Introduce students to research in public policy and administration; Consider the nature of research for academic and more applied managerial contexts; Develop skills in the acquisition, analysis and management of qualitative and quantitative data sets; Provides training in general research and study skills.

(LO1) Understand the nature of different research methods in public policy and administration;

(LO2) Understand the methodological steps involved in the research process;

(LO3) Understand the distinction between primary and secondary information and develop a critical awareness of research methods and techniques relating to the collection and analysis of both qualitative and quantitative data;

(LO4) Develop an initial idea into a feasible research proposal;

(LO5) Critically analyze, evaluate and review current research and scholarship;

(LO6) Evaluate, select, and justify appropriate research methods in a chosen area of study to ensure that the evidence generate, its analysis and conclusion are valid, reliable and ethical;

(LO7) Refine their understanding of the nature of academic writing and how to use bibliographies, referencing, citations and quotations;

(LO8) Appreciate the importance of an ethical conduct in research.

(S1) Communication Skills: Students will have opportunities to develop written and oral communication skills through group discussions, presentations and coursework. This will be assessed by written assignments, reports, the dissertation and short individual and group presentations;

(S2) Problem Solving and Decision Making: Students will be challenged to think critically about organisational issues and dilemmas. They will do this by gathering and synthesising information, analysing alternative perspectives and options and presenting a considered opinion or course of action in their course assessment;

(S3) Information and Communication Technology Skills: Students will have opportunities to improve their ICT skills. Students will demonstrate skills in the use of software applications including word processing, visual presentations, data bases, spreadsheets and using the internet for information searches in the course of researching and presenting coursework;

(S4) Personal Effectiveness: This applies to all modules where students will be encouraged to think critically about theory and practice, and to challenge and critique assumptions about the management of people and organisations. In doing so they will be able to recognise and consider issues such as ethical dilemmas, corporate social responsibility, organisational values, leadership approaches and styles. This will be assessed through attaining the appropriate level of critical engagement with theory and practice in programme assignments;

(S5) Time management: This applies to all modules of the programme and is relevant for planning scheduled work and meeting assessment deadlines. This will be evident in the students’ independent management of their assignments and coursework and by meeting coursework deadlines.

Teaching Method 1 - Virtual classroom hours (for online modules)
Notes: Number of hours per week, per student expected in the virtual classroom in discussion, dedicated to group work and individual assessment is 4.

Teaching Method 2 - Non-classroom hours (for online modules)
Notes: Number of hours per week, per student expected for reading, research and other individual work to support engagement in the classroom is 8.

Studying public policy and administration: the key debates; Applied social research: constraints, benefits and limitations; Types of data and collection strategies; Qualitative research: design, data collection, analysis and presentation; Quantitative research: population, sampling, analytical techniques and data presentation; Developing a research proposal: selecting an area, framing a question and planning a research schedule; Academic writing skills; Ethics in research: between theory and practice.