Public management is an interdisciplinary field that draws on law, economics, politics, and public administration. A degree in public management helps graduates effectively manage public sector companies.
Public management plays a crucial role in South Africa. It helps to address socio-economic inequalities by implementing policies and efficient resource distribution. It also helps to ensure effective governance and promote development.
In this article, we will discuss what you can do with a public management degree, the skills students gain, and why it is a valuable career choice.
Table of Contents
- What is a Public Management Degree?
- What are Some Career Opportunities with a Public Management Degree?
- What are Some Specific Job Titles for Public Management Graduates?
- What are Some Skills Gained from a Public Management Degree?
- Why is Public Management a Valuable Career Choice?
- Further Studies and Specializations After a Public Management Degree
- Conclusion
- What You Can Do with a Public Management Degree? FAQs
What is a Public Management Degree?
Public management is a field of education that prepares students for a career in public service. If you look at what you can do with a public management degree, students who complete this programme work locally or nationally to serve communities. Their work helps to bridge the gap in equality and makes essential resources and services available to all citizens.
The programme also helps to train future leaders to guide public sector enterprises towards efficiency. Public management’s multidisciplinary approach blends business management, law, economics, and governance aspects in the programme.
This is also reflected in the core courses that students study, which help define what you can do with a public management degree.
- Public Policy Management
- Public Strategic Management
- Organisational Development
- Public Finance and Budgeting
- Governance and Ethics
- Public Human Resource Management
The School of Public Management at Regenesys offers a Bachelor of Public Management as a 3-year undergraduate programme. Students can choose to complete this offline or online at the main campus.
Read more on What Is Public Management Degree?
What are Some Career Opportunities with a Public Management Degree?
Students who graduate with a public management degree are trained in policy analysis and management, public financial management, and economics. In addition to a public management degree, students also participate in projects and complete internships to gain practical experience.
Those who graduate with a public management degree can find work within government-owned entities or companies engaged with government agencies.
To answer what you can do with a public management degree, let us look at some sectors where graduates can seek employment.
- Government Departments and Agencies: This is the most common sector where public management graduates seek employment. They help to bring private sector efficiency and transparency to public sector companies.
- Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs): Students can also find employment opportunities within local, regional, and international NGOs as they help fight poverty, gender equality, and access to education and healthcare.
- Private Sector: It can also be possible for public management students to work in private companies since many of the skills from a public management degree are transferable. Private companies engaged in services such as electricity, water, and education also require a governmental liaison who can understand public policy.
What are Some Specific Job Titles for Public Management Graduates?
Public-sector companies are designed similarly to private-sector companies. This means they have HR, finance, accounting, and marketing departments. They also have objectives and targets that they are supposed to meet.
However, while the main objective of a private company is to increase profits, public sector enterprises is to promote economic development, reduce inequality, and help protect weaker sections of society.
For those wondering what you can do with a public management degree, here are some available jobs with a public management degree in South Africa.
- Public Health Managers: These professionals help implement public health programmes. Many public health managers work in rural or impoverished communities that might not have easy access to healthcare professionals.
- Urban and Regional Planners: They help to plan future cities that balance economic growth with environmental stability. Urban planners also help to improve existing cities by creating open spaces, turning certain roads into pedestrian walkways, and planning affordable housing.
- Public Sector Partnerships Manager: These positions are usually within private companies. The role helps connect a company with relevant government departments to secure funding or to advance its objectives. These partnerships are mutually beneficial in areas such as conservation, education, or eradicating poverty.
- Programme Managers:They help execute and manage projects for government entities. They are in charge of finances, budgets, and risk management. They must also evaluate progress, adhere to the proposed timeline, and provide regular feedback.
What are Some Skills Gained from a Public Management Degree?
Government departments or public-sector companies usually hire public management graduates. These jobs offer a good salary combined with benefits and job security. While certain soft skills are required in private-sector companies to gain promotions and climb the corporate ladder, in the public sector, these skills help get work done.
Public sector employees will deal with a variety of people, and they need to be excellent leaders who can help communicate their objectives. They also need to have strong negotiation skills to help motivate citizens.
What you can do with a public management degree in the field depends on these helpful skills.
- Leadership: These roles require strong leaders who can communicate the goals and motivate internal and external stakeholders to meet targets. They need to be likeable while being assertive.
- Negotiation: A strong negotiator can help convince citizens to attempt the goals set out by a new policy. These could be completing secondary school education or childhood vaccinations. Negotiation can also be effective in resource allocation and asking for funds.
- Communication: Public managers learn to become strong communicators. These skills are required to convey the organisation’s message and the project’s goals, benefits, timeline, etc.
- Decision-making: A public manager is trained to become a decision-maker who considers all the factors. This will lead to better policy implementation and organisational changes.
- Solution-oriented: Instead of just finding the source of the problem, a public manager is trained to find a solution and implement it as quickly as possible.
Why is Public Management a Valuable Career Choice?
Public management focuses on policies and strategies that help public sector companies operate to help provide essential resources and services to people. Those who choose a career in public management help to make a positive impact on society.
When we examine what you can do with a public management degree, individuals help to carry out meaningful work that can help change the standard of living for thousands. Public managers can witness the direct impact of their work as communities are uplifted with the right to education, access to jobs and healthcare.
On a personal level, it is a valuable career choice because it offers excellent compensation and benefits, provides diverse career opportunities, and offers job fulfilment.
Further Studies and Specializations After a Public Management Degree
Students should pick a strong undergraduate programme in public management that allows them to gain practical training. This will allow students to practice their theoretical knowledge and gain experience dealing with various stakeholders.
What you can do with a public management degree depends on your decided future path. After completing their programme, students can enrol for a specialised Masters in Public Management. This is ideal for students who wish to focus on the public and development sector. It is also aimed at individuals employed in the public sector who wish to achieve a formal qualification.
Alternatively, students can choose to complete a Master’s in Public Policy, a Master’s in Development Policy and Practice, or a Master’s in Management in Governance.
It is recommended that students gain relevant work experience before pursuing a master’s degree. The experience will help to enhance the learning process and allow graduates to make a more informed choice regarding specialisation.
Conclusion
Public management is a rewarding field where the work individuals carry out make a direct impact on society. It helps to bridge inequality and improve access to essential resources and services. To answer, what you can do with a public management degree, these professionals help shape public policies, improve community well-being, and tackle some of the most pressing challenges in society.
A career in public management is valuable because it combines the opportunity to make a meaningful impact on society with the chance to develop strong leadership, management, and policy-making skills.
Students interested in a life-changing career in public management should check Regenesys’ School of Public Management’s curriculum details and admission requirements.
What You Can Do with a Public Management Degree? FAQs
What are some public management degree career opportunities?
What you can do with a public management degree depends on whether you wish to be employed in the public sector, private sector or with NGOs. The scope of roles and responsibilities vary but public management positions work towards the betterment of society.
Can you work in the private sector with a public management degree?
Graduates of public management can apply for private and public sector jobs in South Africa. They can work at private firms that are engaged in some capacity with the government.
What are some skills from a public management degree?
Public management programmes teach students to become strong and effective leaders, good communicators, problem solvers, and decision-makers.
What are the job benefits for public sector jobs?
Public sector employees enjoy competitive salaries and attractive benefits such as healthcare, housing, pension, and job security. Employees often enjoy a good work-life balance, especially compared to the private sector.
What are the core courses in a public management degree?
Some core courses include Public Policy Management, Public Strategic Management, Organisational Development, and Public Finance and Budgeting.