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

Author: Office of the Academic Degrees Committee of the State Council
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2006-05-01
Features: The English name of the Master of Public Administration (MPA) professional degree is the internationally recognized Master of Public Administration, abbreviated as MPA. MPA belongs to vocational background education, with the main target candidates being government and non-governmental public institution staff who have graduated from university undergraduate programs (generally with a bachelor's degree) and possess more than four years of practical work experience. The learning mode is primarily part-time, emphasizing professional degree education directly oriented to the field of public administration. Teaching methods include lectures, seminars, simulation training, case studies, social surveys, and other forms, with the aim of cultivating and training practical abilities in public administration. The degree thesis primarily takes the form of thematic research results, consulting reports, research reports, policy evaluations, project planning, case study reports, and research on countermeasures for public management issues. Those who complete the required credits and pass the thesis defense are awarded the Master of Public Administration (MPA) professional degree. Compared to other management master's degrees, the MPA professional degree is at the same level but of a different type, each with its own focus. In terms of training objectives, target candidates, curriculum design, training methods, as well as knowledge and competency structures, there are specific requirements and quality standards, distinguishing it from the training requirements for teaching and research personnel. It emphasizes professional degree education directly oriented to the field of public administration. The MPA professional degree is characterized as interdisciplinary, composite, and applied. Its knowledge structure is based on the discipline of public administration, and depending on the training direction and management field, it involves other related disciplines. The emergence of MPA education is closely related 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 in some developed countries in Europe and North America has a history of over half a century. Especially after World War II, the increasing and increasingly complex social problems faced governments with unprecedented challenges, demanding that public administration work become more scientific and professional. As a result, the professional quality requirements for government officials and non-governmental public institution managers have grown, promoting the vigorous development of public administration talent training. Today, MPA has become one of the main pathways for many countries to cultivate high-level, applied public administration talent, and together with the Master of Business Administration (MBA) and the Master of Laws (JM), it has become one of the three pillars of high-level professional graduate education in humanities and social sciences in market economy developed countries. For example, there are currently more than 220 universities in the United States offering MPA programs, with over 30,000 students enrolled. The career paths of MPA graduates are mainly working in government departments and non-governmental public institutions. In the United States, MPA graduates primarily work in local, state, and federal government agencies, non-profit public organizations (various social intermediaries, foundations, associations, etc.), think tanks, or consulting companies, and some work in the human resources or administrative departments of enterprises. In the U.S. federal government, 10%–20% of employees and 50%–60% of employees in the field of public policy hold an MPA or a similar degree. In South Korea, among the 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 study. Since May 1999, China's "Master of Public Administration (MPA) Program Setting Plan" was approved by the 17th meeting of the Academic Degrees Committee of the State Council, and the program officially enrolled students in 2001. Two cohorts of students have now graduated with the MPA degree. In 2003, the number of MPA training institutions in China expanded from 24 to 47, and in 2004, it further increased from 47 to 83. The layout of training institutions has become more reasonable, and the enrollment scale will continue to expand, which is a good news for the many candidates eager to pursue the MPA professional degree. The MPA enrollment exam is conducted through a joint examination by all training institutions, with unified question papers and unified grading. Each institution sets its own admission score line and independently admits students. The exam subjects are: Political Theory (set and organized by each training institution), Foreign Language (English, Russian, or Japanese, choose one), Management, Public Administration, and Comprehensive Knowledge (Chinese, Mathematics, and Logic, with a structural ratio of 4:3:3). We wish all candidates who are determined to take the exam success in realizing their ideals and pursuits through their unremitting efforts.