The courses in the programme have therefore been designed and offered by the Department of Public Policy and Administration to achieve the following objectives:

1. to achieve an appropriate level of competence in a range of theoretical and methodological approaches to issues of public policy and public administration;
2. to provide direct experience of the work of public and private sectors and utilize that experience in subsequent learning;
3. to develop an understanding of the relative importance of local, national and international perspectives in the analysis of any given public issue;
4. to provide both a broad base of knowledge and skills and a selectively specific analysis of public policy and administration issues.

The Public Policy & Administration degree programme is multi-disciplinary in approach and aims to prepare students for a wide range of careers, in both the public and private sectors. It is based on the premise that policy and planning decisions, whilst being informed by a foundation of technical and other specialist knowledge, are not based on such considerations alone. Broader concepts such as community and national development are used to define the social context within which particular skills are harnessed. An awareness of the appropriate technical fields and effective ways of exploiting them in the national interest would therefore be an essential quality of Public Policy and Administration graduates.

The theory and practice of policy-making and administration are explored in an academic environment which retains a distinctly pragmatic character due to the close cooperation which exists between the Department and a range of external agencies which include many government departments and private sector companies.

The broad-based subjects of Years 1 and 2 serve as a foundation upon which subsequently more specialized subjects and external experience may be built. While some emphasis is given to consideration of the formulation and implementation of policy in Brunei Darussalam, a comparative approach is also adopted wherever appropriate so that the experiences of other countries, especially those in the ASEAN region, may be considered.