Master of Public Administration (1252) Professional Degree Graduate Training Program

The Master of Public Administration (MPA) professional degree program is established to improve the talent cultivation system in the public domain, innovate the training model for professional management talents in public sectors, and enhance the quality of cultivating talents with professional characteristics. The MPA program focuses on public policy analysis and relies on the school's distinctive features and advantages in pharmacy, based on the actual development of the pharmaceutical industry. It conducts comprehensive research and practical exploration in areas such as social (medical) security and drug policies. Through concentrated teaching and comprehensive practical training both on and off campus, it aims to cultivate high-level public management professionals with distinctive pharmaceutical features, who possess good political and ideological qualities, professional ethics, a solid foundation in modern public management, and specialized skills in specific pharmaceutical fields. These talents can comprehensively apply knowledge and scientific research methods from pharmacy, management, politics, economics, law, science and technology, etc., and are characterized by innovation, application, integration, and internationalization, to meet the urgent needs of modernization, scientification, and professionalization in public management.

I.Training Objectives and Requirements

1. Training Objectives

The Master of Public Administration (MPA) in China Pharmaceutical University is designed to meet the needs of the national public health sector and the development of the big health industry. Based on the specialization and modernization of the public sector, it mobilizes the comprehensive learning resources inside and outside the university.To cultivate applied, compound and international high-quality talents for government departments and non-government public institutions who have both the knowledge of pharmacy and economic management law, and have the knowledge of public management and the ability of public policy analysis.

2. Training Requirements

1) Master the basic principles of Marxism and the theoretical system of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and  possess good political qualities and professional ethics.

2) Familiar with the public management or policy field of the biomedicine industry, master the basic theory of modern public management and special knowledge of public sector management in specific pharmaceutical fields, and have the ability of public policy analysis.

3) Possess practical skills in analyzing and solving public management and public policy issues under the background of the development of the biopharmaceutical industry, adapt to public management in the new situation of the market economy and law-based governance, and serve the national strategic development of biopharmaceutical industry innovation, drug safety and drug accessibility.

4) Possess a strong ability to apply professional foreign languages.

5) Possess good professional ethics and a strong sense of dedication.

Ⅱ. Duration of Training and Time Allocation

1. Duration of training: 3 years.

The duration of the on-campus centralized course study is one academic year. Postgraduate students should complete their studies within the prescribed period.

2. Practical training: Duration: One year.

MPA students, based on their own circumstances, conduct practical training either on the job or at designated practical bases. After the practical training is completed, they submit a practical report, and the college organizes an expert group to conduct an assessment.

3. Thesis work: The time period should be no less than one year.

The time for course study, practical training and thesis work shall not be changed at will. If the study plan cannot be completed on time due to objective reasons, the graduate student must submit an application three months in advance by themselves. After the supervisor's approval, a formal extension application should be submitted. The extension can only be made after the approval of the Graduate School. It is not allowed to extend the study plan without authorization or to extend it first and then report for approval. The expenses during the extension period shall be borne by the student themselves.

Ⅲ. Training Methods

1. Course study

Equal emphasis is placed on classroom teaching and management practice. Diverse and interactive teaching methods are adopted, and various teaching approaches such as lectures, research, discussions, case analyses, visits and experiences, and scenario simulations are comprehensively utilized to strengthen the practical teaching of public management and focus on cultivating the ability to solve practical work problems. Attach importance to and strengthen case teaching. Each course should adopt no less than 4 cases and the case teaching hours should be no less than 8 class hours. Students who are absent from a certain course for one-third or more of the total class hours of that course are not allowed to take the assessment of that course and must retake it.

2. Practical teaching

The training process adopts the form of a mentor group to give full play to the role of collective guidance. To strengthen the connection and communication with the public sector, especially government agencies, and absorb public managers with rich practical experience, especially high-level government managers, to participate in the training work. Carefully organize concentrated practical activities, and there are clear assessment requirements and methods for evaluating the results of the practice.

V. Curriculum Design

The training of MPA postgraduate students follows a credit system, and the total credits obtained from courses should be no less than 37 credits.

The MPA postgraduate courses are divided into four major categories: public basic courses, general theoretical knowledge (core professional courses and compulsory professional direction courses), domain professional knowledge, and practical training courses.

 Note: A score of 60 or above is considered passing for elective courses and 70 or above for compulsory courses.

        Ⅵ. Practical Links and Requirements

MPA postgraduate students must participate in scientific research practice and social practice, with a total duration of one year, including no less than six months of scientific research practice. They can choose one of the following forms of practice:

1. Conduct project research on management and policy issues in a certain public domain in an individual or group manner;

2. Apply the theories and knowledge learned in practice in combination with one's own job position.

3. Go to a certain department or region for on-the-job training or on-site investigation;

4. As an important member of the team, participate in public management case competitions at or above the provincial level and complete the submission of the cases.

5. Other forms that can reflect the application of what has been learned.

After completing the practical training period, MPA postgraduate students are required to write a Professional Practice Summary Report (referred to as the Practice Report) with a total word count of no less than 5,000 words. The college is responsible for organizing the assessment, and the assessment team consists of at least three experts. Only students who have passed or achieved a passing grade in the assessment are eligible to apply for the thesis defense. Those who have not participated in professional practice or have failed the professional practice assessment cannot proceed to the thesis defense stage. Those who have not participated in professional practice or have failed the professional practice assessment must submit a written application. After approval by the college and the Graduate school, they can re-engage in professional practice.

Ⅶ. Research Proposal

MPA postgraduate students should carry out the thesis proposal work after entering the professional practice stage, and the thesis proposal is required to be completed within the third semester. The proposal report should, in principle, be attended by both the on-campus supervisor and the off-campus supervisor. After the thesis proposal is approved, MPA students should complete the Thesis Proposal Report for Master's Professional Degree Students of China Pharmaceutical University and then proceed to the thesis work stage. For specific requirements, please refer to the Management Measures for the Thesis Proposal of Graduate Students of China Pharmaceutical University (Revised in 2022) and the relevant regulations of the Graduate School.

Ⅷ. Mid-term Assessment

To ensure the teaching quality of MPA postgraduates, after they enter the practical stage, a mid-term assessment will be conducted on them in combination with the plan and completion of their thesis work. The mid-term assessment is required to be completed within the fourth semester. The teaching and research section where the graduate student is located shall organize a assessment team consisting of three or more people including the supervisor and the course instructor to conduct a comprehensive assessment and evaluation of the graduate student's ideological and moral character, the grades of the degree courses in the first academic year, and research capabilities, etc. The specific implementation shall be in accordance with the Implementation Measures for the Mid-term Assessment of Graduate Students of China Pharmaceutical University (Revised in 2022).

Ⅸ. Dissertations and Degree Conferral

After completing the required credits, MPA postgraduate students can enter the stage of writing their dissertations. Once the thesis proposal is approved, they can independently write their dissertations under the guidance of their supervisors. The dissertation should be no less than 20,000 words, with the review content not exceeding one fifth of the total length of the dissertation. There should be no fewer than 20 references. The writing of a degree thesis should comply with academic norms and plagiarism is strictly prohibited.

The topic selection for MPA theses must be closely integrated with one's own work and public management practice. Research directions such as administrative management, social (medical) security, drug policy, and educational economics and management can be chosen. The form of the thesis can be a special topic research, a survey report or a case analysis and argumentation. The thesis should be in line with the current development reality and fully demonstrate the ability of postgraduate students to apply the theories and methods of public management to solve practical problems in public management.

MPA postgraduate students must pass the course assessment as required by the training program, obtain the prescribed credits, pass the professional practice assessment, complete the degree thesis or case analysis report, and pass the degree thesis defense before they can obtain the master's degree certificate. After being reviewed and approved by the university's Academic Degree Evaluation committee, a Master of Public Administration (MPA) degree will be awarded, and only then can a master's professional degree certificate be obtained.

X. Course Syllabus

See the Teaching Syllabus for Graduate Courses of China Pharmaceutical University.