University Senate Proposed:
Adopted:
RESOLUTION
TO ESTABLISH A DUAL MPA/MPP DEGREE
BETWEEN
SIPA AND THE
WHEREAS the proposed dual degree program between SIPA and the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore would provide students with the opportunity to earn master’s degrees in policy from the two international universities and to join an exceptional set of professionals who are forging a growing network of internationally skilled decision-makers; and
WHEREAS SIPA’s three previous dual degree programs
have succeeded in attracting students with outstanding professional and
intellectual strengths, who have gone on to public policy positions in a
variety of international settings; and
WHEREAS the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore, with faculty from around the world and alumni in 26 different countries, has the intellectual profile and global reach SIPA expects from its partner institutions; and
WHEREAS the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore is at the cutting edge of public policy education in Asia and is therefore an excellent candidate for the Global Public Policy Network’s first graduate program in Asia; and
WHEREAS both institutions will have an advisor
system in place, which will help dual degree students plan and prepare for
their intended field of concentration at the partner school and ensure that incoming second-year students have special
advising and access to the courses they need to satisfy their concentration
requirements;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that
the University Senate approve the proposed dual degree program and forward it
to the Trustees for appropriate action, with the proviso that the Education Committee
will review the program in five years.
Proponent
Education Committee
Senate Education
Committee
MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT: Proposed MPA/MPP Dual Degree Between the School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) and the National University of Singapore’s Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (NUS)
Overview
The proposed MPA/MPP dual degree will be a two-year, five-term program, requiring a minimum of 71 credits. Students will spend their first year at their home institution studying a core curriculum, which is already in place at both schools. This core curriculum comprises economics, statistics, management, law and politics. During the second year the students will pursue a specialized program in a field offered at the other school, drawing on a different faculty, academic tradition, political context and cultural environment. These areas include Economic Policy, Financial Policy, Economic Development, Public and Non-Profit Management, Urban Affairs, Environment, Energy, Social Welfare, Immigration, Education, and Security, among others. The course work taken abroad in the second year will satisfy the second-year requirements of both degrees. Regardless of where the first year is spent, the summer credits will be earned at NUS, because SIPA does not have a summer program.
Students who begin at SIPA will take 16 credits in each of their two semesters at SIPA, 3 credits in the summer at NUS, and 18 credits in each of their two semesters at NUS, for a total of 71 credits. Students who begin at NUS will take 15 credits in each of their two first-year semesters at NUS, 6 credits in the summer at NUS, and 18 credits in each of their two semesters at SIPA, for a total of 72 credits.
It is anticipated that initial enrollment will be 3-5 students at each institution, for a total of 6-10. Dual degree students will be drawn from students who are in their first year of the existing degree program at each institution (MPA at SIPA; MPP at NUS). The home institution will conduct an initial screening of the dual degree applications, and will forward the applications of acceptable candidates to the other institution for final selection.
Partnership Between SIPA and NUS
The proposed dual degree program
will expand the Global Public Policy Network to include its first graduate
program in
Goals of Dual Degree Program
SIPA sees the program as a
unique opportunity in the field of international professional education. The opportunity to earn professionally-oriented
master’s degrees in policy from the two international universities is
especially attractive in an increasingly interdependent world. Students will be required to confront and
learn from international differences both in and out of the classroom. SIPA and NUS share the conviction that
professional education built around public and international policy studies is
solid preparation for a wide array of careers.
Dual degree holders will constitute a small and exceptional set of
globally-trained professionals, forging a growing network of
internationally-skilled decision-makers.
Existing SIPA Dual Degree
Programs
This will be the fourth of
SIPA’s dual degree programs, joining the Master of International Affairs with
Sciences Po, the Master of Public Administration with Sciences Po, and the
Master of Public Administration with the London School of Economics and
Political Science. These other programs
have been successful to date. Fifty
students have completed the Sciences Po MIA dual degree and thirty-two students
have completed the LSE MPA dual degree.
SIPA reports that the academic performance of the dual degree students
in the existing programs has been outstanding and that faculty at all three
schools have been impressed with the professional and intellectual strengths of
the students involved. As anticipated,
the dual degrees are developing a globally-oriented community of public policy
students: the students moving in this
network, which also includes dual degrees between Sciences Po and LSE, come
from around the world and are in no way limited to citizens of North America
and Western Europe. The graduates have
gone on to positions at European think tanks,
Advisors for Dual Degree Students and Availability of Course Offerings
An advisor system will be in place for dual degree students. At each school students will have an administrative advisor familiar with course offerings and requirements at the relevant partner school. During the first year, these advisors will help students plan and prepare for their intended field of concentration at the partner school. In addition, in each of the two years, students will have a faculty advisor familiar with the course offerings at the school in which they are studying. During the second year, administrative advisors ensure that incoming second-year students have special advising and access to the courses they need to satisfy their concentration requirements.
Conclusion
The proposed degree will be a
valuable addition to SIPA’s international dual degree programs, which have
already proven successful in preparing students for important international
policy work. The proposed program will
also provide an excellent opportunity to expand the Global Public Policy
Network to include its first graduate program in
The Education Committee
therefore supports the proposed MPA/MPP dual degree between the