Minor Thesis - Public Administration

This subject is not offered in 2014.

240 hours

Admission to the Master of Public Administration program and successful completion of the following subjects: The World of Public Administration; The Nature of Governing; The Rule of Law; Managing Public Finances; Using Evidence; Working Ethically and; Managing Effectively.

All students who intend to undertake the Minor Thesis must complete Social Sciences Research Seminar to prepare them for independent research.

For the purposes of considering request for Reasonable Adjustments under the disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Students Experiencing Academic Disadvantage Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Description, Subject Objectives, Generic Skills and Assessment Requirements of this entry.The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the disability support scheme can be found at the Disability Liaison Unit website: http://www.services.unimelb.edu.au/disability/

The Minor Thesis – Public Administration is a capstone option in the Master of Public Administration. The Melbourne MPA is an interdisciplinary, globally-focused program for managers that work within or with government. This subject provides students with an opportunity to undertake a program of independent research from which they produce a thesis of 10,000 words. The subject is undertaken in one semester and students will be supervised by a member of academic staff. All students prepare for the Minor Thesis by undertaking POLS40013 Social Science Research Seminar and present their findings as part of the MPA Capstone Presentation Day.

On completion of this subject students will:

• be able to demonstrate a specialist understanding of the subject being studied;
• be able to show advanced skills of analysis pertinent to the subject;
• be able to show a detailed sense of the theoretical debates in the subject area;
• be able to demonstrate an ability to undertake critical independent research;
• be able to show a good capacity to communicate research in written form.

Assessment Task 1: A 10,000 word thesis based on the student’s individual research (100%) due during week 11 of semester.

The following Hurdle Requirementsmust be met in order for students to be eligible to submit the final Thesis:

1. Supervision: Regular supervisory meetings

2. Topic Proposal Form: To be submitted by the first week of the Semester of thesis enrolment

3. Progress Report: To be submitted half way through the semester of thesis enrolment

4. Thesis Draft: A full draft of the thesis is to be submitted approximately 3 weeks prior to the final thesis submission date.

Final Theses submitted late without an approved extension will be penalised at 10% per working day.

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.

On completion of this subject students should have:

• A critical understanding of the operation of governments in Australia, the Asia-Pacific region and across the world, and an ability to situate an area of specialisation within this context;
• A comprehensive understanding and appreciation of the interconnectedness and complexity of the fields of public management and administration, and a specialist understanding of a particular topic in the field;
• A sound understanding of politics, economics, law and sciences, as they contribute to theoretical debates in the field of public management;
• Flexible communication skills with a highly attuned sensitivity to a diverse audience, and to the issues specific to cross-cultural communication;
• To conceptualise, plan and execute a substantial, independent, research-based project in the form of a minor thesis, demonstrating high-level skills in interdisciplinary and comparative research, analysis and critique, underpinned by a thorough understanding of academic protocol and presentation.