Leadership and Public Policy
As the countries in Southeast Asia and Asia enter a new phase of their continued development, the concerns of policy-makers will range over a wide spectrum of policy issues which touch on common problems that are unique to countries in the region. These problems include those related to urbanization and transport, national health and welfare issues and, even broader in impact, environmental and public health concerns which cross national boundaries. These problems would, by themselves, be sufficiently daunting for most governments but, in the regional context, religious, ethnic, historical and political variables add to the complexity of governance.Charting public policy within these varied settings and meeting the demands and expectations of different constituents- national and international - require rather special public servants who are trained to look at the issues from the vantage points of several disciplines. In response to this, the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore (NUS) offers a Master in Public Policy (MPP) programme to train public servants who will play an active role in meeting the challenges facing developing, transitional and newly industrialized economies. The MPP programme provides the appropriate knowledge and training to enable students to adopt a multi-disciplinary approach to the development and implementation of policy alternatives.
Regional and International Collaboration in Education
In offering the MPP programme, the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy sees itself as a part of the educational framework supporting the development of the region. The Scholarships offered to deserving students also greatly facilitate the participation of current and future policy-makers from the region.
The MPP programme seeks not only to provide a strong curriculum that develops the traditional theories and tools in public policy analysis, but also to anchor the programme in the Asian context. For this reason, the courses and the case studies used in the programme reflect this interest in the region. Indeed, the MPP programme’s regional focus represents a real comparative advantage relative to other such programmes.
To ensure that the best possible curriculum is offered, public policy programmes
offered by many other institutions were examined. Of these, the one offered by Harvard University was considered the most appropriate model for the development of a South east Asian and Asian counterpart. A formal arrangement of co-operation with Harvard was established in 1991 and the result is a unique programme which combines the analytical rigour and foundations of Western public policy programmes with the institutional setting, societal context and special needs of this region.
ACADEMIC PROGRAMME
Requirements
The Master in Public Policy programme is course-work based and requires:
* 3 semesters (over 17 months) of full-time study; and
* Successful completion of 14 units of coursework (9 core units and 5 electives)
The Executive Committee for Graduate Studies may require a candidate to withdraw from the course of study for the degree of Master in Public Policy if, in the Committee’s opinion, the candidate’s progress has not reached a satisfactory level of proficiency.
A candidate must have obtained an average of B- (minimum CAP of 3.00) at the end of the course of study before he can be considered for award of the degree of Master in Public Policy. In the case of a candidate who has completed more than the stipulated number of modules required, the calculation of the average will be based on all the modules sat for.
A candidate who fails in a core module must retake and pass the examination in that core module in a subsequent semester. A candidate who fails in an elective module may, subject to approval of the Director of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, retake the module or choose an alternative module and pass the examination in the module in a subsequent semester.
A candidate who fails in a module in a second attempt or fails in more than two modules throughout the course of study will be required to terminate his candidature.
Please do take note of the following requirements
* Curriculum
* Academic Calendar
PROGRAMME FEATURES
Class Environment
Each MPP class is made up of students from different countries in the Asia-Pacific region. The knowledge and diverse experiences the students bring to the programme are very rich learning resources. In the classroom, students will be asked to share their individual experiences so that comparisons across countries can be made and different perspectives considered. The class is kept relatively small to generate maximum exchange and discussion in the classroom. Students are encouraged to meet in small study groups which provide an excellent opportunity to compare and discuss case analyses and recommendations in an informal setting.
Students also attend talks, discussions and seminars with experts in various fields. These extra-curricular opportunities generate an environment which permits a free exchange of ideas and which provides further insights into organizational structures and current world situations.
All the graduates of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy will be part of an international alumni. In the future, such links and contacts will prove significant in promoting support for further development, co-operation and stability in the region.
Problem Based Learning and the Case Method
Real world problems with their inherent complexities defy text-book solutions. At the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, our students are not only taught theoretical frameworks but are also presented with real world problems which they face in their professional practice. The School’s focus on a Problem-Based Learning pedagogic approach tests the students’ knowledge base as well as their problem solving skills as they seek solutions to real world problems.
An important tool for Problem-Based Learning is the case method where faculty act as facilitators. The problems presented in classes could be case studies or situations that mirror circumstances in the real world. Typically, the concepts covered would span different disciplines. These scenarios convey the challenges faced by government officials and other professionals, and the problems and responsibilities typical of a particular role or institution.
The diverse backgrounds of our students in each classroom are a valuable asset in Problem-Based Learning. This method taps on the diversity and expertise of members in contextualizing the problem at hand, seeing the problem from a multi-disciplinary perspective, identifying information requirements and deriving hypotheses to seek alternative solutions to a problem. It requires students to learn by doing and develops in them higher order thinking, teamwork and effective communication.
Speaker Series
Talks, discussions and seminars form an integral part of learning at the Programme. They provide opportunities for free exchange of ideas and a platform for discussion of real world issues, giving useful insights into real world policy-making processes, organisational structures and current world situations. The speakers, policy-makers and practitioners in the field of public policy include Singapore Government Ministers; senior public sector officials; senior NGO officials, and government consultants and advisors. Eminent regional leaders are also invited to give students breadth in their exposure to policy-making environments.
Executive Programmes
Executive Programmes, covering a range of topics, are the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy’s contribution to the continued professional training of leaders in the public and private sectors, and non-governmental organisations. They are targeted specifically at the busy executives who wish to update themselves on state of the art developments in specific areas of knowledge and skills. As the Executive Programmes, usually lasting one week, are attended by local and international participants who hold leadership positions in their organisations, they afford great opportunities for networking. These Executive Programmes are integral to the established curriculum. They are jointly run with renowned institutions.
No comments:
Post a Comment