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MSc

Quality Policy

Contents Core Values Implementation Quality Assurance Actions Objectives and Actions Policy Communication Quality Policy MSc Programme Quality Policy The MSc Programme in Public Administration & Local Government (PA&LG),…

Quality Policy

MSc Programme Quality Policy

The MSc Programme in Public Administration & Local Government (PA&LG), in cooperation with the Quality Assurance Unit (MODIP) of the University of the Peloponnese (UoP), aligns its Quality Policy with the Quality Policy of the University and of the Department of Business and Organisation Administration, while further specialising it in specific areas.

The University of the Peloponnese seeks to become a pillar of excellence in education and research, while placing particular emphasis on internationalisation, the utilisation of research results, innovation in teaching and learning, the development of entrepreneurship, and strengthening the University’s links with society. The MSc Programme in PA&LG has developed and implements a specific formal Quality Assurance Policy, which forms part of its overall strategy.

Core Values

This Policy is based on the following core values of the University of the Peloponnese and, more specifically, of the Department of Business and Organisation Administration. The key characteristics of the Department’s Quality Policy include:

  • The development of a quality culture among the members of the academic community and the cultivation of a sense of responsibility.
  • The promotion of responsibility both in relations among members of the academic community and in their relations with social partners, as well as the safeguarding of ethics, academic integrity and equal learning opportunities.
  • Ensuring the quality of the curriculum and its development in accordance with international academic standards and, in particular, the standards of the Hellenic Authority for Higher Education (HAHE).
  • Commitment to the educational process and the advancement of science, taking into account students’ needs, their future professional development and the needs of society more broadly.
  • The active contribution of external institutions and organisations towards strengthening the connection between education and the labour market.
  • The promotion of a culture of inclusion and acceptance of diversity.

Implementation of the Policy by the Department

For the implementation of its policy, the Department:

  • Develops a modern and flexible curriculum aimed at strengthening the Department’s links with society and the labour market, while increasing the employability and social contribution of its graduates.
  • Ensures the continuous revision of the curriculum through the established curriculum review procedure.
  • Defines the programme’s learning outcomes in accordance with the National and European Qualifications Frameworks for Higher Education and takes measures to ensure their achievement.
  • Strengthens the Department’s outward orientation and encourages the participation of graduates and external organisations in shaping the curriculum.
  • Promotes student-centred learning in curriculum design, aiming to improve student performance and reward academic excellence.
  • Supports the teaching and research activities of its faculty members and promotes the connection between teaching and research.
  • Ensures the rational allocation and management of the resources required for the operation and development of the Department.
  • Seeks the continuous improvement of student information and student welfare services.
  • Promotes a culture of equal opportunities and equal treatment for both students and staff through dialogue, acceptance of diversity, democratic governance, gender equality and support for vulnerable social groups.

The MSc Programme in Public Administration & Local Government, as an academic unit belonging to the Department of Business and Organisation Administration, is committed to and actively participates in the development and implementation of this policy by providing appropriate structures and procedures in which all relevant internal stakeholders participate, including Governing Bodies, Faculty Members, External Teaching Staff and Researchers, Employees, Students and other interested parties. The Quality Policy aims at the continuous and systematic assurance, improvement and enhancement of the quality of the MSc curriculum and its supporting services.

Quality Assurance Actions and Procedures

More specifically, in order to implement its Quality Policy, the MSc Programme applies actions and procedures that ensure and document quality as follows:

a) Programme Structure and Organisation

a) With regard to the suitability of the structure and organisation of the postgraduate programme, the MSc Programme has adopted a model based on the interdisciplinary study of the complex phenomenon of public administration, both at central government level and at the various levels of local government. Particular emphasis is placed on the Greek case, always examined within its broader European context, as well as on understanding the contribution of democratic, effective and efficient local, national and European governance to smart, sustainable and socially balanced development.

The interdisciplinary approach adopted by the Programme involves the in-depth study of fields within administrative science, political science and the history of institutions, while incorporating technology and research leading to the preparation of a Master’s thesis. Its objective is to provide specialised and in-depth knowledge and skills.

In this way, the Programme prepares its graduates, whether they are already employed in the public sector or seek a career within it, to further develop their professional field, remain competitive in the labour market, and contribute to their organisations through enhanced expertise and a new organisational culture capable of responding to the demands and challenges of the 21st century.

b) Level 7 Learning Outcomes

b) With regard to learning outcomes in accordance with Level 7 of the European and National Qualifications Frameworks for Higher Education, upon completion of their studies graduates of the MSc Programme:

  • Will be able to understand the importance of systematic organisational planning and redesign for the proper operation and effectiveness of a public organisation.
  • Will have a comprehensive understanding of the historical development and institutional evolution of the Greek administrative system, its main cultural characteristics, and the efforts and difficulties associated with its reform.
  • Will be familiar with the fundamental conceptual and methodological framework of administrative planning, both in its strategic/long-term and operational/medium- and short-term dimensions.
  • Will have knowledge of the current institutional framework governing the organisation, operation and development of administrative action programmes at local and regional level.
  • Will possess specialised skills relating to “development” within the framework of global and local sustainability, combined with an understanding of the fundamental characteristics of local communities.
  • Will possess specialised skills related to the effective management of critical organisational and operational issues affecting Greek Public Administration and local government bodies.
  • Will understand the different levels of organisational design, from processes and workflows to organisational structures, as well as the corresponding design methodologies.
  • Will have comprehensive knowledge of the implementation of public policies, the problems that arise and the methods available for addressing them.
  • Will have comprehensive knowledge of how local communities affected by global policies can develop sustainably through the utilisation of their cultural capital.
  • Will possess specialised skills and tools for holistic cultural planning aimed at the development of local communities, strengthening social cohesion and promoting socioeconomic development.
  • Will be able to understand and use planning processes for the design, monitoring, improvement and evaluation of public policy implementation at local, regional and central government level.
  • Will be able to analyse the existing organisational structure of an institution and redesign individual processes as well as the organisation’s overall structure.
  • Will be able, using specialised planning tools, to determine an appropriate span of supervision and estimate the necessary positions by specialisation, making effective use of modern administrative planning tools.

c) Quality and Effectiveness of Teaching

c) With regard to promoting the quality and effectiveness of teaching within the MSc Programme, the selection of teaching staff for each course follows the procedure prescribed by law.

A fundamental requirement is that faculty members specialise in a relevant scientific field. Where the instructor is not a faculty member, they must demonstrate a high level of scientific expertise based on published and recognised work and relevant research and/or professional experience.

d) Integration of Teaching and Research

d) The teaching staff of the MSc Programme consistently prioritise the connection between teaching and research and the incorporation of research findings into course content. This is ensured, first and foremost, by the fact that the academic fields of the teaching staff largely correspond to the subject areas covered by the MSc Programme. Consequently, their research activities inherently contribute to the needs of the curriculum.

In addition, teaching staff are encouraged to continuously improve the quality of their research through participation in competitive research programmes and international conferences, ongoing engagement with the relevant academic literature, and continuous interaction both among themselves and with the broader scientific community.

e) Labour Market Demand for Graduate Qualifications

e) With regard to labour market demand for the qualifications acquired by graduates, it should be emphasised that the MSc curriculum has, from the outset, established as a core principle that the knowledge and skills acquired by students should be directly connected to the labour market, particularly the Public Sector and Local Government Organisations. A significant indication of this relevance is the fact that the degree is officially recognised within the Public Sector as a postgraduate qualification related to its field.

f) Quality of Support Services

f) The MSc Programme also takes measures to ensure the high quality of supporting services, including administrative services, libraries and student welfare services. The Programme’s administration maintains continuous contact with these services, supervises administrative staff to ensure that they fulfil their duties effectively and promptly, and communicates regularly with the University’s library in order to support students’ research needs.

g) Rational Use of Resources

g) As a self-financed Programme, the MSc Programme ensures that the financial resources generated through tuition fees, which amount to €3,450 per student, with the exception of those legally entitled to an exemption, are utilised in accordance with the requirements of the University’s Special Account for Research Funds (ELKE).

The Programme submits its budgets, as approved by the General Assembly of the Department of Business and Organisation Administration, to ELKE in a timely manner and ensures the rational allocation of resources among the Programme’s main needs, including teaching staff remuneration, research funding, organisation of scientific meetings, and subscriptions to journals and databases.

h) Internal Evaluation and Quality Review

h) The MSc Programme also ensures, in cooperation with the Department’s Internal Evaluation Group (OMEA) and the University’s Quality Assurance Unit (MODIP), as required by its institutional obligations, the annual internal evaluation and review of the quality assurance system applicable to the postgraduate programmes of the University of the Peloponnese.

i) Outreach and Public Dialogue

i) The Programme also seeks to strengthen its outward orientation through the annual organisation of conferences, workshops, lectures, interventions in public dialogue and other related scientific or intellectual activities.

j) Social Role of the Academic Unit

j) The Programme also considers strengthening the social role of the academic unit to be an important objective. By educating professionals and executives working in the Public Sector and Local Government Organisations, and by enhancing their qualifications as graduates of the MSc Programme, it contributes to improving the quality of human resources within central and local government administration.

In this way, the Programme contributes to more effective governance of the State.

Planning of Objectives and Actions

The Coordinating Committee of the MSc Programme is explicitly committed to implementing the aforementioned Quality Policy. Staff members and students actively participate in quality assurance in accordance with their respective roles. The administration of the MSc Programme assumes responsibility for contributing:

  • To connecting and aligning the Quality Policy with the broader strategic objectives of the University and the Department of Management Science and Technology.
  • To communicating the Quality Policy to students, staff, partners and all recipients of the services provided by the MSc Programme.
  • To ensuring all necessary resources for the implementation of the Quality Policy and the Internal Quality Assurance System, as well as monitoring objectives and performance indicators and submitting proposals for improvement through the operation of the Department’s Internal Evaluation Group (OMEA).
  • To making decisions aimed at the continuous improvement of the quality of the educational, research and administrative work of the MSc Programme.

The Quality Policy described above forms the basis for the MSc Programme’s annual objectives and the corresponding qualitative indicators.

Communication of the Quality Policy

The Quality Policy is communicated to those directly involved at the beginning of each academic year and at regular intervals thereafter, when the MSc Programme’s teaching staff present its main principles and encourage students to study the Policy as published on the University’s central website.

The responsibilities of the Quality Assurance Unit, the structure of the Internal Quality Assurance System and the University’s Quality Manual are also published on the Quality Assurance Unit’s website. Responsibility for implementing the Quality Policy lies with the MSc Programme’s Coordinating Committee, which meets at regular intervals to discuss the results of its implementation based on feedback from students and teaching staff.

In addition, the Quality Policy of the MSc Programme, as an academic unit of the Department, is discussed and updated both during meetings of the Internal Evaluation Group (OMEA) and during meetings of the Department’s faculty members and representatives.

The MSc Programme’s Quality Policy is communicated through the following means:

  • During the induction of newly admitted postgraduate students.
  • Through the Department’s social media channels, such as Facebook.
  • During contacts between the Department and research and professional organisations involved in internship programmes and research projects.
  • Through the numerous events, lectures, workshops and scientific conferences organised by the Department, as well as broader social and cultural activities that contribute in various ways to raising awareness of the Department’s Quality Policy.

The Department’s Quality Policy is published on the MSc Programme’s website.