There has never been a better time to be involved in public administration! At the Newcastle Business School we are investing and growing our capacity in related teaching, learning and research. Public administration is back!
There have been many debates over the future of public administration (Boyne 1996, Chandler 1991, Chandler 2002, Jones 2012). In the past even I’ve asked if it would be possible to ‘Save Scottish Public Administration‘. But, as previously noted, a small number of universities across the UK have seen the decline of public administration elsewhere as an opportunity. That is certainly the case at Northumbria University.
At the same time as debates have continued around the future of the subject area, questions are increasingly being asked about the wider social and economic role of universities (see for example the impact of controversies over university governance). As part of this debate the civic role of universities, including universities as ‘anchor institutions‘ and their role in developing Local Industrial Strategies, is being considered (particularly post-Brexit). Surely supporting place based leadership and our public services through relevant education and research (which must include public policy and administration) must be a key part of this new role. Again Northumbria University is leading the way!
As part of this wider development we have recently validated a new MSc Strategic Leadership for Public Services. This is an exciting new programme for anyone who wants to make a difference through public service. It is designed to integrate world-leading research insights with your own professional experience to further enhance your leadership capabilities. The programme is aligned with the Senior Leader Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship (SLMDA) Standard and the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) Level 7 Diploma in Management and Leadership. Therefore it is highly work-focused and will support the development of public services across the North-East region and beyond.
Modules* include:
- Understanding Public Leadership
- Public Service Finance and Accounting
- Public Leadership and Strategic Change
- The Future of Public Service Work
- Evidence-Base Policy and Research Skills
- Creating and Leading Digital Public Services
- Management Investigation (dissertation)
*NB: These modules are subject to change – please check website for most current information.
Find out more here:
This new part-time Master’s degree builds on a long tradition of public administration at Northumbria University. Alongside this degree we also have a long-standing research seminar series run through the Public Policy and Public Management (3PM) Research Interest Group and a number of public administration research events every year, including this upcoming conference on “The Future of Urban and Regional Development in the North and the UK to 2030“.
With more developments to come this is a very exciting time to be part of Northumbria University. Get in touch with me to find out more!
References:
Boyne, G . (1996), ‘The Intellectual Crisis in in British Public Administration: Is Public Management the Problem or the Solution?’, Public Administration, 74, 4: 679–694
Chandler, J . (1991), ‘Public Administration: a Discipline in Decline’, Teaching Public Administration, 11, 2: 39–45
Chandler, J . (2002), ‘Deregulation and the Decline of Public Administration Teaching in the UK’, Public Administration, 80, 2: 375–390
Elliott, I .C. (2018), ‘Marking the 100th anniversary of the UK Joint University Council and anticipating the next…’, Teaching Public Administration, 36, 1: 3–5
Jones, A . (2012), ‘Where Has All the Public Administration Gone?’, Teaching Public Administration, 30, 2: 124–132
