Expanding horizons with flexible study options in Public Policy or Management
Our revised and updated Certificates in Public Policy and Public Management may well be of interest if you are looking for a flexible programme of study leading to a Master's degree.
Looking for a flexible programme of study leading to a Master of Public Management or Master of Public Policy, but thought it might be all too long and hard?
Our revised and updated Certificates in Public Policy and Public Management may well be of interest.
Associate Professor Bill Ryan, Director of the School of Government Master's programmes, discusses the option of commencing study in a Certificate course as your first step.
We know a Master's course is a long-term commitment and it can be hard for people to plan that far in advance.
That is why we have shorter qualifications, which can be done in bite-sized chunks, and include plenty of flexibility.
Our programme of learning – more a pathway – enables students to start with a 12-month certificate course, go on to a diploma, and then to a Master's, with time gaps between those levels if required.
Over the last couple of years we've been seeing a gradual shift towards more public sector organisations getting involved in professional development for their staff, as opposed to staff taking primary responsibility.
It's encouraging to see some of the more progressive of these organisations recognise that the training they do for their own people will ultimately develop the whole public sector.
I'm hearing variations on the phrase: "If what we are doing now solved the problem, the problem would be solved". That's why our certificate courses emphasise the knowledge and skills that enable people to start doing things differently.
People are becoming more aware of the importance of keeping their professional options open and their horizons expanded, and learning from the certificate can be applied straight away.
Many of those getting the most out of public management and public policy courses are people who realise they want, and need, to rise above current practice.
More choices and options for students
To gain the certificate, a student needs to complete four courses from within the MPM and MPP menu. Generally, through mixing and matching, we are able to devise a study pathway which meets the degree requirements, yet is flexible enough to work for each individual.
That approach of mixing and matching is important, as I believe you cannot be a good policy professional unless you understand the management side of the whole business; and you cannot be a good manager unless you understand the policy side. The best operators are those who have experience of both.
We can now tailor our courses for particular workplaces. This is an alternative pathway for some students; the organisation pays the fees, teaching and learning are focused more specifically on their particular workplace, and the programme is delivered in-house.
For example, we work with the Ministry of Transport (MoT) to offer a Postgraduate Certificate in Public Policy. MoT students are joined by students from selected other organisations, and it's a really good way for all the students to reflect, individually and within a group, on the issues they and their organisation are facing.
We want to continue working with organisations and agencies to tailor clusters of courses, to help them create a cohort of future leaders within their organisation and, ultimately, clusters of innovative leadership across the public sector.
We are also taking this thinking further afield and plan to be running courses for certificates in Auckland from 2016.
For more information about these programmes please contact:
- Associate Professor Bill Ryan, Masters Programme Director
- Tel: +64 4 463 5848
- Email: bill.ryan@vuw.ac.nz