Public Management and Leadership (MSc)
The Public Management and Leadership specialisation emphasises how the behaviour of critical actors – politicians, top-level bureaucrats, street-level professionals and citizens - is critical to understand and improve public governance. The specialisation blends public administration with psychology, business management and behavioural sciences to analyse the management and leadership in the public sector.
Part of
Franek Grabowski
Student Public Management and Leadership
'This programme is the right fit if you are looking for education in diverse fields of both private and public sectors. The courses sharpen the skills you already have, as well as develops many new ones through interactive learning and understanding management in different environments.'
I chose this programme because it is applicable in both the private and the public sector. This master provides knowledge in management and leadership beyond a regular corporate setting. There is a varied structure, with interactive and practical aspects and activities. This suited me perfectly, because I enjoy teamwork and tackling unique challenges in an innovative way. The programme proves to be a perfect blend of insightful theory and challenging practical endeavours.
The specialisation of ‘Public Management and Leadership’ has various advantages, such as the deeper connection with the students and lecturers, which creates more involvement and interaction during classes and projects. There are a wide variety of electives, ranging from data management to comprehensive lobbying schedules. During my elective I had the opportunity to see how the European Union power dynamics are affected by private actors, how they engage in lobbying activities and I learned how to influence and predict the outcome of electoral processes. My elective allowed me to have a broader perspective on the institutions and processes, offering new approaches and valuable insights.
This programme is the right fit if you are looking for education in diverse fields of both private and public sectors. The courses sharpen the skills you already have, as well as develops many new ones through interactive learning and understanding management in different environments. Teachers provide valuable feedback, show great care and attention, and enable the opportunity to excel in topics of interest.
The programme provides an internationally comparative perspective on how the actions of political executives, top-level bureaucrats, managers in government agencies, and front-line professionals ultimately determine successful governance. This expertise prepares you for a career in an (inter)national public organisation or management consultancy.
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What does this master's programme entail?
Public governance broadly refers to the structures, processes and institutions used by government to address urgent societal problems. However, to understand what makes public governance work in practice, it is necessary to look beyond the structures and processes of government, and pay attention to the behavior of organisations and the individual actors that operate within them. This master specialisation uses management and leadership theory to critically analyze how the decisions and actions of public managers ultimately determine successful governance. In doing so, the programme has an internationally comparative and practice-oriented perspective.
The specialisation combines two general courses on public governance with four specialisation courses, that each examine the role of management and leadership in four critical areas of public governance.
- The course Leadership in Organisations addresses how public managers create the organisational capacities that are needed to address the complex challenges of the 21st century.
- The course Collaborative Governance examines how governments and organisations must work together to successfully address complex problems, and analyzes how network management is crucial to make collaboration work in practice.
- The course Politicians and Public Managers emphasizes the political context in which public management and leadership takes place. It informs the interactions between political executives and top-level bureaucrats in decision-making processes.
- The course Citizen-State Interactions analyzes governance from the perspective of citizens. It examines how the use of algorithmic decision-making, mounting bureaucracy and administrative burdens diminish trust in government, and how this can be addressed.
The specialisation Public Management and Leadership prepares you for positions in international, national or local public sector organisations, which increasing require effective management and leadership to navigate the dilemma’s and value trade-offs of public governance. Students of this specialisation also regularly find employment in management consultancy firms that strategically advise public organisations.
Why study Public Management and Leadership at Leiden University?
The Public Management and Leadership specialisation at Leiden University offers a unique combination of public governance and public management. On the one hand, you generate a broad understanding of the public institutions and policy processes through which government addresses societal problems. On the other hand, you will develop specialist knowledge on how management and leadership behavior are key to successful governance in practice.
- You will learn how to understand and solve societal problems from the perspective of public governance and public management.
- You will take part in a state-of-the-art curriculum that is based around the main challenges that governments face in practice
- You will develop an interdisciplinary perspective, that combines public administration, political science, organisational psychology, sociology, management sciences and organisational theory.
- The specialisation courses are strongly connected to practice, which develops competences for a career as a policy analyst, management trainee, or management consultant.
- You will be part of an international classroom, in which cases, examples and assignments are presented in an internationally comparative manner.
- You will be instructed by professors who are both substantive experts and experienced in strategic policy advice in practice.
- You will be studying in the heart of The Hague - a bustling, cosmopolitan urban centre and the administrative heart of the Netherlands - amidst government ministries, international organisations and multinationals. Find out more reasons to choose Public Administration.
Find out more reasons to choose Public Administration.
Public Management and Leadership: the right master’s programme for you?
- Do you want to acquire an in-depth understanding of what makes public governance successful in practice?
- Are you interested in the organizational dynamics that allows governments to succeed?
- Or do you anticipate a career in a government agency or as a private sector management consultant?
Then Public Management and Leadership is the programme for you!