Master in Public Management

The course examines the actual practice of power, ethics and accountability, specifically in the public sector. It discusses the causes of corruption, and the structures and measures to promote accountability and combat corruption. It trains students to recognize, articulate and navigate through ethical dilemmas in the workplace with the help of a framework and a model for ethical decision-making.

The course provides students with a real-world understanding of the basic economic tools used in the analysis of social issues and problems and the formulation of public policies and decisions. It presents the students with a range of applications of economic theories and tools and their current limitations in the light of conditions prevailing in both the public and the private sectors at national and local levels.

The course integrates concepts from public administration, political science and organization studies towards a deeper understanding of the government, its structure, roles, limitations and failures. It provides students with perspectives on the structure, logic and possibilities of the bureaucracy and the individual as an agent and an arena for change. It introduces new paradigms in public management that are critical in transforming the bureaucracy for better governance.

The course focuses on the whys, results, and challenges in Philippine public finance. It looks at how public finance is different from private finance. It is an economics subject and looks at how the government makes choices on “allocating scarce resources to satisfy the unlimited needs and wants of citizens”. It is also a policy course and examines the rationale and effectiveness of different modes of government financing and the effects of these alternatives on equity and development.

The course introduces the students to the public policy-making process including policy implementation, and the integral role of politics in the process. It aims to develop an understanding of the policy environment and the key stakeholders in the policy-making process so that those who design, give advice on, and implement public policy may know how to navigate policy reform through its risks and opportunities.

The course introduces the depth of self-development and thinking by orienting the students to the mission, values and leadership model of the Ateneo School of Government.  The interactive and reflective approach of the course focuses on personal, group, institutional and social issues in relation to development concerns such as poverty, equity, gender, accountability, politics, governance and competitiveness.

Modern Management in Local Government (3 Units)

The course provides an overview of the concept of decentralization and the attainment of local autonomy. It discusses various tools and systems of modern management, techniques and methods of managing change in a decentralized set-up and organizational culture as the context of developing work processes at the local level.

Local Planning and Development (3 Units)

The course introduces the students to the principles of development planning in the light of socio-economic development trends, issues, and realities. The course explains the different stages and processes of planning at the local level.

Local Investment and Enterprise Development (3 Units)

The course equips the students with knowledge and skills on attracting and mobilizing investments, increasing and expanding business activities, and improving conditions for enterprise development at the local level.

Urbanization and Sustainable Development (3 Units)

The course is aimed at enhancing the students’ understanding of the phenomenon and challenge of urbanization in the domestic and international context. Students will be introduced to theory and practice of urban planning and development and will also be familiarized with policy and management tools that they can use to develop programs and projects aimed at responding to urban challenges.

Health Financing and Equity in Health (3 Units)

The course enhances the students’ understanding of various options for health financing and various options for paying health care providers and how these options directly affect the behaviors of health providers and consumers.

Health Technology Assessment and Regulation (3 Units)

The course introduces the concept of technology assessment as a management and policy decision tool to examine the economic, ethical and social implications of the use of technology in health care.

Health Human Resource Management and Development (3 Units)

The course focuses on global and national issues and concerns related to human resources for health, encompassing all stages of the health workers' career lifespan from entry into the workforce to job recruitment, training and skills development, and through their retirement from the workforce.

Management and Governance Paradigms in Health (3 Units)

The course emphasizes the roles and interactions of the state and market in the delivery of health services and how these interactions influence the attainment of efficiency and equity goals in the health system.

Health Promotion and Social Determinants of Health (3 Units)

The course introduces the concept of health promotion as going beyond the traditional concept of health care within the realm of the health sector. It draws attention to the critical factors that influence health and how an integrated policy approach and unified action of the government and society are essential to attain better health and development outcomes.

Information and Communication Technology in Health (3 Units)

The course highlights the use of ICT to strengthen data-generation and analysis for better policy development and planning, financial management, human resource management, quality assurance, and performance monitoring and evaluation.

Environmental Governance and Climate Change (3 Units)

The course introduces the students to the principles of environmental governance and sustainable development as the overarching framework for addressing climate change and managing natural resources.

Science and Technology Tools for Climate Change Adaptation (3 Units)

The course delves into the science, impact and risks associated with climate change. It gives the students greater understanding of the country’s vulnerability to climate change, particularly in the areas of environment, public and social welfare, security, poverty and development.

Policy and Economics for Climate Change (3 Units)

The course introduces the students to the economics of climate change and provides them with policy tools for building an economy that follows a low-carbon path and is resilient from climate risks.

Mainstreaming Climate Change into Policy and Planning (3 Units)

The course is designed to ensure that the knowledge, skills and tools acquired by the students from the other specialized courses are integrated into the planning and policy formulation processes.

Comparative Policy in Energy Transitions (3 Units)

This introductory course explores the country's experiences in the area of energy policy with respect to the economic, social, political, and technological forces that underpin energy transitions. Utilizing a comparative approach and real-life case studies, this course immerses the students to critically understand and analyze the crosscutting issues and complexities of decision-making processes within this policy area. While cognizant that energy policy is often a centralized and national-level policy domain, the course shall also touch on challenges experienced at subnational levels and other contexts that are underpinned by diverse geographical, socio-economic and political circumstances.

Energy Economics and Regulation (3 Units)

As a consumer and industrial good, energy is a basic and critical resource that demands intensive consideration and public regulation by relevant authorities. Students shall be informed on the intricate workings of energy markets, the interplay between resource production and utilization, and possible externalities stemming from energy use. A special focus on the historical experience and current regulatory issues in the Philippines shall also be undertaken.

Energy Governance and Management (3 Units)

A critical goal in energy policy is maintaining and ensuring a stable, secure and equitable supply of energy. Students shall be instructed on the systematic management and other essential strategies to deal with the various risks and consequences inherent to energy systems. Especially under a context of increasing hazards from climate crises and other disaster scenarios, the management of the energy system is vital to energy specialists.

Principles of Energy Systems (3 Units)

Public managers working on energy policy are expected to be conversant about their field’s scientific, engineering and technical aspects. This course serves as a broad introduction to fundamental concepts in the energy field: science, engineering, products and its applications. Students are not expected to have a technical background to undertake this subject but shall be trained to eventually possess a scientific appreciation of the energy field. At the end of the course, the knowledge gained from this course could serve as a building block for advanced topics.

Energy Innovations and the Environment (3 Units)

The fast-paced evolution of contemporary knowledge has given rise to competing and complementary energy technologies that are largely geared to meet sustainability targets and environmental regulations. This advanced course shall acquaint future public managers with the ongoing development, debate and discussions about the different novel and emerging energy technologies and innovations to address climate change issues.

Business of Energy (3 Units)

For systemic energy transitions to fully deploy, the involvement of the private sector and other non-government organizations would be necessary to complement efforts by the government. The energy transitions should take the Sustainable Development Goals together with the Ambisyon 2040 plans into consideration, and ensure that no one is left behind. Students shall be intimately exposed to the commercial operations of the energy industry particularly within the Philippine setting. The course shall also touch on practical and professional topics such as power contracting, purchase agreements, and retail competition.

Technology Development Policies and Challenges (3 Units)

The course orients the students to the policy environment and the process of policy-making and implementation, including the contexts, challenges and constraints of official decision-making in the Science and Technology (S&T) sector.

Intellectual Property and Investment and Incentives Laws (3 Units)

The course provides a deeper understanding of local and international intellectual property laws that deal with concerns related to copyright, trademark, patent, internet issues, and technology transfer arrangements, among other interests.

Investment and Enterprise Development (3 Units)

The course equips the students with knowledge and skills on how to make, and help Small-Medium Enterprises (SMEs) make a business plan for better productivity, growth, and competitiveness.

Marketing Management (3 Units)

The course explores the basic concepts of marketing analysis and the applications of these concepts toward improving the prospects of SMEs faced with current opportunities and challenges.

Asset Reform and Natural Resource Management (3 Units)

The course introduces the students to the importance of asset reform to sustainably govern and manage natural resources for rural development. It aims for students to have a clear understanding on asset reform, and to hone their core competencies and skills in governing, managing and developing land and water resources.

Agricultural and Rural Development Tools (3 Units)

The course provides students with a toolkit, a resource, of the different approaches that would enhance agricultural productivity towards food security anchored on the principles and philosophy of sustainable agriculture development.

Rural Development Models and Approaches (3 Units)

The course gives a critical view of the different models and approaches in managing ecosystems in the context of rural development in the Philippines and selected Asian neighbors.

Innovation, Social Change and Development (3 Units)

This course will explore and examine several socio-cultural, economic and political theories and frameworks of development and how these theories contribute to understanding the complex reality of poverty. It is designed to help the students to explore and analyze out-of-the-box approaches and practices or innovations that seek to address social change and development.  Among these are technological innovations such as social media that provide new and diverse ways for widespread communication and information dissemination leading to change. The course will also identify and analyze the growing numbers of social innovations such as social enterprises that have had significant impact on poverty situations.

Social Accountability for Good Governance (3 Units)

This module on Social Accountability introduces the MPM student to the complexity and dynamism of social accountability as an approach to good governance. It invites the student to examine contextual factors that appear to be critical in shaping social accountability interactions, offer a flexible analytical framework to guide the student wanting to undertake social accountability interventions, test social accountability competencies of constructive engagement and citizen monitoring, experiment with social accountability tools and mechanisms, and explore the evidence of social accountability effectiveness. This course will help the students reflect and engage in problem analysis about how leadership could be exercised to respond to imperatives for reform in the bureaucracy and promote social accountability in the way public servants relate to and conduct themselves.

International Relations in a Globalizing World (3 Units)

The course explores the relationship between globalization and foreign affairs in the contemporary Philippine context. Emerging from a history of multiple colonizations, the country has always been immersed in a network of global relations, with its domestic politics tied to the pressures and persuasions of foreign powers. The course also focuses on the role of the state in forging regional alliances and negotiating conflicts, trade relations, the global flow of Filipino labor, a range of political frays, and the long-term implications of globalization for the country.

Understanding National Security and Insecurity (3 Units)

The course tackles the protection of the nation’s sovereignty and interest within the framework of its national security policies. It discusses the challenges that come from within and without its borders, defined in an inclusive and broadly encompassing manner. In this context, national security is not confined to military strategy and tactics alone. It is viewed from the perspective of changing traditional and non-traditional threats, non-state actors, and globalization. It also examines economic crises, political change, and climate change as they impact human security.

Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk Reduction (3 Units)

The risk to natural hazards that the Philippines faces has compelled the Philippine government to pass policies on Climate Change (Republic Act 9729 and as amended by RA 10174) and the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act (Republic Act 10121). These new laws have re-drawn the governance landscape in the Philippines as climate change and disaster risk reduction measures are to be integrated and mainstreamed in policies and programs of government. The course will introduce students to the various dimensions of CCA and DRR as they apply to local governance.

Human Resource Management and Development (3 Units)

The course introduces the students to the concepts, practice and challenges of Strategic Human Resource Management (HRM) in the public sector. It will explore theories, principles and practices in human resources management and their implications in building public trust and support and improvement of public service delivery.  Relevant discussion shall include building capacities for the public sector to do a good job in implementing government programs and will also cover discussions of HR models and practices that optimize work environments for improved operations of public organizations.

Organizational Development (3 Units)

The course provides students with theories, strategies, and tools in change management in the context of organization development in the public sector. It will enable students to design appropriate strategies for addressing the power of the status quo in government bureaucracies, managing resistance and sustaining the gains from change initiatives.

Integrated Program Management (3 units)

The course equips students with the basic tools and techniques necessary to design, implement, monitor and evaluate development programs and projects. It teaches students the applications of cost-benefit analysis as well as the value of other analytical tools to guide decision-making aimed at attaining effectiveness, efficiency and equity goals.

Statistics for Public Management (3 units)

The course equips students with the basic statistical techniques required in the systematic and empirical analysis of public policy. Emphasis of the course will be on the practical application of these techniques to public policy issues and problems.

The Governance Innovation Seminar focuses on the essentials of social research, the appropriate tools in conducting quantitative and qualitative research, and the effective methods and style of writing the Governance Innovation Report (GIR). The course guides the students in planning their GIR proposals. It provides them with the opportunity to articulate and defend their proposals and the capability to write the GIR effectively.

At the start of the MPM program, students are encouraged to identify a topic on a governance, public management or policy concern or priority that they will develop for their Governance Innovation Report. The writing of the GIR starts with the GIR proposal. The process proceeds with the collection, presentation and analysis of data, the interpretation of results, and the presentation of conclusions and recommendations. The GIR is the final academic requirement in the MPM program.

The Master in Public Management (MPM) is the flagship education program of the Ateneo School of Government (ASoG). It aims to develop leaders and managers who are visionaries, ethical, strategic thinkers, analytical, politically smart, technically proficient, and practical. The MPM program aims to build the capacity of the students to achieve the broader goals of transforming communities and building the nation through ethical leadership and good governance in the public service.

It will take a working student at least 18 months to complete the degree, depending on the number of courses being taken during the program. The MPM is a 39-unit master’s degree program organized into 13 courses with each course run for 32 hours delivered in several sessions. ASoG is conducting the program in a more flexible schedule through a modular approach wherein each 32-hour course is run in 4-hour per week session especially for the Standard Program.

Classes are held on Saturdays to avoid disrupting the work schedule of our students who are professionals in their field.

Starting August 2023, a few of our classes will shift to Hyflex - that means half of the sessions will be onsite and the other half will be conducted online. Some classes will still be purely online.

Each week, students will be given material that they can peruse at their own convenience. These materials include but are not limited to video lectures, narrated Powerpoint presentations, readings, and other online learning content. On most Saturdays, classes will have scheduled, synchronous discussion sessions with their professors, with each session lasting for 2-3 hours.

The ASoG MPM Program has a student-centered and practitioner-oriented curriculum where theory and practice are linked to develop and hone the student’s competencies to lead and excel in the public and private sectors. The courses are taught using adult-learning techniques that build on the student’s experience. These techniques include active discussions in class, the use of problem-based case studies, simulations and lectures. The ASoG MPM seeks to teach not only technical skills but also political and ethical skills that will enhance and make easy one’s engagement within the bureaucracy and the political arena. The ASoG’s Leadership Framework guides the Program’s curriculum. The Framework identifies the competencies essential to be able to lead effectively and ethically in the public sector – commitment to social justice, learning in action and personal mastery.

Members of ASoG’s faculty are considered senior practitioners and experts in their respective fields with a commitment to practical innovation and good governance, combined experience in collaboration involving the public, for profit and non-profit sectors. They include current and former high-ranking government officials, top-level executives from the private sector, and leaders from citizen groups.

Core Courses (18 units):

• Ethics, Power and Accountability
• Public Governance and the Bureaucracy
• Public Policy Development and Analysis
• Applied Economics in the Public Sector
• Public Finance and Budget
• Leadership in Public Service

Elective Courses (15 units): to be taken from the General Electives or Specialized Tracks

• General Electives
• Energy Transitions Track
• Local Governance Track
• Health Governance Track
• Technology-based Enterprise Development Track
• Environmental Governance and Sustainable Development Track
• Public Finance Management Track

Integrative Courses (6 units):

• Governance Innovation Report 101
• Governance Innovation Report 102

As the capstone of the MPM degree, the student is required to submit a Governance Innovation Report (GIR) that provides practical and implementable solutions or recommendations to resolve issues of public concern.

Starting August 2023, students have to pay the tuition fee amounting to Php 14,533.00 for every 3-unit course which is already inclusive of the miscellaneous fees. Other fees to be paid towards the end of the program are for the writing of the Governance Innovation Report (GIR). The estimated cost of the program is around Php 210,000.

The School complies with the CHED approved tuition fee increase of 6% every year after a presentation to the students has been conducted.

For any MPM-related questions or concerns, you may email our Academic Program Officers, at info.asog@ateneo.edu.