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Institute of Public Administration - IPA

Local Government Management

Postgraduate Certificates are one-year programmes in which
students take the second year of IPA MA programmes.
There are six options:
- Postgraduate Certificate in Human Resource Management
- Postgraduate Certificate in Financial Management
- Postgraduate Certificate in Criminal Justice
- Postgraduate Certificate in Healthcare Management
- Postgraduate Certificate in Local Government Management
- Postgraduate Certificate in Leadership and Strategy

Students take three or four subjects and complete a minor
dissertation. For information on the subjects taken, see the
descriptions under Subjects below (Year Two of the relevant MA)

IS THIS PROGRAMME FOR YOU?
Many graduate students are interested in a number of the fields in which the IPA offers qualifications. Students who wish to focus exclusively on HRM, Financial Management or any other of the specialisms listed above may do so by studying the second year of the MA programme. On completion, they will receive a Postgraduate Certificate in the specialism of their choice. New responsibilities at work or changes in career very often mean that instruction in a new field and an extra qualification are necessary. These one-year certificates are designed to meet such needs.

Entry requirements

Postgraduate Certificates are expressly designed for those who want to obtain, in a short space of time, a further postgraduate qualification in a discrete subject area.

Duration

One academic year

Distance education supported by weekend seminars

Delivery and Duration
Other than the Postgraduate Certificate in Public Management (which requires a major dissertation), all Postgraduate Certificates consists of three subjects and a minor dissertation. They are all delivered through distance education, so students can live and work anywhere in Ireland and can remain in full-time employment. Students attend some weekend seminars at the IPA in Dublin.

Further enquiries

Postgraduate Office,
Whitaker School of Government and Management,
Institute of Public Administration,
57 - 61 Lansdowne Road,
Dublin 4,
Ireland.

Tel +353 (0) 1 240 3600
LoCall 1890 20 26 26
Fax +353 (0) 1 668 9135
Email postgrad@ipa.ie

Subjects taught

Semester One
Local Government Policy Formulation, Implementation and Evaluation:
Local government policy development, the policy process in Ireland, local policy integration, understanding the central-local policy process and the local policy reform agenda.

Local Government Financial Management and Accountability:
The financing of local government, budget management, financial governance, accrual accounting in local government, analysing capital projects and corporate governance.

Leadership and Management:
Strategy and strategic thinking, developing strategies in the public sector context, leadership and learning in a strategic context, the concepts and practices of governance and quality and performance.

Semester Two
In the second semester of year two, students write a dissertation on a specific local government management issue.

Comment

Accredited by UCD
Level 9 (Special Purpose Award) on the National Framework for Qualifications

Accreditation
The IPA is a recognised college of University College Dublin (UCD). From 2012, any student entering an accredited IPA Programme will graduate with a UCD award. The IPA and UCD are part of the wider National University of Ireland (NUI) network. All Postgraduate Certificates are at Level 9 (Special Purpose) on the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ).

Assessment method

Students are generally assessed by means of assignments, final exams and a dissertation.

Application date

Apply Directly to IPA - online application available - see link below.

Course fee

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.