Specializations

Specializations

Student Learning Goals

Major Compulsory Courses

Public Administration and Government Reform

Public administration and government operations are key issues in developing a country’s governance system. Therefore, the program sets up this specialization in response to the urgent need to modernize China’s governance capacity. Focusing on the two core areas of public administration, namely human resource management and financial management, this course explores the ways to implement government strategies, the practice and prospects of reforms in these two areas, as well as the technical path of government operations and the reshaping of governance in the information age so as to build a solid material foundation and institutional mechanism for public administration reform and further enhance China’s governance capacity. Students enrolled in this specialization are expected to evolve into advanced practitioners of national governance who are familiar with the workings of public organizations, especially governmental ones, and who possess practical skills in organization management.

Theory and Practice of Public Organization

Human Resources Management in the Public Sector

Public Budgeting and Reform

E-Government and E-Governance

Urban Governance and Public Service

A country's governance capacity is evidenced directly in its urban governance and public services. In the design of this specialization, we have fully considered the needs of Chinese cities, especially big cities, and the demands of China's new urbanization development so as to explore innovative urban governance and public services in China. Drawing upon international experience, this specialization seeks to explore ways to improve urban governance and public service capacity while integrating the perspective of management and the value of public administration. Through both classroom teaching and practice, students are expected to understand the main theories and key indicators of urban governance and public service capacity, explore and identify the direction of government reform and development that can truly represent the public service capacity of city governments, and master the development trends of various types of urban public services and their governance issues. Through theoretical learning, field research, and data analysis, students will be guided to explore the real decision-making process of urban governance and innovative public service policies; explore the scientific assessment system for improving urban public services; gain a comprehensive understanding of urban governance paradigms shaped by space, level of development and governance structures; explore the ideal model of urban governance in China; and discover the level of public services at different stages of development as well as their influencing factors. This specialization, in short, will empower students to gain a comprehensive understanding of effective means to promote modernization of urban governance, grasp the direction of modernizing the governance capacity of the state, and improve the theoretical and practical skills in urban governance and public services.

Urban Management and Reform

Innovation of Public Service

Transboundary Cooperation and Governance

Local Governance

Social Security and Social Development

Social security is an essential part of a modern national governance system and a basic element of public management. As the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics continues to develop, the reform and development of the society, especially the social security system, has become a key issue in China’s governance modernization. Focusing on the theory and policy practice of social security and social development, this specialization will introduce systematic theories and knowledge about social development and national development, social policy and public management, as well as social regulation and social governance. Through the integration of social policy and public management, students will enhance their awareness of social policy and further realize the democratic and equitable values of public administration. In short, this specialization aims to produce more high-level public administrators with knowledge of social development and social security for the modernization of the country's governance.

Theory and Practice of the Welfare State

Reform of Social Security System in China

Social Policy

Policy and Practice of Social Regulation

Public Safety and Emergency Management 

Public safety and emergency management are indispensable to national political stability, economic development, and people’s livelihood. This specialization conforms to the practice of national public safety and emergency management and the new demand for professionals in public management. Through learning, students will learn to perceive the characteristics of contemporary risk society and understand diverse methods of risk analysis. They will explore feasible ways to improve risk society governance by learning from successful experiences in risk management and emergency response at home and abroad. Students will grasp fundamental theories and methods of emergency management and keep abreast of the latest practices of emergency management in China through case studies of various emergency events. Students will gain a thorough understanding of public crisis management theoretically and practically, preparing well for their future career in crisis management. By learning about the current major social conflicts at home and abroad, students will enhance the analytical and research ability of using relevant theories to analyze social conflicts in China, and resolve them with law-based mentality and measures.

Introduction to Emergency Management

Governance of Risk Society

Public Crisis Management

Social Conflicts and Dispute Resolutions