 |
SLOVAKIA |
|
SLOVAKIA |
POSITIONING ACADEMIC PROGRAMMES IN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION IN RELATION TO THE DISCIPLINES TO WHICH THEY ARE MOST CLOSELY RELATED
1. Matej Bel University, Banska Bystrica
Faculty of Economics
The Public Economics and Public Administration programme offers two specialisations that have a PA/PM character in a three-year part-time bachelor’s and five-year part-time and full-time master’s degree programmes:
- Economics and Management of Regions (predominantly a public administration programme);
- Economics and Management of Public Services (predominantly a public management programme).
The programmes of the Faculty of Economics have an interdisciplinary character despite the fact that they were developed on the basis of economics courses. The curricula contain several disciplines, and none can be called dominant. The first three years have a predominantly general management/economics character, with a few PA courses (Public Economics, Social Policy, Public Administration, Territorial Economy, Administrative Law, Public Services, and Non-profit Enterprises). The final two years are dominated by PA/PM courses and only small a proportion of this period is devoted to additional management/economics subjects.
2. Bratislava University of Economics
Faculty of the National Economy
The system of studies in this university is similar to the Faculty of Economics in Banska Bystrica, but it is more focused on general management/economics education. It should be noted that Banska Bystrica has had more experience in offering PA. The PA course is called “Territorial Public Administration and Regional Development” and is offered as a five-year, full-time programme leading to a master’s degree (Ing.).
The first two years of studies are, in principle, the same as for students specialising in “National Economy,” with a minimum number of PA-related courses (only one elective in public administration management). In the final three years, students continue in their specialisation and are offered both economics and PA courses. Because of this faculty’s character, the economic component focuses on banking, taxation, financial markets, insurance, macroeconomics and microeconomics (compulsory). PA and PA-related courses explore the economics of territorial public administration, regional analysis, administrative law, territorial planning, public services and EU comparative PA.
3. University of P. J. Safarik, Kosice
Faculty of Public Administration and the Institute for Public Administration
The institute’s original PA course was established in cooperation with the University of Bayreuth (Germany), and students have the opportunity to study in German. PA is offered by the institute as a full-time, four-year master’s degree (Mgr.) programme.
Contrary to the first two institutions, this PA programme is equally divided into three main areas (law, economics and social sciences) and one supporting group. There is increasing emphasis (compared to the Institute of PA) on economic and social disciplines. These primary groups include:
- legal disciplines (including administrative science, administrative law);
- economic disciplines (including management oriented courses like accounting, economy of enterprise, statistics);
- social sciences and history (with no public administration-related courses);
- other subjects (languages).
The recently established Faculty of Public Administration will introduce numerous changes to the five-year programme. The content will shift from a dominantly legal approach to a mixed legal-economic approach. It is expected that three main departments will be responsible for core subjects: the Department of Law, the Department of Social Sciences and the Department of Economic Sciences. The proportion of economic disciplines represented in the curriculum is increasing.
4. Conclusions
Most public administration students participate in programmes developed on an economics basis, more (Bratislava) or less (Banska Bystrica) dominated by economic and management disciplines. The Safarik University’s PA programme is predominantly a legal studies programme and does not provide sufficient genuine PA courses. As a result of accreditation and learning processes, this is currently changing, and the first sixty-six students will be provided with a more comprehensive study plan. Banska Bystrica offers the highest proportion of PA/PM and related courses, particularly at the master’s level.
Of the two unaccredited programmes outlined in section two, the University of Cyril and Metod’s program is expected to be dominated by legal disciplines and could be similar to Kosice. The programme at the University of Trencin should be similar to those offered in Banska Bystrica and Bratislava, most likely with a smaller portion of specialised subjects. Neither new university has experienced staff to teach more specialised courses at present.
[ Home ] [ Up ] [ Part 1 ] [ Part 2 ] [ Part 3 ] [ Part 4 ] [ Part 5 ] [ Part 6 ] [ Part 7 ] [ Part 8 ] [ Part 9 ] [ Annexes ]
