Public Administration (MSc), MSc, University of Twente

the Netherlands

Study options for this course

The award	How you will study	Study duration	Course start	Domestic course fees	International course fees
MSc	Full-time	1 year	September, February	find out	find out

About Public Administration (MSc), MSc - at University of Twente

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.

Educating for the public sector of the future

In our technologically advanced world, grand societal challenges emerge at different scales. For example, young people raised in local communities in Western cities may radicalize and travel through Europe to fight a globalized, terrorist war. Sustainable energy production is increasingly realized in local neighborhoods, reducing problems of global warming. Cities have become vibrant replacements of nation states in producing well-being through innovative, creative technologies. Public sectors have become increasingly interdependent across the globe, resulting in shocks and crises at different scales.

Grand societal challenges emerging at different scales have two fundamental aspects. They have, in the first place, an interdisciplinary nature. In the second place these challenges are strongly tied to technological development. Thus, researchers and professionals who address societal challenges from the perspective of public administration must be able to take into account the interdisciplinary nature of societal challenges and the impact /use of technology.

Competences and 21st century skills

The fundamental aspects of societal challenges require that future researchers and professionals in the field of public administration have specific advanced competences and 21st century skills. These include:

Learning skills, like creativity and innovation, critical thinking and problem-solving, communication, collaboration
Information, media and technology skills
Life and career skills, like flexibility and adaptability, initiative and self-direction, social and cross-cultural skills, leadership and responsibility.

You will learn to integrate interdisciplinary knowledge from specific domains and technologies into their public administration research and designs. The programme brings in the wide range of domain-specific expertise by the best researchers of University of Twente.

Thus, the programme provides its graduates with a strong preparation for a career in (inter)national and local organizations as public leaders, policy-makers, consultants, or public managers.

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.

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.

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.

Entry requirements

Check out the admission requirements

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Study options for this course

About Public Administration (MSc), MSc - at University of Twente

Entry requirements

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