Public Administration Master (MPA) Professional Degree Joint Entrance Examination Syllabus

Author: Office of the Academic Degrees Committee of the State Council
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2003-07-01
Features: In response to the new requirements of modernizing, scientific, and professionalizing social public management, the 17th meeting of the Academic Degrees Committee of the State Council reviewed and approved the "Scheme for the Establishment of the Master of Public Administration (MPA) Professional Degree Program" in May 1999. Starting from 2001, pilot programs for the MPA professional degree were launched in China, aiming to cultivate high-level, applied specialists for government departments and non-governmental public institutions. Currently, nearly 8,000 MPA students are enrolled in the 2001 and 2002 cohorts. The national MPA application and examination process for 2003 is about to begin. Public administration has historically played a significant role in social life, encompassing a wide range of societal affairs from "cradle to grave."
During China's reform and opening-up process, public administration has undergone two notable changes:
1. The expansion of the public administration field. With the rapid spread of modern science and technology, population growth and mobility, the rise of service industries, urban and transportation development, enhanced environmental protection, widespread social security and healthcare, social crime and public safety issues, and the trend of global market integration, the role of public administration in social life has become increasingly important. It has permeated all aspects of social life, expanded its scope, increased its technological content, and broadened its fields.
2. Reform of the government itself. The government cannot handle all public affairs and must shift toward a more democratic management model. Therefore, the reform trend inevitably leads to the diversification of public administration actors. As the government shifts its functions, streamlines relationships with the market, society, enterprises, and internal government structures, decentralizes power, and streamlines institutions, although the government remains the primary and authoritative actor in public administration, non-governmental public institutions such as mass organizations, public institutions, and social intermediary organizations have also joined the ranks of public administration actors to manage public affairs.
These two changes have made the task of educating and training practicing public administrators even more urgent. The Master of Public Administration (MPA) professional degree, known internationally as the Master of Public Administration, is abbreviated as MPA. MPA is a career-oriented education program, primarily targeting university graduates (generally with a bachelor's degree) with more than four years of practical work experience in government departments or non-governmental public institutions. The learning mode is primarily part-time, emphasizing direct professional degree education in the field of public administration. Teaching methods include lectures, seminars, simulation training, case studies, and social surveys, with the goal of cultivating and training practical abilities in public administration. The thesis is mainly in the form of thematic research findings, consulting reports, research reports, policy evaluations, project planning, case study reports, and research on solutions to public administration issues. Students who complete the required credits and pass the thesis defense are awarded the Master of Public Administration (MPA) degree.
Compared to other management master's degrees, the MPA is at the same level but differs in type and focus. It has specific requirements and quality standards in terms of training objectives, target candidates, curriculum design, training methods, knowledge structure, and ability structure, distinguishing it from the training requirements for teaching and research-oriented talents. It emphasizes direct professional degree education in the field of public administration. The MPA program is interdisciplinary, composite, and applied, with a knowledge structure based on public administration but incorporating other relevant disciplines depending on the training direction and management field.
The emergence of MPA education is closely linked to the development of public administration. In 1924, Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University in the United States pioneered MPA education. Public administration graduate education has a history of over half a century in some developed countries in Europe and North America. Especially after World War II, the increasing and increasingly complex social issues faced governments with unprecedented challenges, demanding more scientific and professional public administration. As a result, the demand for professional qualities among government officials and non-governmental public institution managers has grown, promoting the vigorous development of public administration talent cultivation.
Today, MPA has become one of the main pathways for many countries to train high-level, applied public administration professionals, alongside the Master of Business Administration (MBA) and the Master of Laws (LL.M.), forming the three pillars of advanced professional graduate education in humanities and social sciences in market-oriented developed countries. For example, the United States currently has over 220 universities offering MPA programs, with more than 30,000 enrolled students. Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and Taiwan Province have also been actively developing public administration education in recent years, with many universities establishing MPA programs.
The career paths of MPA graduates are primarily in government departments and non-governmental public institutions. In the United States, MPA graduates mainly work in local, state, and federal government agencies, non-profit public organizations (various social intermediary organizations, foundations, associations, etc.), think tanks, or consulting firms. Some also work in human resources or administrative departments of enterprises. In the U.S. federal government, 10% to 20% of employees and 50% to 60% of employees in the public policy field hold an MPA or a similar degree. In South Korea, among its 600,000 civil servants, 10,000 hold the rank of section chief or higher, and 30% of them have obtained an MPA degree through part-time studies.
The Master of Public Administration (MPA) professional degree is the latest professional degree established in China's education system after the Master of Business Administration (MBA), Master of Laws (LL.M.), Master of Education, Master of Architecture, Master of Engineering, and Master of Clinical Medicine. The successful establishment and development of professional degrees demonstrate that they effectively meet the urgent demand of the socialist market economy for high-level, applied, and composite talents. To cultivate applied specialists for the 21st century, vigorously developing professional degree education is an effective approach. Currently, China's MPA education has started well, with a strong development momentum, forming a broad social impact, and playing a positive role in cadre training.
The MPA admission and examination adopts a national joint examination system conducted by participating universities, with unified question papers and admission standards. The examination subjects include: political theory (self-proctored by each examining institution), foreign language, management, public administration, and comprehensive knowledge (Chinese language, mathematics, logic). In addition to the previously offered English and Russian, the foreign language exam will include Japanese in 2003. The number of examining institutions will also be expanded from the current 24 to allow more universities to join the MPA education program, which is undoubtedly good news for the vast number of working professionals seeking further education and master's degrees.
We wish all candidates who aspire to take the exam success in realizing their dreams and ambitions through their unremitting efforts.