An Education Strategy for Practitioners in Public Administration Master’s Programs

Abstract

Master’s programs in Public Administration (MPA) may contribute to a better platform for exchange between the academy and the field of practice. But how should such programs be designed and run to meet the ambition of bringing together study and work experience? This contribution analyzes that question and develops an educational philosophy of de-linking and re-linking. It reports on the educational practice of the MPA program for practitioners at Erasmus University Rotterdam, which is based on this analysis and philosophy. The thesis of the paper is that programs like this one need a specific pedagogical approach. An outline of such an approach is presented.