Master of Public Administration

The John Curtin Institute of Public Policy (JCIPP) at Curtin University of Technology and the Faculty of Law at The University of Western Australia offer a program of postgraduate award courses in public policy and administration for full-time and part-time students in Perth, Western Australia.

These are the:

Master of Public Administration (MPA);
Graduate Diploma in Public Administration (GDPA) (Curtin Only); and
Graduate Certificate in Public Administration (GCPA) (Curtin Only)

Each course focuses on major issues confronting public sector organisations and have been designed to facilitate an understanding of government, legal requirements, governance and ethics, public management issues and policy design, through critical reflection, theoretical perspectives and practical methods. All courses are designed around a series of common core and optional units.

The MPA degree is jointly-badged and delivered by the Curtin University of Technology and The University of Western Australia.

Course Outline

Master of Public Administration (MPA)

The Master of Public Administration (MPA) course is the core offering in the Institute's postgraduate program. It consists of twelve units, which can be completed over three semesters on a full-time basis or part-time equivalent. Course entry requirements are:

A relevant bachelor degree from a recognised tertiary institution; and
Either a postgraduate qualification or at least two year in a senior level public
sector role.

The MPA also incorporates a work-based project unit where students can critically examine and research a major area of interest.

Applicants with other relevant qualifications or experience may be considered for admission into the MPA, but may be required to complete the Graduate Certificate first, which will then articulate (with four advanced standing credits) into this degree.

Course Details: The MPA is a twelve unit course (or the equivalent in unit credits at either university). Students will need to complete a minimum of six core units (as per the Unit Outline below) and six optional units or equivalent in credit points. Please see the unit outline for further details.

Graduate Diploma in Public Administration (GDPA) - only offered at Curtin University of Technology

The Graduate Diploma in Public Administration (GDPA) consists of eight units and can be completed in two semesters on a full-time basis or part-time equivalent. This course is only available at Curtin. Course entry requirements are:

A bachelor degree from a recognized tertiary institution; and
One-year work experience in a public sector managerial role.

Applicants with other relevant qualifications or experience may be considered for admission but may be required to complete the Graduate Certificate first, which will then articulate (with four advanced standing credits) into the Graduate Diploma.

Course Details: The Graduate Diploma is an eight unit course (or the equivalent in unit credits at either university). Students will need to complete a minimum of four core units (as per the Unit Outline below) and four optional units or equivalent in credit points. Please see the unit outline for further details.

Graduate Certificate in Public Administration (GCPA) - only offered at Curtin University of Technology

The Graduate Certificate in Public Administration (GCPA) consists of four units and can be completed in one semester on a full-time basis or part-time equivalent. This course is only available at Curtin. Course entry requirements are:

A bachelor degree from a recognized tertiary institution; or
No first degree but eight years work experience in a senior public sector managerial role.

Applicants with other relevant qualifications or experience may be considered for admission. Applications for recognition of prior learning are assessed on an individual basis.

Course Details: The Graduate Certificate is a four unit course (or the equivalent in unit credits at either university). Students will need to complete a minimum of two core units (as per the Unit Outline below) and two optional units or equivalent in credit points. Please see the unit outline for further details.

Unit Outline

All degrees include enrolment in common core units as well as a selection of optional units available from Curtin and The University of Western Australia. Current course and timetable information is now available.

Core Units

Note: Units offered at Curtin Units offered at UWA

Unit Code	Unit Name	Description
308350 (Curtin)	Machinery of Government 500	An examination of the system of rules, institutions and practices through which the Australian system of representative government and public administration is constituted and functions. Main concerns are the roles and relative powers of the three branches of government; the practices of responsible government; and the federal system and intergovernmental relations.
308352 (Curtin)	Markets and Government 500	A critical and enduring issue for public policy is the role assigned, by government, to the market. During the last three decades, a vast range of Australian public policies have been progressively restructured around the rhetoric and mechanisms of the market as the role of governments has been transformed in delivering policy outcomes. This unit examines: the shift to, and arguments for, marketbased policies; the nature of markets; the market mechanisms used to deliver policy objectives; and the structure and operation of actually existing markets for policies with a widespread impact on the health, well‐being and standard of living of the vast majority of Australians. Examples of markets to be analysed are private health insurance, housing for the low‐income, carbon trading, water, electricity, education, human services and infrastructure provision.
308353 (Curtin)	Managing in the Public Sector 500	This subject examines the theory and practice of public administration and management at all levels in the Australian Federation, with particular reference to the administrator's role in the effective development and implementation of public policy. Case study material and students' own public administration experiences (where applicable) are drawn upon to enhance learning.
308351 (Curtin)	Public Policy Analysis and Design 500	An exploration of the art and science of policy analysis. Focuses on issues of problem definition, evaluation and selection of policy alternatives, recommendation and presentation, implementation and coordination, and evaluation. Covers such aspects or components as context, audience, style, quantitative and qualitative techniques and reasoning, and values.
LAWS8505 (UWA)	Regulation	This unit provides an understanding of how the phenomenon of regulation is viewed and analysed from the standpoint of different relevant disciplines—law, economics, politics and public administration. Existing and future professionals in government, and in the private sector dealing with the government, should thereby obtain a clearer appreciation of the general principles shaping the framing and implementation of regulation, and thus be able to improve their regulatory practice in the particular areas with which they are concerned.
308349 (Curtin)	Ethics, Public Values and Policy 500	An introduction to ethics and values and the roles these play in contemporary governance in the public sector. The unit focuses on moral principles underlying public sector management in Australia. An understanding and application of the concepts of governance and ethics. Assessment of the different approaches to stakeholder management. Critical evaluation of different perspectives on efficiency, sustainability, stakeholder management, devolution, ethical codes of behaviour, government regulatory failure, whistle blowing and administrative appeals. Develop predictions regarding public sector workforce change. Evaluate the implications of public workforce changes.
310076 (Curtin)	Public Sector Communications 500	This unit provides participants with the knowledge and the skills necessary for senior public servants to communicate with the media directly, through public affairs groups and through advertising, with Ministers, other politicians and political advisers, and with the community through consultation. The unit will comprise lectures, seminars with guest participants, site visits and practical training.
310075 (Curtin)	Work-Based Project*(Only Available in the MPA)	Students will choose a workplace issue to explore and upon which to recommend action. Using a combination of systems thinking and futures methodologies, a framework will be provided to guide students in their exploration. As a result students will experience a process of bringing about change in their workplace while acquiring skills that can be applied to any project.

Curtin Electives/Optional Units

Semester	Code	Unit name	Day & Time
S2	5706	Accounting (Public Sector) 567	TBC
S2	4860	Health Economics 584	TBC
S1^	6115	Health Services Management 584	Thursday 17:00-20:00
T3	11390	Leadership in a Global Dynamic Environment 520	TBC
S2	5275	Management Principles and Practices 560	TBC
S1, S2	5248	Managerial Leadership 561	Tuesday 17:30-20:30
S1, S2, T1, T2, T3*	5698	Organisational Behaviour 550	Thursday 17:30-20:30
S1, T2*	10895	Project Management 641	S1 Tues 17:30-18:30 and fully online a more specific unit T2 TBC Tentative 14:00-17:00 Perth City campus 17.30- 20:30 Bentley campus
S2#	302479	SS 544 Leadership in Sustainability	TBC
S2	302476	SS 522 Pathways to Sustainability	TBC
S1#	302475	SS 542 Sustainability through Deliberative Democracy	TBC

Note: S=Semester, T=Trimester

* Also available in online delivery
^ Available through the School of Public Health in a semi-external mode
# Taught in intensive format at the Fremantle campus

UWA Electives

Semester	Code	Unit name	Day & Time
NS	LAWS8539	Criminology	16-18 April and 24-24 April 8.30-4.30
S2	LAWS8555	Employee Relations Law (8 points)	Thu 17:00-19:45
S2	LAWS8304	Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Law	Wed 15:00-15:45 Thu 15:00-16:45 Thu 14:00-16:45
S1	LAWS8534	Indigenous Peoples and the Law	Wed 12:00-14:45
T1, T3, OS	MGMT8623	Leadership Effectiveness (8 points)	T1 Thu 18:00-20:45 T3 Wed 18:00-20:45
S2	IREL2208	Managing Diversity	Mon 9.00-10.45
S2	LAWS8324	Medicine and the Law	Mon 11:00-12:45 Wed 11:00-11:45
S1, S2, T1, T2, T3, OS	MGMT8501	Organisational Behaviour (8 points)	T1 Mon 14:00-16:45 T1 Mon 18:00-20:45 T2 Thu 18:00-20:45 T3 Wed 18:00-20:45
S2	ACCT2206	Performance Measurement and Evaluation	Tue 09:00-10:45
S2	MKTG8505	Societal, Environmental and Public Policy Marketing (8 points)	TBA
NS	LAWS890	Environmental Protection Law	3-5 June 9.00-5.00

Note: S=Semester, T=Trimester, other letters signify a non-standard teaching period.
Visit http://handbooks.uwa.edu.au/teachingperiods for dates.