement process will make sure we give you a balanced education. Accreditation will add value to your experience and degree."

For more information about NASPAA