Master of Public Administration and Management
Examine advanced public management through leadership, policy and institutional analysis.
About the course
Examine advanced public management through leadership, policy and institutional analysis. You will investigate a public-service problem and assess reforms against evidence, public values and implementation constraints.
What you'll learn
Critique public-management and leadership approaches.
Analyse relationships among policy, resources and institutional performance.
Evaluate governance and ethical implications of reform.
Design a defensible public-administration research study.
Develop research-informed recommendations and defend their limits.
Requirements
Prepare with a relevant degree-level background, research literacy and evidence of subject readiness. Admission, supervision and any bridging requirements require confirmation against BMIT rules.
Course content
The complete subject sequence below moves from foundations to specialist application. Stages show learning progression. Practical work and the final project draw together the subjects studied.
3 learning stages 12 subjects
1Stage 1: Foundations6 subjects
2Stage 2: Core subjects4 subjects
3Stage 3: Specialist subjects and application2 subjects
Subjects in this programme
The complete subject sequence below moves from foundations to specialist application. Stages show learning progression. Practical work and the final project draw together the subjects studied.
12 subjects are listed below with a short description of each. The Subject descriptions tab contains the learning outcomes, topics, practical tasks and assessments.
Stage 1: Foundations
- Public Organisation and Management. Analyse coordination in public organisations. You will examine structures, delegation, coordination. Evaluate an organisation and propose a specific administrative improvement.
- Strategic Public Management. Connect public mandates with resources and results. You will examine public value, mandates, strategic choices. Develop an institutional strategy and results dashboard.
- Public Finance and Fiscal Policy. Study how governments raise and spend resources. You will examine taxation, public expenditure and borrowing, then assess the distributional and economic effects of fiscal choices. Cases connect policy objectives with budget constraints, service outcomes and the need for transparent public accountability.
- Public Human Resource Management. Plan staffing within public-service obligations. You will examine workforce planning, recruitment, development. Prepare a staffing and development plan.
- Public Policy Analysis. Analyse policy problems through evidence and alternatives. You will examine problem framing, policy actors, options. Prepare a policy brief comparing practical alternatives.
- Public Ethics and Accountability. Evaluate conduct through public duties and transparent reasoning. You will examine public interest, conflicts of interest, transparency. Analyse an ethical public-service case and document a response.
Stage 2: Core subjects
- Leadership, Governance and Strategic Change. Analyse leadership in organisations facing competing interests and significant change. You will examine power, accountability and organisational identity, then design a defensible change approach. The module asks you to connect leadership claims with evidence, employee participation and the governance of major decisions.
- Monitoring and Evaluation. Build evidence systems for programme decisions. You will examine theory of change, indicators, baselines. Prepare a monitoring plan and evaluation questions.
- Programme Impact and Evaluation Methods. Assess the evidence supporting claims about programme change. You will examine causal questions, comparison strategies, mixed methods. Design an evaluation and explain its causal limitations.
- Regional Integration and SADC Governance. Evaluate regional cooperation through institutional evidence. You will examine regionalism, sadc institutions, trade integration. Prepare a regional cooperation brief.
Stage 3: Specialist subjects and application
- Advanced Research Design and Analysis. Develop a research design capable of addressing a complex organisational or social question. You will critically synthesise literature, justify methodological choices and assess evidence quality. The module develops the reasoning and analytical preparation required for an independently argued postgraduate research report.
- Dissertation or Substantial Research Report. Conduct an extended investigation into a focused programme-related problem. You will develop an argument through critical reading, appropriate evidence and sustained analysis. The completed report explains the contribution, limitations and practical or scholarly implications, supported by a transparent record of ethical research decisions.
Assessment and practical learning
- Advanced policy and management case analyses.
- A research proposal and methods presentation.
- A supervised dissertation and oral defence.
Practical application
Conduct a proposed study of a public organisation or service with approved access. Protect participants, examine institutional constraints and link recommendations to the findings rather than assumed reform benefits.
Subject descriptions
Select a subject to read its learning outcomes, main topics, practical task and assessment.
Stage 1: Foundations
Public Organisation and Management
Analyse coordination in public organisations. You will examine structures, delegation, coordination. Evaluate an organisation and propose a specific administrative improvement.
Learning outcomes
- Explain structures in a relevant case.
- Analyse the relationship between delegation and coordination.
- Produce a reasoned response addressing organisational culture, performance and administrative reform.
Main topics
- Structures
- Delegation
- Coordination
- Organisational culture
- Performance
- Administrative reform
Practical task
Evaluate an organisation and propose a specific administrative improvement.
Assessment
Submit the practical output with supporting evidence and an individual written or oral explanation. Assessment considers subject knowledge, accuracy, reasoning and the quality of the completed work.
Strategic Public Management
Connect public mandates with resources and results. You will examine public value, mandates, strategic choices. Develop an institutional strategy and results dashboard.
Learning outcomes
- Explain public value in a relevant case.
- Analyse the relationship between mandates and strategic choices.
- Produce a reasoned response addressing resource alignment, implementation and evaluation.
Main topics
- Public value
- Mandates
- Strategic choices
- Resource alignment
- Implementation
- Evaluation
Practical task
Develop an institutional strategy and results dashboard.
Assessment
Submit the practical output with supporting evidence and an individual written or oral explanation. Assessment considers subject knowledge, accuracy, reasoning and the quality of the completed work.
Public Finance and Fiscal Policy
Study how governments raise and spend resources. You will examine taxation, public expenditure and borrowing, then assess the distributional and economic effects of fiscal choices. Cases connect policy objectives with budget constraints, service outcomes and the need for transparent public accountability.
Learning outcomes
- Explain a fiscal policy choice
- Assess distributional effects
- Interpret a public budget
Main topics
- Public goods
- Tax design
- Expenditure choices
- Fiscal incidence
- Public debt
- Budget policy
Practical task
Produce a budget policy note comparing two expenditure or revenue options.
Assessment
Assessment combines applied exercises, a documented case or practical portfolio and an individual written or oral explanation. Judgement considers technical accuracy, reasoning, evidence quality and the feasibility of recommendations.
Public Human Resource Management
Plan staffing within public-service obligations. You will examine workforce planning, recruitment, development. Prepare a staffing and development plan.
Learning outcomes
- Explain workforce planning in a relevant case.
- Analyse the relationship between recruitment and development.
- Produce a reasoned response addressing performance, labour relations and employee records.
Main topics
- Workforce planning
- Recruitment
- Development
- Performance
- Labour relations
- Employee records
Practical task
Prepare a staffing and development plan.
Assessment
Submit the practical output with supporting evidence and an individual written or oral explanation. Assessment considers subject knowledge, accuracy, reasoning and the quality of the completed work.
Public Policy Analysis
Analyse policy problems through evidence and alternatives. You will examine problem framing, policy actors, options. Prepare a policy brief comparing practical alternatives.
Learning outcomes
- Explain problem framing in a relevant case.
- Analyse the relationship between policy actors and options.
- Produce a reasoned response addressing policy instruments, implementation and evaluation.
Main topics
- Problem framing
- Policy actors
- Options
- Policy instruments
- Implementation
- Evaluation
Practical task
Prepare a policy brief comparing practical alternatives.
Assessment
Submit the practical output with supporting evidence and an individual written or oral explanation. Assessment considers subject knowledge, accuracy, reasoning and the quality of the completed work.
Public Ethics and Accountability
Evaluate conduct through public duties and transparent reasoning. You will examine public interest, conflicts of interest, transparency. Analyse an ethical public-service case and document a response.
Learning outcomes
- Explain public interest in a relevant case.
- Analyse the relationship between conflicts of interest and transparency.
- Produce a reasoned response addressing integrity controls, complaints and accountability.
Main topics
- Public interest
- Conflicts of interest
- Transparency
- Integrity controls
- Complaints
- Accountability
Practical task
Analyse an ethical public-service case and document a response.
Assessment
Submit the practical output with supporting evidence and an individual written or oral explanation. Assessment considers subject knowledge, accuracy, reasoning and the quality of the completed work.
Stage 2: Core subjects
Leadership, Governance and Strategic Change
Analyse leadership in organisations facing competing interests and significant change. You will examine power, accountability and organisational identity, then design a defensible change approach. The module asks you to connect leadership claims with evidence, employee participation and the governance of major decisions.
Learning outcomes
- Critique a leadership approach
- Assess governance during change
- Develop a strategic change intervention
Main topics
- Leadership critique
- Power and politics
- Governance
- Organisational identity
- Transformation
- Change evaluation
Practical task
Prepare a strategic change case with stakeholder, governance and evaluation plans.
Assessment
Assessment combines applied exercises, a documented case or practical portfolio and an individual written or oral explanation. Judgement considers technical accuracy, reasoning, evidence quality and the feasibility of recommendations.
Monitoring and Evaluation
Build evidence systems for programme decisions. You will examine theory of change, indicators, baselines. Prepare a monitoring plan and evaluation questions.
Learning outcomes
- Explain theory of change in a relevant case.
- Analyse the relationship between indicators and baselines.
- Produce a reasoned response addressing data collection, analysis and use of findings.
Main topics
- Theory of change
- Indicators
- Baselines
- Data collection
- Analysis
- Use of findings
Practical task
Prepare a monitoring plan and evaluation questions.
Assessment
Submit the practical output with supporting evidence and an individual written or oral explanation. Assessment considers subject knowledge, accuracy, reasoning and the quality of the completed work.
Programme Impact and Evaluation Methods
Assess the evidence supporting claims about programme change. You will examine causal questions, comparison strategies, mixed methods. Design an evaluation and explain its causal limitations.
Learning outcomes
- Explain causal questions in a relevant case.
- Analyse the relationship between comparison strategies and mixed methods.
- Produce a reasoned response addressing contribution, bias and interpretation.
Main topics
- Causal questions
- Comparison strategies
- Mixed methods
- Contribution
- Bias
- Interpretation
Practical task
Design an evaluation and explain its causal limitations.
Assessment
Submit the practical output with supporting evidence and an individual written or oral explanation. Assessment considers subject knowledge, accuracy, reasoning and the quality of the completed work.
Regional Integration and SADC Governance
Evaluate regional cooperation through institutional evidence. You will examine regionalism, sadc institutions, trade integration. Prepare a regional cooperation brief.
Learning outcomes
- Explain regionalism in a relevant case.
- Analyse the relationship between sadc institutions and trade integration.
- Produce a reasoned response addressing mobility, shared resources and implementation.
Main topics
- Regionalism
- SADC institutions
- Trade integration
- Mobility
- Shared resources
- Implementation
Practical task
Prepare a regional cooperation brief.
Assessment
Submit the practical output with supporting evidence and an individual written or oral explanation. Assessment considers subject knowledge, accuracy, reasoning and the quality of the completed work.
Stage 3: Specialist subjects and application
Advanced Research Design and Analysis
Develop a research design capable of addressing a complex organisational or social question. You will critically synthesise literature, justify methodological choices and assess evidence quality. The module develops the reasoning and analytical preparation required for an independently argued postgraduate research report.
Learning outcomes
- Critique a research design
- Justify an analytical approach
- Develop a defensible research proposal
Main topics
- Critical literature synthesis
- Research philosophy
- Design justification
- Advanced sampling
- Analytical methods
- Research integrity
Practical task
Submit a postgraduate proposal with a critical literature review and pilot analysis.
Assessment
Assessment combines applied exercises, a documented case or practical portfolio and an individual written or oral explanation. Judgement considers technical accuracy, reasoning, evidence quality and the feasibility of recommendations.
Dissertation or Substantial Research Report
Conduct an extended investigation into a focused programme-related problem. You will develop an argument through critical reading, appropriate evidence and sustained analysis. The completed report explains the contribution, limitations and practical or scholarly implications, supported by a transparent record of ethical research decisions.
Learning outcomes
- Conduct an approved investigation
- Develop an evidence-based argument
- Defend and revise research conclusions
Main topics
- Proposal refinement
- Ethical approval
- Evidence collection
- Sustained analysis
- Argument development
- Defence and revision
Practical task
Complete an independently assessed dissertation or substantial research report and oral defence.
Assessment
Assessment combines applied exercises, a documented case or practical portfolio and an individual written or oral explanation. Judgement considers technical accuracy, reasoning, evidence quality and the feasibility of recommendations.
Instructors
