Master in Modern Administration (MPA), Breadth Master (from 2007)

Content

The programme consists of the following courses:

A Compulsory courses

A1: Philosophy of science and method (15 credits)

A2: Organisational development in the public sector (15 credits)

A3: Multilevel administration, partnership, planning (15 credits)

B Optional courses

B1: EU and EEA relations (15 credits)

B2: Management - strategy and change (15 credits)

B3: Digital management (15 credits)

B4: Contractor operations and development players

B5: School development - management of schools in development

The optional courses offered in the different semesters will to a certain extent be decided by the number of applicants in the different courses.

C Master's thesis

The Master’s thesis amounts to 30 credits.

The programme is organised in this way, and can ordinarily be taken in three or four semesters.

	Compulsory	Optional
3. semester	Master’s thesis (30 credits)
2. semester	A3 Multilevel administration, partnership, planning (15 credits)	B1 EU and EEA relations (15 credits) B2 Management - strategy and change (15 credits) B3 Digital management (15 credits) B4 Contractor operations and development players B5 School development: management of schools in development (15 credits)
1. semester	A1 Philosophy of science and method (15 credits) A2 Organisational development in the public sector (15 credits)

All the students taking this Master’s degree programme will be given the necessary scientific and methodical education which is expected from students at this level. Furthermore, there will be common core literature related to the significance of organisation development and the large reforms in public sector respectively, and the development of new types of multi-level administration and requirements for cooperation methods towards players outside the administration.

Moreover, the students can choose a profile by taking courses such as “Management, strategy and change”, “School management”, or possibly “Digital administration”. They can specialise towards the wish that the administration should improve its arrangement for contractor operations, or towards the increased significance it has for the modern administration that the nation states are being integrated in a more comprehensive European system and regime. The students can specialise further within these topics by writing their Master’s thesis on one of them or on one of the compulsory course topics.

Admission requirements

The programme is aimed at students with three-year previous education on Bachelor’s degree level and with at least two years work experience from the public sector, or other relevant work experience. For these students, the programme represents an opportunity for developing their prior learning and for formalising their qualifications on a higher level.

The programme offer is subject to the approval of NOKUT (The Norwegian Agency for Quality Assurance in Education), enough applicants and funds from Prosjekt Innlandsuniversitetet (PiU).

Teaching and learning methods

Students applying must account for their background, relevant interests and expectations in connection with the programme, the Master’s thesis included. In the beginning of the programme, there will be a conversation with the students, and a brief individual study plan is drafted. In the study plan, the students should reason their progression and clarify the special goals they want to achieve in the programme. The choice of courses should be included in the study plan. Furthermore, the students will draft a topic for the Master’s thesis in order to find a suitable supervisor. The students will be encouraged to start thinking about the Master’s thesis already in the 1st semester so that the choice of courses and assignments which must be documented as work requirements to the highest degree possible form a basis for this final main work.

The Master’s degree programme in Modern Administration (§5) is based on courses of 15 credits and a final Master’s thesis of 30 credits. In addition to the three compulsory courses, a number of optional courses are offered, on which the programme cooperate with other technical environments at the university college. The optional courses should primarily be chosen so that they support the choice of topic for the Master’s thesis.

The Master’s thesis plays an important role in the programme and represents the part which provides the biggest specialisation opportunity. The students will be encouraged to start thinking about the Master’s thesis already in the 1st semester in order to benefit as much as possible from the work. Individual work and supervision will be the central work methods in this part of the programme. There will be organised supervision seminars in which experienced researchers discuss design and implementation with the students, and the students are expected to participate actively. Here we will also draw parallels with topics from the seminar on philosophy of science and method and help the students to write as reflective and thoroughly prepared assignments as possible. In cooperation with the supervisor, the students will plan a programme which assures that the choice of topics and Master’s thesis form the best possible study progression.

There will be arranged for flexible learning, and the programme may be taken both full-time and part-time. Since the programme is based on courses, the students can take different parts at different pace. The teaching will be organised in meetings which are available both for full-time and part-time students. There will be arranged for work requirements in the periods between the meetings, with supervision and feedback on work assignments. Parts of this will be web-based.

The course material will partly be based on theory and literature and partly on problem issues where the students discuss current issues in groups.

Assessment

The programme is generally arranged so that the students will be writing quite a lot, but this is the most effective learning method on this level. The examination consists mainly of essays in the different courses, but there will also be some school examinations.

In some courses, there are work requirements which must be approved in order to sit for the examination, and continuous feedback to the students is emphasised.

The essays can be theoretical discussions, but the students will also work on theoretical and empirical issues from the different course topics. For students with work experience, it will often be relevant to work further on problem issues from their own field. The problem issues must be approved by the course teacher, and there will be focus on creating a reasonable progression for the students towards the work on the Master’s thesis.

The essays should normally have a volume of 10-15 pages.

The essays are graded A-F.

An external examiner with expert knowledge in the field will participate in the evaluation of the Master’s theses (cf. the university college’s guidelines for quality assurance).

The external evaluation of the courses will be different, but always in such a way that the course together with the whole programme is externally evaluated.

Spesielle reglement/lover

 

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