The IPA—one of Ireland’s most eminent academic institutions—offers a wide range of part-time postgraduate programmes in public management. Generations of public servants, working in various sectors and at all grades, have studied at the IPA and obtained the knowledge and qualifications essential for career progression.

The Whitaker School of Government and Management at the IPA delivers accredited postgraduate qualifications that sit at levels nine and ten on the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ). These programmes seek to develop real expertise about the most fundamental subjects in contemporary public management and governance.

IPA postgraduate programmes are delivered through a blend of distance education and several weekend seminars. Students can, therefore, remain in full-time employment while working toward a high-level academic award. They can also study from anywhere in the country. The intensive weekend seminars are delivered by leading practitioners and experienced managers, and students receive distance education material and all the essential textbooks. IPA postgraduate programmes commence in both September and January.

The IPA offers the following postgraduate programmes.

Postgraduate Diploma in Public Management

This Diploma takes one year to complete and is both a stand-alone qualification and the first year of the MA programme. Students take six subjects, including economics, finance, and managing human resources. 

Master of Arts

The MA programme takes two years to complete and allows students specialise in one of six streams:

• Public Management
• Financial Management
• Human Resource Management
• Healthcare Management
• Criminal Justice
• Local Government Management

In the second year of the MA programme, students write a dissertation on a topic that they are interested in or that is particularly relevant to their working life.

Master of Economic Science in Policy Analysis

This two-year, part-time programme addresses the tangible need for the development of policy analysis skills across the wider public service.  Including the interim award of a Postgraduate Diploma in Policy analysis, it explores subjects that are crucial to the expert assessment of contemporary public policy, including project management, economic and financial analysis, and social policy.
 
Postgraduate Certificates

Postgraduate Certificates attract students who already posses an MA but would like to complete the second year of the IPA’s MA programme and obtain a new qualification in a discrete subject area.

Doctorate in Governance 

The Doctorate in Governance is a four-year programme offered in conjunction with Queens University Belfast. It is delivered by means of directed study.

Further Information

For further information please contact:

Graduate Office
Institute of Public Administration
57-61 Lansdowne Road
Dublin 4

Tel: (01) 240 3600
Email: information@ipa.ie
Web: www.ipa.ie