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BACHELOR OF ARTS (HONS) PUBLIC POLICY AND ADMINISTRATION

The primary aim of this programme is to produce graduates who will become professional public managers and policy analysts in the public sector. In this regard, this programme ensure graduates:

  1. have an-depth understanding of contemporary public management and the system of  policy-making and  policy implementation in the public sector and in the Bruneian context in particular;
  2. are able to contribute to the formulation and articulation of coherent development plans and programmes consistent with the  national development policies in  different policy sectors; and,
  3. have acquired adequate skills to meet the managerial demands of various ministries and  departments, and to meet the managerial challenges for new forms of  governance in the public domain;

The courses in the programme have therefore been designed and offered to achieve the following objectives:

  1. to achieve an appropriate level of competency in a range of theoretical and methodological approaches to themes and issues of public policy and administration;
  2. to provide direct experience of the work in the public and private sectors and to utilize that experience to enhance subsequent learning;
  3. to develop an in-depth understanding of the various policy areas or fields and at different levels of government; and,
  4. to provide  a broad base of managerial and analytical skills which are distinctive in the public sector context.

The Public Policy and Administration degree programme is multi-disciplinary in approach and aims to prepare students for a wide range of careers, mainly in the public sector.  It is based on the premise that policy, planning and managerial 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 context within which particular skills are harnessed.  An in-depth knowledge of awareness of the appropriate substantive policy fields and the know-how to exploit  them effectively in the national interest would therefore be an essential quality of Public Policy and Administration graduates.

The theory and practice of policy-making, management and administration are explored in an academic environment which retains a distinctly pragmatic and practical character due to the close cooperation which exists between the Department and a range of external agencies which include many government departments. The broad-based subjects of Year 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 and public management issues in Brunei Darussalam, a comparative approach is adopted wherever appropriate so that the experiences of other countries, especially those in the ASEAN region, may be considered. Graduates from this programme now occupy posts in a remarkably varied range of government departments and private firms and many have completed masters degree and a few have completed doctoral studies.

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