SPMA to offer new PhD in Public Policy
The University of Pretoria’s School of Public Management and
Administration (SPMA) will offer a new PhD programme in Public Policy,
and prospective students will be able to apply for it in 2021.
This
development comes as a result of engagements between the SPMA and the
Partnership for African Social and Governance Research (PASGR) in 2019,
when UP staff met with Dr Beatrice Muganda, Dr Pauline Ngimwa and
Executive Director Professor Tade Aina from PASGR.
“The
University has recently signed a Memorandum of Agreement with PASGR and
we believe this will just strengthen the very good relationship the
SPMA has formed with PASGR over the last year,” says Prof Natasja
Holtzhausen, SPMA PhD coordinator.
One of the
discussion points was a PhD programme with a strong policy focus. With
the support of the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences and
University management, Prof Holtzhausen and SPMA colleagues wrote a
proposal that was submitted to all the relevant university committees to
obtain permission for a degree that specialises in public policy. Top
prospective students from across the continent were targeted. The
Carnegie Foundation made 15 full scholarships available to fund
exceptional PhD students. These 15 scholarships were shared among the
three universities that were piloting the PhD, these being the
University of Ibadan in Nigeria, the University of Nairobi in Kenya, and
the University of Pretoria.
The first
students, mainly from Uganda and Nigeria, enrolled at UP in January
2020, but under the PhD Public Administration and Management
programme. The PhD degree in Public Policy has since been approved by
Senate and as of 2021, prospective students will be able to apply for
this specific degree.
This has been reposted
from
https://www.up.ac.za/school-of-public-management-and-administration/news/post_2929457-spma-to-offer-new-phd-in-public-policy