exeteru n i v e r s i t y o f

The Exeter MPAMaster of Public Administration

a guide for employers

Contents About this guide

Why choose the Exeter MPA 1

Employer benefits 2

Working together 3

About the Exeter MPA 5

MPA content and structure 6

Supporting your managers 7

Information for UK public 8sector clients

The University of Exeter 9

Contact us back cover

e Exeter MPA

offers considerable

benefits but we

understand it

is a serious

commitment, both

for individual

students and their

employers.

is guide aims to provide you with the information you

need when considering whether the MPA is right for

your organisation and how to get the best out of it to

help meet your business objectives while developing

your managers.

We hope this guide is helpful and will be happy to

answer your enquiries and discuss your requirements in

person. Please contact us to find out more.

Professor Andrew Massey

Programme Director

1

Taught by international experts, the Exeter MPA develops

the knowledge and skills needed by public sector organisations

such as:

• enhanced leadership ability

• service transformation and change management

• financial management and delivering efficiencies

• strategic thinking, creativity and innovation

• public administration best practice

• policy analysis and use of evidence

• people and resources management

• programme and project management

The MPA provides the opportunity for managers to benefit

from the latest ideas on public policy, administration, regulation

and leadership while working alongside practitioners from a

variety of organisations based in the UK and overseas.

We address key issues facing the public sector such as the

need for innovation to deliver effective public services in a

challenging financial climate, effective leadership, driving change,

performance management, governance, ethical practice and

sustainability.

The Master of Public Administration is designed to train your managers todeliver effective public services at a time when the public sector is facingextraordinary financial pressures and significant change.

Why choose theExeter MPA?

We offer opportunities for your managers to research and

seek solutions to challenges you face in the workplace while

drawing on best practice and expertise from around the world.

Leading practitioners from the public and private sectors are

involved in the programme delivery, which means learning is

relevant and informed by the latest ideas and innovation.

The University of Exeter is a recognised supplier of MPA

qualifications through Buying Solutions, the national

procurement partner for UK public services, which has

rigorously assessed the programme for quality and value for

money.

The range of opportunities offered by the core and elective

modules allows participants to plot a course which best matches

your immediate business priorities as well as individuals’

professional development needs.

As a sponsor, your organisation will benefit from:

• a training programme which has been rigorously assessed

and awarded a place on the Buying Solutions Learning &

Development and eLearning Solutions framework

agreement to supply the UK public sector

• access to the latest ideas and innovation from a team of

experts whose experience includes consultancy to national

governments and organisations like the United Nations,

World Bank, European Commission, Competition

Commission and the Treasury

A key strength of the Exeter MPA is its ability to match learning outcomes toyour organisational objectives.

Employerbenefits

2 www.exeter.ac.uk/mpa

• increased knowledge and skills relevant to management

competencies such as strategic thinking, effective

communication, leadership, negotiation and influencing,

working with others, planning and organising

• a greater understanding of key skills that underpin the

requirements of modernising public sector organisations,

including policy analysis, evaluation, use of evidence,

problem solving, communication and the management

of change

• enhanced knowledge and skills in strategic financial

management and delivering efficiencies

• best practice solutions to issues faced by public sector

organisations in the UK and overseas.

3

We have worked successfully with national and regional

government departments to provide training to groups of middle

and senior managers. Our expertise in this area includes teaching

public administration to cohorts of students from government

bodies in Korea and Turkey, in addition to arranging bespoke

training on specific issues such as auditing and ethics.

The Exeter MPA is based within the College of Social Sciences

and International Studies which has experience of delivering

continuous professional development programmes to

organisations such as the armed forces, police service and

education authorities.

We also have experience of catering for individual students who

have been sponsored by employers such as local government,

the emergency services and the not-for-profit sector.

We are keen to work with you to help you and your managers get the bestout of the Exeter MPA and have a good track record of collaborating withsponsors and employers.

Workingtogether

We aim to take a flexible approach to programme delivery and

will be happy to discuss any specific requirements such as:

• agreeing learning outcomes

• negotiating work-based projects to deliver business

improvements

• tailoring assessment around specific management

competencies

• on-site training

• single module delivery or bespoke training

• competitive fee packages for groups of students from the

same employer

Zhanbolat MeldeshovKazakhstan

The MPA is a programme about howto do your job in the public sector inthe best way and it is crucial forpeople who want to work in thatsector. Studying the MPA helps me tounderstand the role of public officials,and the process of creating anddelivering public goods and services.It gives an understanding of thereforms carried out in differentcountries to achieve results sought byrespective governments.

4 www.exeter.ac.uk/mpa

Tracey RearDrug Outreach ManagerGuernsey

I work for the third sector; we havecontracts with local government inthe Channel Islands and I wanted toget a broader perspective on how toget the best for our service in havingcontracted services – to understandgovernment decisions. The MPA isgetting me to think in broader termsso I’m not just working in a vacuum.I have to think about theimplications of the decisions thatare made and in terms of funding,how I can put a different slant onapplications that I might make.

Azmin AhmadCivil ServantBrunei Darussalam

The MPA is closely related to myprofession as a civil servant in mycountry of Brunei Darussalam. TheMPA covers in depth what I need tolearn and apply to my professionsuch as theories relating tomodernising public services andpolicy reform. I also chose the MPAbecause of the relationship that theUniversity has with the World Bank,International Monetary Fund andcivil service agencies. The expertiseand background of the lecturers andtutors, who are very experiencedand have published a wide selectionof public administration and publicpolicy books, also encouraged meto apply.

Managers benefit from the latest ideas on public policy,

administration, regulation and leadership while learning

alongside practitioners working in a variety of roles and

organisations from the UK and overseas.

Relevant to local, regional, and central government, the not-for-

profit sector and public-private partnerships, the Exeter MPA

addresses some of the key issues such as:

• effective leadership

• financial crisis management

• anticipating and responding to change

• service transformation

• performance management

• governance and ethical practice

• sustainability

• public policy and regulation

The Exeter MPA takes an international perspective to equip your managerswith the skills and understanding they need to operate effectively in anincreasingly global and constantly changing environment.

About theExeter MPA

Our flexible modular programme, block teaching and excellent

online resources are designed to meet the needs of both those

studying full-time and professionals aiming to manage part-time

study with full-time employment.

While enhancing core skills, the MPA offers the opportunity to

research and seek solutions to issues and challenges faced in the

workplace. The involvement of senior civil servants, financial

consultants and private sector expertise, together with real life

case studies, ensures learning is relevant and informed by the

latest thinking. Visits to regional and national public sector

organisations also provide valuable insights into how public

bodies are dealing with challenges facing the sector.

5

The Exeter MPA consists of a mixture of three core modules

which provide the theoretical foundation for the degree; five

optional modules; and either a dissertation or at least one work-

based research project involving a piece of original research.

Full details can be found in our course brochure or online at

www.exeter.ac.uk/mpa

Core modules (15 credits each)

• Management and Governance: Comparing Public

Administration around the World

• Policy and Politics: the Theory and Strategy of Delivering

Public Services

• Public Sector Finance for Managers

Optional modules (15 credits each)

A choice of five modules from a list which may include the

following:

• Strategic Leadership and Management of Change

• New Public Management: Principles, Practice and Prospects

• Global Governance and Administration

• Sustainability and Climate Change: the Challenge to Public

Policy

• Project Management

• Risk, Responsibility and Regulation: Whose Policy is it

Anyway?

MPA contentand structure

• Regulation and Reform: Analysis and Policy

• Policy Analysis and Evaluation

Dissertation (60 credits)

Working under the supervision of an academic supervisor,

students can work on an original piece of academic research

relating to a subject of their choice. Students have used this

opportunity to study an important issue facing their organisation

or sector with the support of their employer.

Previous research topics for example have included

modernisation of local government; auditing and regulation; and

health service reform.

or

Two work-based research projects (30 credits each)

Instead of a dissertation students can choose to complete two

work-based projects. Each project can address a particular issue

or problem identified by your organisation. In this way students

are able to research and write about any new or difficult public

sector management issue related to their work environment

and deliver the project in the form of a report of practical use

to you as an employer.

6 www.exeter.ac.uk/mpa

7

We understand that returning to study while developing a career

can be challenging, particularly for international students who

also have to adapt to living in the UK. We therefore do our best

to make sure students can take advantage of the right academic,

pastoral and practical support.

Academic support and teaching

The way in which the Exeter MPA is taught has been designed

to meet both the needs of working professionals and full-time

students. This includes:

• full, part-time or modular delivery

• intensive teaching blocks with dates advertised far in

advance to help you plan

• excellent online learning materials and support through staff

and student discussion forums

• induction sessions to help students get to know each other

and provide practical training on issues such as time

management, study and research skills

• opportunities for collaboration and peer support

• a personal tutor providing face-to-face and online academic

support

Supportingyour managers

Student services

In addition to its first class learning environment, recreational

facilities and beautiful campus, the University offers services

including:

• excellent IT and library services

• student health centre and counselling service

• careers and graduate development

• family support including early years’ childcare

• disability support

International student support

The University provides a safe and cosmopolitan learning

environment and offers support such as:

• advice on visas and English language requirements

• English language support

• academic skills training

• guaranteed accommodation for unaccompanied

international students*

• meet and greet service

• orientation events to help students settle in to student life

*Subject to acceptance and booking deadlines being met.

Information forUK public sectorclients

8 www.exeter.ac.uk/mpa

The University of Exeter is a supplier of MPA qualifications

through Buying Solutions, the national procurement partner for

UK public services.

Public Sector departments and individuals have access to this

service through the Buying Solutions Learning & Development

and eLearning Solutions framework agreement – Lot 23.

The University of Exeter has been successfully awarded a place

to provide MPA qualifications due to its competitive rates and

good quality service.

Buying Solutions is an executive agency of the Office of

Government Commerce.

Full details of the framework agreement can be found at

www.buyingsolutions.gov.uk/catalogue/suppliers

Ann Harrison-BaileyConsultation and PlanningOfficer, Devon and SomersetFire and Rescue Service

The MPA at Exeter offered a widechoice of topics and the flexiblemodular programme which lookedlike it would make fitting a degreein with a full time job much easier.The most valuable aspect is that thetopics are relevant to the job I’mcurrently doing. After completingeach module I have returned to workwith a fresh perspective on the workI do and a greater understanding ofthe sector I work in.

AltynayMukanovaCivil ServantKazakhstan

I like that the UKeducation system is wellrecognised, especiallythe University of Exeter.I enjoy the diverse group on the programme and therange of learning methods such as workshops and teamwork helps us to learn from each other. I have been ableto enhance personal, professional and methodical skills.

Ranked 12th in the Times Good University Guide 2011, Exeter

is consistently one of the best universities in the UK for

student satisfaction according to the annual National Student

Survey. Exeter has been shortlisted for the Sunday Times

University of the Year Award more times than any other

university and has won three Queen’s Anniversary Prizes for

its research.

Significant investment is made in student and research facilities.

The University is implementing an ambitious £450 million

investment programme in new buildings and facilities including

a state-of-the-art student services centre. The University’s

Streatham Campus is one of the most beautiful in the country

and the safe, student-friendly city centre is within walking

distance. Exeter is consistently rated as one of the best places

to live in the UK for the quality of facilities and low crime rate.

London is just over two hours away by train and sandy

beaches, moorland and some of the most stunning

countryside in Britain are all just a short journey away. The city

has excellent road and rail links and has its own regional

airport which has flights to many parts of the UK and Europe.

The University of Exeter is rated firmly in the premier league of UK universitiesand combines world-leading research with high levels of student satisfaction.

The Universityof Exeter

9

MPA Programme DirectorProfessor Andrew Masseytelephone: +44 (0)1392 722042 email: A.Massey@exeter.ac.uk

College of Social Sciencesand International Studies Postgraduate taught enquiriestelephone: +44 (0)1392 723192email: ssis-admissions@exeter.ac.uk

International Officetelephone: +44 (0)1392 723405email: intoff@exeter.ac.uk

Postgraduate admissionswww.exeter.ac.uk/postgraduate

Exeter MPAwww.exeter.ac.uk/mpa

The University of Exeter is a supplier of MPAqualifications through Buying Solutions, the nationalprocurement partner for UK public services.

This document forms part of the University’s Postgraduate Prospectus.Every effort has been made to ensure that the information contained inthe Prospectus is correct at the time of going to press. However, theUniversity cannot guarantee the accuracy of the information containedwithin the Prospectus and reserves the right to make variations to theservices offered where such action is considered to be necessary by theUniversity. For further information, please refer to the PostgraduateProspectus (available at www.exeter.ac.uk/pgp/disclaimer)

Contact us

2010

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