Specialist Certificate in Public Administration (Advanced) (SC-PAADV) // Attributes, outcomes and skills

On completion of the Specialist Certificate in Public Administration (Advanced), graduates should be able to:

• Examine the local, national, regional, and global factors that impact on political advisers and their environment.
• Critically analyse the complex challenges that confront political advisers.
• Analyse and discuss the strategic environment in which political advisers operate and the relationships they develop to deliver on complex public policy goals.
• Critically evaluate the interconnected nature of complex challenges, and be equipped with the ability to apply interdisciplinary approaches to solving them.

Students who complete the Specialist Certificate in Public Administration (Executive) should have: 

• A high-level ability to combine theory and practice in a meaningful way in order to address managerial challenges, analyse contemporary issues of public policy and advising, and reflect critically on one's own professional practice;
• A high-level ability to combine professional skills such as decision making, media and communication management, ethics, project management, strategic management, leadership and negotiation with discipline-based expertise in political science, law and economics, and to apply this complex synthesis to professional practice;
• A highly-developed capacity to adapt to new situations and reflect upon professional practice in order to most effectively address challenges;
• Well-developed interpersonal and communication skills necessary to a range of professional activities including report writing, workplace discussions, negotiation and management and lobbying strategies;
• Flexible communication skills with a highly attuned sensitivity to a diverse audience, and to the issues specific to cross-cultural communication; and
• The ability to draw upon an extensive repertoire of advanced professional skills including skills in leadership, negotiation, decision analysis and strategic management and to apply these skills with an awareness of the ethical implications of strategies and decisions.

Graduate of the Specialist Certificate in Public Administration (Advanced) should have the following attributes:

• Academic Distinction An in-depth knowledge of the disciplinary foundations of political advising and new perspectives on the field; The ability to develop creative and pragmatic solutions to a range of challenges; Skill of persuasion built on evidence, research, and analysis.
• Active Citizenship A knowledge and appreciation of issues at local, national and global level and their impact on communities; An ability to work with others, and to lead in challenging environments; A commitment to making a difference.
• Integrity and Self-Awareness Independent thinkers who can work in diverse groups and appreciate alternative perspectives; Ethical individuals who operate with a sense of personal and professional integrity and encourage others to do the same; Passionate problem solvers who seek out new knowledge.