Master's specialising in Public Policy and Administration at University of Cape Town

Programme overview

The MPhil specialising in Public Policy and Administration is a 192-credit coursework Master's in the Department of Political Studies. Dissertation research is undertaken in fields such as public sector governance and anti-corruption, intergovernmental relations, local government, public management, public sector budgeting and reform, and regulatory and sectoral policy analysis.

Faculty: Faculty of Humanities | Department: Department of Political Studies | Study mode: full-time | Location: Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa

What you will study

Core courses are Public Policy, Public Management, Policy Implementation and Evaluation, and a 96-credit Minor Dissertation. Electives include Comparative Politics, International Political Economy, Comparative Local Government, Social and Economic Development and Problems of Globalisation.

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

Department of Political Studies (coursework Master's, Public Policy and Administration): admission is selective and highly competitive; applicants submit a letter of motivation and a sample of academic writing. Criteria include previous academic performance, suitability and viability of the research proposal and available supervisory capacity. UCT applicants need a 65% minimum average for the overall undergraduate degree and for all third-year courses, with attention to PPA-related and Politics courses and an upward trend in grades; non-UCT applicants are assessed on the same criteria. Applicants must have completed an Honours degree; previous study in public administration and management, politics, industrial sociology, economics, African Studies, public law, gender studies or philosophy is considered relevant. Acceptance is at the discretion of the Head of Department.

Requirements published at program group level.

Tuition is charged per module, so the total depends on the modules you register for each year. Current fees are listed in the official fee schedule.

The application fee is R100 for undergraduate and postgraduate applications from South Africa and the SADC region, and R300 for applications from outside the SADC region; it is non-refundable and payable by direct deposit, EFT or credit card (online). UCT students and graduates are exempt except for GSB programmes.

Apply through the official page: https://applyonline.uct.ac.za

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