The one-year Master’s in Public Administration is an internationally oriented programme and is taught entirely in English. You can start both the Master's and the pre-Master's programme in September or February. Read more about the Master's programme, the pre-Master's programme and admission. You can also find more information about career perspectives.
In our complex and ever-changing society, the Master’s in Public Administration equips you to tackle today’s most pressing political and administrative challenges.
Focus and disciplines
The Master’s programme in Public Administration at the University of Twente 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.
The courses you take will depend on the profile you choose. Examples of elective courses include Public Safety, Innovative Digital Public Services, Community and Public Health Systems and Integrated Water Management.
In addition to your profile courses, the Public Administration programme has five core courses. These cover the fields of public management, policy and governance, while one course focuses on social problems. The combination of core courses with profile courses and a thesis connected to your choices, gives you unrivalled flexibility and an extensive choice of subject matter. As you prepare for a professional career, more than half of your study will be geared to your own choices.
Research and specialization
The programme core is directly related to the Public Administration research departments available at our university. We offer you a broad scope of choices, for example, inpublic safety, communication, civil engineering, sustainability, innovation of governance, higher education and more. By creating a unique mix of mandatory courses covering the main theories of Public Administration and profile courses related to, but not necessarily entirely focusing, on Public Administration itself, you will develop a broad view and learn how to use Public Administration knowledge in a way that reaches far beyond the actual PA domain.
Why opt for Public Administration at the University of Twente?
The combination of academic rigour and practical relevance, along with a cross-disciplinary perspective on public administration are important characteristics of this programme. You will gain broad and highly relevant core knowledge of the public sector and expertise in the profile of your choice.
The programme is characterized by
Features of the programme:
- Low student-teacher ratio, allowing for personalized feedback and personal development
- A combination of solid academic grounding and practical relevance
- Focus on the international context of public administration
- A design approach to policy solutions
- Cross-disciplinary perspective, approaching the field from various academic angles
- International orientation with students from many different backgrounds
- A wonderful green campus that provides an ideal environment for studying and living.
The programme has been recognized by experts of the European Association for Public Administration Accreditation as a leading national and international programme.
Profiles
The profiles we have described here are an indication of the possibilities within this programme. More choices are available from the many Master’s courses we teach at our university. Here are some we would recommend:
- Profile: Communication Media, with a course in Innovative Digital Public Services and a course in Social Implications Of The Internet.
- Profile: Corporate Communication, with a course in Public Affairs and one in Reputation Management.
- Profile: Safety and Security, with a course in Public and Private Policing and a course in Public Safety.
- Profile: Sustainability, with a course in Economic Methods Of Sustainability Assessment and a course in Environmental Policy.
- Profile: Health Care, with a course in Community and Public Health Systems and course in A Multi-Stakeholder Approach in Public Health.
- Profile: Science and Technology, with a course in Policy Analysis in Public and Technological Domains and a course in Deliberative Governance of Knowledge and Innovation.
- Profile: Regulation and Innovation, with a course in Risk Regulation and a course in Smart Rules and Regimes.
- Profile: Higher Education, with a course in Issues in Higher Education Policy.
Other profiles, like Water Management or City Innovation and Technology, are under construction.
Career prospects
Organizations are keen on finding talented people with the right know-how to tackle complex public problems and successfully implement and manage new policies. Your study programme will be thoroughly attuned to the demands of effectiveness and feasibility, while addressing the requirements of procedural norms such as constitutional legality and democratic legitimacy.
As a Public Administration graduate, you will have specialized knowledge. This will make you valuable, highly motivated employee who can show initiative in working on complex projects. The programme is an ideal preparation for a career with a national or international government body, for instance the European Union.
FULL-TIME
The Master’s programme in European Studies is only available on a full-time basis.
MORE INFORMATION
Would you like to know more about our Master's programme Public Administration? Check out the study programme, admission, and career prospects. Feel free to contact us for more information.
