European Master's in Public Administration - EMPA
This is a one-year Master Certificate programme provided by the Center for Public Affairs Studies (CPAS) of the Faculty of Economics at the Corvinus University of Budapest.
Students enrolled to the MA in Public Policy and Management offered by the Faculty of Economics can complete the EMPA-Budapest programme taking equivalent courses in English during the four semesters of the MA programme, since equivalency between EMPA and selected MA courses is given. It means that graduating students get an MA in Public Policy and Management from the Corvinus University and a Certificate jointly signed by these EMPA partners. The certificate is issued provided student writes and defends his/her thesis work also in English and studies one semester at one of the partner universities.
The EMPA programme is offered by a network of twelve different universities. Besides CPAS the following institutions are involved:
Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (Belgium),
Deutsche Hochschule für Verwaltungswissenschaften, Speyer (Germany),
Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Paris (France),
Institut d'Études Politiques Lyon (France)
Tallin University of Technology (Estonia),
University of Liverpool (the United Kingdom),
University of Vaasa (Finland),
Rijkuniversiteit Leiden (the Netherlands),
Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam (the Netherlands),
University of Geneva (Switzerland),
Université Catholique de Louvain (Belgium)
This programme is designed for students enrolling to the MSc in Public Policy and Management at Faculty of Economics or arriving from the universities of the EMPA network.
Exchange students are allowed to take courses offered within the EMPA programme.
Graduating students get a Certificate jointly signed by these EMPA partners.
For more information, please visit the website of EMPA: www.empa-network.info
Check out the leaflet of the programme, click here.
Read more about the programme from the perspective of a former student, click here.
Aims
The public sector young practitioners who can cross cultural boundaries and manage effectively in multicultural situations in Europe. Accordingly, many public agencies have sought to employ graduates who demonstrate the managerial, cultural and linguistic skills necessary for national and international careers. The EMPA was created as a joint response to this demand.
The primary objective of the current programme is to stimulate the development of European Master’s in Public Administration by internationalizing the existing programmes of the participating institutions. For this purpose, the institutions have developed a common framework for scheduling and organizing a one-year study program on the basis of mutually agreed course requirements, curriculum elements, cross-national and common examination standards and well structured and closely supervised student exchanges.
Programme
The EMPA programme is focused on the comparative analysis of questions of public administration, public policy and public management in different (EU and non-EU) European countries in the context of processes of internationalization, Europeanization and European integration.
The programme is designed to provide a comparative understanding of public sector structures, policies and processes in different European countries, as well as a methodology for analyzing and dealing with different structures and processes of public sector management, guidance and control. A basic topic is the way in which the characteristics of different systems of government and administration within Europe relate to national and sub-national perspectives on issues, processes and institutions of European integration, both within and across the borders of the EU.
The main feature of the EMPA-Budapest programme is that it offers a structure of core and elective courses which focuses on Hungarian and Central European characteristics. This strategy provides detailed information for different approaches and questions regarding our public policies.
Structure of the Program | 1st semester | 2nd semester | Total credits (ECTS) |
Core courses | 15 | 15 | 30 |
Electives | 15 | 15 | 30 |
Thesis work |
| 15 | 15 |
Total | 30 | 45 | 75 |
Courses | |
Semester 1. | Semester 2. |
Core courses | |
Comparative Public Administration | |
Institutional Changes: Political and Administrative Answers to Challenges | |
Elective courses three out of the courses advertised by the Faculty of Economics must be selected in each semester, courses below recommended by CPAS | |
In addition to the courses, the programme includes the execution of a directed research programme on a Comparative Public Administration topic, which should result in a dissertation of not more than forty pages and at the level of a journal article. The dissertation should be written in English.
The advanced character of the EMPA programme presupposes a basic knowledge as well as an understanding of European Public Administration of Public Economics and Finance, and of International Organization and Politics. This means that the programme is directed in the first place towards graduated students of Business, Economics and Political and Social Sciences or to students holding an equivalent degree.
The programme is open to Hungarian and foreign students. The entrance requirements for the programme are the same for Hungarians as for foreign nationals. Students choosing to register at the Corvinus University take the first part of the programme (first semester) at this university. The courses are taught in English.
The second part (second semester) of the programme may be taken either at one of the other institutions in the network, or at the Corvinus University. The language of instruction is generally English, but it is German in Speyer and French in Paris. For admission to the EMPA program non-native English students are requested to take a TOEFL test (minimum score 550) or an equivalent language test. Non-native German students wishing to spend a semester in Speyer are requested to obtain the 'Deutsch als Fremdsprache Zertifikat' (ZDF) from the Goethe Institute. Non-European students can also be subjected to a GRE-test.
Admission
Interested students who meet the above-mentioned requirements of the EMPA programme have to follow an application procedure. There is no entrance examination for the programme; nevertheless, the Admissions Board may call any applicant for a personal interview.
Individuals who hold bachelor or master degree can also apply for this one year certificate programme. This programme accepts applications only from students already in possession of their first diploma who are attracted towards the public sector and public administration.
Tuition fee (only for individual students): 1950 EUR per semester
Application package (completed application form, authorized copy of BA/BSc degree, detailed transcript - translated into English, etc) to be sent to Corvinus University.
Applicants will be notified about their results (accepted or declined)
Successful candidates will receive immediately a notification of acceptance by which their visa application if necessary.
The Faculty can assist in the visa application process.
Successful applicants are expected to arrive to Hungary by 1st of September.
Further information:
Please send an e-mail to Mrs. Judit Striker:
info.economics@uni-corvinus.hu
Academic contacts:
Prof. György Jenei and Prof. Mihály Hőgye
Address:
Center for Public Affairs Studies
Budapest University of Economic Sciences and Public Administration
Fővám tér 8.
1093 Budapest, HUNGARY
Tel.: (361) 218-8197
Fax.: (361) 218-1466
E-mail: gyorgy.jenei@uni-corvinus.hu, mihaly.hogye@uni-corvinus.hu