Public Management

This two-year, part-time programme combines the study of subjects central to public management broadly with research into an issue especially relevant to a student’s professional life in the Irish public sector. The first year is devoted to the study of six core public management modules, while the second focuses on the preparation, under expert guidance, of a dissertation.



Effective and efficient public management is crucial if Ireland is to respond to the complex challenges it faces. There are huge demands on the public service to deliver for citizens in areas such as housing, healthcare, climate change, and digital transformation. These areas and others require knowledgeable public servants able to critically analyse problems and take the lead in devising and implementing solutions. In other words, they require excellent managers.



An education in public management theories and practices will enable public servants to approach the challenges of their working lives from informed and critical perspectives. It will encourage strategic thinking around complex policy environments, attention to evidence and data, and an openness to organizational change and reform. This programme explores public management in its economic, financial and organizational contexts and seeks to build capability in the public service.



In the first year, students take six common modules in public management, three in each semester. Students of all IPA MA specialisms take this common year.



In the second year, students, under expert guidance, research and write a dissertation in public management. Students often focus on an issue from their own professional life and are able apply what they have learned in their study of economics, organisational strategy, and other modules.



On completion of the first year, students receive the interim award of a Postgraduate Diploma in Public Management.

This programme usually only commences in September of each year.



Delivery



This part-time programme takes two years to complete and can be taken from anywhere in the country. It is designed to be suitable for those with busy professional and personal lives.



Students attend seminars on selected weekends over the academic year. Some of these are in-person sessions at the IPA campus in Dublin 4. Others are delivered online.



Between seminars/webinars, they study a range of resources, including textbooks, bespoke materials, and online resources.



The second year is devoted to the preparation, with expert assistance, of a minor dissertation.



Key Benefits for You and Your Career



Obtain Advanced Knowledge: Understand subjects central to Irish public management in all its contexts.



Acquire and Apply Research and Critical Skills: Writing a dissertation will significantly improve your research and critical skills. You will learn how to conduct academic research, evaluate sources, and analyse a problem and its potential solutions.



Career Advancement: Present to your organisation and others as someone with a Masters-level qualification in public management.



Practical Application: Apply, through some research work, what you have learned about public management to an issue you are interested in or arises in your organisation.



Networking Opportunities: Connect with fellow public servants working throughout the country in all sorts of areas, expanding your professional network..

Year One



Economics

This module focuses on public sector economics. The State plays a very important role in all our economic lives and in the economic health of the nation. Among the topics that are addressed are taxation, the economics of regulation, efficiency and effectiveness in the public sector, monopolies, project appraisal, sources of funds and portfolio theory.



Managing Human Resources

On completing this module, which attends to both human resource management and organisational behaviour, students will be able to evaluate the human resource management system in their organisation. It considers, among other topics, strategic HR planning, performance and rewards management, theories of leadership, group dynamics, communication in organisations, politics and conflict, organisational change, and job design.



Finance

Public sector managers, like their private sector counterparts, should have a solid understanding of the main principles and tools of contemporary financial management. This course explores financial reporting, financial statement analysis, budgeting and working capital, cost and management accounting, and investment. It also attends to the ideas and practices of modern financial governance, auditing and risk.



Organisation and Strategy

This module gives students a solid understanding of the evolving role of the State, of different approaches to policy-making and strategy, and of organisational design. Focusing on the public sector, it will provide them with ideas and arguments that they can use to evaluate their organisation, its working environment, and its success. Among the specific topics addressed are the role and evolution of the State, decision-making in organisations, and public management in the 21st century.



Research Methods

This course explores both research theory and design and quantitative techniques. With regard to the former, it considers how knowledge is best obtained, different research strategies, sampling, interviews, and focus groups. Its treatment of quantitative techniques examines how to present data, the application of probability distributions, the estimation of population parameters, and the forms that relationships between quantitative variables can take. This module also helps students prepare for their dissertation work in the second year of the MA programme.



Managing in Europe

This module explores the history of European integration, how the EU functions and the debates about its direction and future. Students will learn about, among other things, how the EU institutions relate to each other, how the EU makes laws, and some of the most notable areas where the EU decides public policy.



Year Two



Dissertation

In the second semester of year two, students write a dissertation on a specific leadership and strategy topic. Students must successfully complete the taught modules before moving to the dissertation phase.

Application deadline: 21/09/2026

Students are assessed by means of assignments, examinations and a dissertation.

2 years.



Delivery

Blended Learning



Seminars/webinars take place on six weekends over the academic year. This calendar relates to the first year only.



Seminar 1September 6-7

Seminar 2 (Online) October 4-5

Seminar 3 November 1-2

Exams Week of December 8

Seminar 4 January 10-11

Seminar 5 (Online) February 7-8

Seminar 6 March 7-8

Exams Week of April 13

The cost of the programme is €5,000 per annum (includes all matriculation and examination fees, all seminars, textbooks and course material), payable in two instalments.

Commences 05/09/2026

Students can study other IPA Masters programmes, including a Professional Certificate in Governance and a Doctorate in Governance.