Master of Public Administration (English)

Fully taught in English, the programme is offered on both full-time and part-time basis. The Master of Public Administration (MPA) programme offers invaluable opportunities to prepare them to become future leaders in the public sector.

 

This programme takes a hands-on approach; students can look forward to role-plays, discussions and real-life case studies, where they will be able to take theory into practice. Student's learning experience is further enriched through face-to-face meetings and discussions with the NCPA’s extensive network of Chinese mayors and senior officials, alumni of the NCPA's programmes. Students from different countries can learn from one another and share different cultural perspectives.

 

Adjunct professors who are current or former politicians, or senior government officials in Singapore form part of the faculty. Mr Yeo Cheow Tong, former Minister for Transport; Mr Chan Soo Sen, former Minister of State; Mr Ngiam Tong Dow, former Permanent Secretary; Dr Pei Sai Fan, former Director of MAS Academy; Dr Liu Thai Ker, former CEO of the Housing and Development Board (HDB) and Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA); and many others are among them. Courses conducted place emphasis on practicality, which will help students integrate theory with hands-on experience.

 

An extensive network with many of the NCPA’s close to 20,000 alumni are now holding decision-making positions at all levels of government in their countries, including roles such as ministerial-level leaders, mayors and heads of organisations.

 

Note: Each applicant's previous academic performance, work experience, and Statement of Purpose will be carefully reviewed by the university.

Tuition Fees

The tuition fee for each local/international student is S$38,000 (including GST) for AY2024. This fee excludes miscellaneous fees (health check-up, entry visa, student's pass, accommodation, meals, overseas immersion, etc.).

Every year, fees are reviewed and subject to revisions. As and when fees are revised, the new fees will be applicable to new students. All fees listed are in Singapore dollars (S$) and are inclusive of Goods and Services Tax (GST).

From Academic Year 2024-2025 onwards:

• NTU Alumni students are entitled to 10% study incentives in the form of reduction in fees.
• All Singapore Citizens (SC) and Singapore Permanent Resident (SPR) will receive SGD 5,000 subsidy and SGD 10,000 for needy SC/SPR students.

Fee Payment Schedule 

The tuition fee is payable on an instalment basis, across two semesters for full-time students, and three semesters for part-time students. 

Miscellaneous fees are applicable to both local and international students. Please click here for the updated fees.

 

Application Deadline

The programme offers two intakes each year.

 

 

Check the updates above for the exact application dates.

Submitting your application

Step 1:	Submit your application form and upload your supporting documents online.
Step 2:	Your 2 referrals should email the completed referral reports to [email protected] Please use the Checklist (supporting documents required) below to ensure that you have included all the required supporting documents in your email submission.

Documents Checklist

Please use the Checklist below to ensure that you have included all the required supporting documents in softcopy.

Only complete applications will be processed for assessment. An application is deemed complete only if the following are met:

• completion of online application form
• payment of application fee, and
• email submission of all supporting documents.

Some shortlisted candidates may be interviewed by the Admissions Committee to gauge their suitability for the programme.
Please note that only shortlisted applicants will be notified.

 

Out of the 6 required elective courses, students have the option to select up to 2 relevant courses from NTU’s other graduate programmes as electives to fulfil their course requirement.  These courses must be approved by both the Director of MPA and the NTU School(s) or Division(s) concerned.

 

There are 2 semesters in an academic year, each consisting of 13 weeks of teaching, 1 week for examination preparation and 1 week for examination. 

FULL-TIME STUDY

Full-time students typically complete their studies within 12 months (2 semesters).

PART-TIME STUDY

The part-time English MPA Programme allows working mid-career professionals to upgrade their knowledge while pursuing professional growth opportunities.

Part-time studies typically span a period of 18-24 months (3-4 semesters), with a maximum candidature period of 4 years (8 semesters). 

Class Schedule

Classes are typically conducted on: 

Mondays to Fridays	6.30pm - 9.30 pm
Saturdays to Sundays	9.30 am - 12.30 pm and/or 2.00pm - 5.00 pm

Classes are held at the NTU main campus and/or NTU's One-North Campus opposite Buona Vista MRT (location map). 

All students are required to complete two core courses and 6 electives, as well as a capstone paper. The student is expected to complete an original research paper dealing with a chosen topic under the supervision of a MPA faculty member. It usually takes more than a semester to complete the capstone paper, and the minimum length is 15,000 for the paper to be written in English.

 

To benefit further from NTU's outstanding faculty and resources, students will also have the option to select up to two relevant courses from NTU's other graduate programmes as electives to fulfil their course requirement. These courses, however, must be approved by both the Director of NCPA and the NTU School or division concerned.

 

 

This course serves as an introduction to how markets operate and how the public sector may improve market outcomes. Students learn about essential microeconomic principles and applying these principles to analyse public policy issues. The first part of the course covers markets and the price mechanism, the strategies of consumers and firms, and market structures. The second part examines topics relevant to the public sector. Topics include the effects of government intervention in the form of price or quantity controls, various kinds of market failure and rationales for government’s role in improving market efficiency, and basics of taxation.

 

This course is designed to provide students an introductory overview in the field of public policy and policy science. Policy science refers to a problem-solving orientation that cuts across all disciplines to deal with important societal decisions. Policy science aims to integrate all relevant policy-related disciplines into a unified whole. Therefore, students having different backgrounds are all welcome to this course. This course introduces basic elements (e.g. policy environment, decision making, policy output, policy implementation, and policy evaluation) of a public policy process. This course also examines several substantive policy areas such as social welfare policy, education policy, economic policy, etc. in Singapore and many other countries. Students will have chances to analyse real Singapore policy cases by employing theories covered in the lecture. In sum, this course aims to provide both theoretical and practical training for students.

 

 

 

This course introduces the discipline and practice of Public Administration. With the examination of the academic development of Public Administration, this course provides students a basic framework of Public Administration through overview of all of its subfields including the political environment, intergovernmental structure, public ethics, public organisation theory and behaviour, public strategic management, public human resource management, public budgeting and financial management, and public policy.

   

This course provides reviews and analyses of current macroeconomic issues and methodologies from the perspective of government policymakers, especially those in East Asia. In the first part, we discuss types of data used to measure macroeconomic performance. The second part covers basic macroeconomic models that economists use to explain the macro-economy in the short run and long run. Finally, we focus on applications of macroeconomic theories in the third part, and explore issues in stabilisation policies, international trade and international finance. An integrated theoretical framework introduces international dimensions from the start.

 

The course serves two main purposes. One is to provide students with a broad overview of the practice of policy analysis. The other is to help students synthesise what they have learned in the MPA programme, and write a Capstone Paper. The first half of the course covers generic instruments of public policy, basics of benefit-cost analysis, policy implementation, and the role of policy analysts. During the second part of the course, students are provided with an integrative experience through their own efforts in developing an actual program in public policy or management. With faculty supervision and guidance, students go through all aspect of completing a Capstone Paper, including topic selection, problem definition, literature review, analysis, and writing.

 

The purpose of this course is to provide an overview of methods employed in pursuing research projects in policy analysis. Both the conceptual and empirical dimensions of the subject are explored. On the empirical side, considerable attention is accorded to qualitative methods which feature prominently in administrative research. Basic statistics such as descriptive statistics, probability, sampling, estimation, inference and hypothesis testing, variable analysis and correlation, regression theory, reliability and validity, and prediction and simulation are included.

  

This course consists of 4 parts: (1) land system and policy, urban structure and housing policy; (2) infrastructure investment and management; (3) transportation policy and management; (4) the issues of trade, labour, comparative advantage and so on in regional development.

  

At the time of accelerated globalisation and advent of the knowledge economy, talent management (including recruiting, nurturing and assessing) becomes a defining characteristic of a nation’s competitiveness. This course is concerned with the impact of globalisation upon different governments’ talent management strategies, both domestic and international. It first introduces various theoretical discussions about globalisation, “war for talents”, and brain circulation. It then discusses in details, and comparatively, talent strategies and challenges in Singapore, China, the USA, UK and Japan. Furthermore, this course will examine different patterns of reactions of global talents to various government initiatives. This course will also critically assess the impact of talent strategies not just on domestic and global talents, but also on the public policies within which talent mobility is to be situated. It concludes with some policy recommendations for managing talent at the time of globalisation.

 

This course provides an in-depth study of the governance of Singapore--the principles of managing within government and its core public policies that have made Singapore a “first world” nation. Topics covered include: guiding ideologies in public administration, the Singapore style; relations between the ruling party and the government; relations between the government and the multi-racial citizens; relations between the government and the civil service; symbiotic relations between the government and trade unions and crisis management.

 

This course examines the concept, measurement, and comparability of happiness and its role in public policy. How happiness may be increased will be discussed both at the individual and social levels. Facts and fallacies on happiness will be critically examined. Questions such as whether money can buy happiness will be discussed. Related issues like environmental quality, relative competition and the appropriate level of public spending will be analysed. Implications for individuals and public policy will also be drawn.

 

The course will first cover the broader issues concerning the financial sector, from monetary policy to ensure price and financial stability to financial sector development. It then delves with the financial markets, financial intermediaries and financial instruments. Finally, the course touches on the issues concerning public sector officials from financial supervision and regulation to prevent financial failure or crisis, managing financial innovation, to protecting financial consumers.

 

This course is first to introduce global environment politics and governance (actors, institutions, mechanisms, and power dynamics) to students, and examine the topic(s) b a typology of three categories: global common pool resources, transboundary environmental disputes and cooperation, and local accumulative environmental change. Secondary, the course, as part of the international relations (IR) curriculum, introduces advanced IR theories and elaborates the theoretical challenges and contributions of the environmental field focusing on power in international politics, causes for international cooperation and normative development in global governance. Students shall have a background in IR theory and commit to collective learning through discussion and interactive reasoning.

 

Cost-benefit analysis is a formal way to estimate and weight the cost and benefits of policy alternatives. It is a standard and useful tool for government in both developed and developing economies to balance competing social goals, such as environmental protection and economic growth. Cost-benefit analysis holds a great deal of promise for aiding government decision-making.

 

Behavioural Economics studies how psychological limitations influence economic decision makings. Those who design and implement public policy can make use of behavioural economics to achieve the stated objectives of public policy effectively.

 

The course build understanding of the changing threat landscape and how governments and partners should manage existing and emerging security threats. With rapid globalisation, the spectrum of threats have widened from conventional military threats to non-traditional security threats. The security threats range from missile and fissile proliferation, organised and common crime, piracy and robbery at sea, infectious diseases and pandemics, cybercrime and information infrastructure attack and terrorism and extremism. To manage threats, national security agencies, law enforcement, and military forces increasingly work with partners in community, private sector and academia. While the functional focus of the course is global, the regional focus is East Asia, with an emphasis on how Singapore manages security challenges.

PM6139 The Singapore Economy

This course is designed for non-Economics graduate students who have a keen interest to develop a deeper understanding of the Singapore economy. This course provides a broad introduction to the economic structure, the development experiences, and the economic policies of Singapore – their rationale, their design and what they have achieved. The course starts with a brief introduction to key concepts in Micro- and Macro-economics and Singapore’s development experiences, and then proceeds to cover Singapore government’s approaches to microeconomic and macroeconomic management. As many of Singapore’s public policies are well grounded in the rigor and discipline of economics, this course aims to help students appreciate the economic rationales behind many of Singapore’s public policies. This course also aims to equip students with the knowledge of the working of key macroeconomic policies, such as fiscal policy, monetary policy, wage policy and social security policies.

PM6140 Program Evaluation

Policy and program evaluation constitute a key element of contemporary policymaking and refer to a comprehensive, often multi-year study of program/policy function and outcomes. This course will expose students to: 1) the complexity and scope of policy/program evaluation; and 2) the basic methods of policy/program evaluation.

PM6141 Global Finance: Policy, Economics and Technology

This course will provide a broad and policy-oriented understanding of global finance. It will take a multidisciplinary approach by drawing from public policy, economics, and urban studies. More than simply an economic phenomenon, finance affects the daily lives and urban environs of citizens across the world. While this course is largely based on the case of Singapore, it will also draw on the examples of other major global financial centres. 

PM6142 Politics and Security in Asia

This course is intended to provide a comprehensive analysis on inter-state politics and regional security in Asia, covering Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia, and South Asia. Many analysts believe that with the rise of China, a power shift from the US to China is taking place in Asia. This power shift is generating tremendous impacts on the geopolitical alignments and security issues in Asia. The regional order is undergoing a profound transformation. This process of transformation, however, is expected to be very complicated and even dangerous given the intensifying strategic rivalry between China and the US, territorial and maritime disputes between/among various regional states, and the history of inter-state relations in the region. In addition to the impacts of Sino-US relations, the Asian region has been faced with a number of daunting security challenges, including the North Korean nuclear issue, the East China Sea dispute, the Taiwan issue, the South China Sea disputes, and the border dispute between China and India. None of these issues can be easily resolved and they will continue to affect peace and stability in Asia. There are other important issues that are pertinent to Asian security, for instance regional multilateral institutions, economic interdependence, nationalism and domestic politics in various regional states, as well as non-traditional security challenges. These will be the main topics that will be explored in this course.

PM6143 Innovation in the Public Sector & Policy Design

This course examines governance in a world of increasing complexity, hyper-connectivity, high level of uncertainty. In this challenging context, the public sector’s role in developing innovative solutions is critical. Public sector innovation has distinctive characteristics that make it irreplaceable, and they are linked to the authority of the State and the legitimacy of government to intervene in the public sphere to change the course of events in a manner judged preferable for society.
Through the interplay of technology, Public-Private-People (3Ps) collaboration, design thinking and behavioural insights, this course is designed to help students to analyse complex policy problems presented in case studies and develop innovative policy solutions to address long-term challenges.

PM6144 Public Economy & Budgeting Issues

This course introduces you to an in-depth examination of the forces that influence the behaviors of public administrators and policymakers engaged in the decision-making process on political-economy and public budgeting issues. A fundamental purpose of the course is to train you to have the economic way of thinking yet socially responsible decisions and to show how such approaches enable you to make more informed and better choices at an advanced level, especially given limited financial resources.

PM6145 Contemporary politics of migration governance

This course will introduce you to key themes in contemporary migration politics and policies. Migration is an important sector for public administration and public policy despite the COVID-19 pandemic’s seeming disruption to organised migratory flows.

PM6146 The China Economy: Reform, Geopolitical Rivalry and Future Trends

Since Deng Xiaoping’s reforms in 1979, China has undergone remarkable domestic economic and social transformation. Its impact on the rest of the world has also been momentous and far-reaching. 

When President Trump moved into office on January 2017, the relationship between US and China has degenerated into acrimonious trade and tech war. After the outbreak of the coronavirus in late 2019, the relationship has spiraled further downwards. Despite the election of President Joe Biden in January 2021, the relationship has continued to be conflictual and belligerent. In 2022, the Biden Administration escalated the confrontation by launching the Chip War, in attempting to slow down China’s technological development. The tension of US and China relationship also resulted in global corporates relocating out of China to ASEAN, India and Mexico to diversify their supply chains and production bases. 

This course is designed to enhance students’ understanding of these crucial transformations by looking at both economic development and geopolitical dynamics as well as analyzing future trends. This course will examine these new dynamics and draw their implications for China, ASEAN, Singapore, and the global economy as well as the international order.

PM6147 E-Government and Governance

Electronic government (e-government) refer to the use of information and communications technologies (ICTs) and frontier technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) to improve the delivery of public services to citizens, boost citizens’ trust in the public sector, enhance government efficiency and responsiveness, and promote good governance. Many countries have been moving toward greater digital transformation of governments through automating labor-intensive processes, integrating government information systems, digitizing more public services, using AI-driven analytics to analyze data to improve decision making, and the use of online systems to connect with businesses and citizens. Governments worldwide believe that e-government has the potential to realize good governance, which refers to key attributes of inclusiveness, efficiency, effectiveness, responsiveness, transparency, accountability and participation. 

This course aims to provide both theoretical and empirical knowledge for graduate students interested in e-government and governance and equip them with problem-solving and critical thinking skills to analyze local and international case studies of e-government.

 

 

 

Under the supervision of the MPA faculty, students are expected to write a paper that identifies and addresses a critical gap in knowledge about a particular issue in public policy or management, which is relevant and significant. The papers can be client-based or non-client-based, and they can be a policy analysis paper, a reform paper, or a case study. Students are expected to consider various analytical approaches learned in the MPA programme to address the problems chosen. Findings from Capstone Papers will be orally presented.

 

On-Campus accommodation

As demand for housing exceeds supply, only full-time graduate students may apply for graduate housing. Successful applicants may stay for a maximum period of one academic year. Applicants are encouraged to look for alternative accommodation arrangements while waiting for their NTU housing application results.