Can you please introduce yourself; can you explain why you chose the MA in Public Administration?
My name is Kate Longmate. At the point of applying for the course, I had over 25 years professional experience working in charities, non-profits and arts organizations. I didn't have a degree and I had always thought that perhaps one day I would go and do one. I found myself at a point in life where the timing was right, so I started looking for courses. I was living in North Cork, so I was looking at colleges near me and I saw the Masters in Public Administration, and it seemed interesting to me. I was looking at how I could expand my career into other areas of the public sector or community development sector.
It was interesting to find a course that seemed to offer the things an MBA offered but with a lens on the public sector. I was looking at all kinds of courses, but this was the one that stood out. I spoke to Bernadette, the Course Director of the programme and explained that I didn’t have a degree, but sent her my CV. I found the application process very efficient and got offered a place on the programme immediately, which I was delighted with.
The breadth of this course really appealed to me. I think there was a moment where I possibly regretted it, when I realized I had to draw graphs in an Economics exam, but I loved the International Economics module in semester two and I also loved Administrative Law. It was something I found really interesting. I found some parts of the course easier than others because, some modules reflected my professional experience, some modules gave different perspectives to my professional experience, some were completely new, and very different disciplines and I found that fascinating. The challenge of working in different disciplines as part of the same course was great, I really enjoyed that.
Can you provide an insight into how the course is delivered and how you are assessed?
We were in person apart from one module and that was great. It was nice to spend time on the campus. It's a beautiful campus, it's extraordinary. As it was my first time going to university, it was nice to get to actually go to the university. I think I would have felt a bit cheated if it had all been online. I took a year out and did the course full time. I jumped in with both feet. I have to say the course is intensive. There are people doing it who are working and who have small children and I am in awe of them.
What specific aspects of your course have impressed you the most? What is the best thing about the course?
It was great to have my dissertation supervised by somebody who had real world experience of my industry it was important to have that understanding of the place of lived experience alongside academic knowledge, and I really valued that.
I really enjoyed the fact that the course is interdisciplinary and offers modules from the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (AHSS) and the Kemmy Business School (KBS). The fact that it combines those two faculties I think is interesting and I really enjoyed the KBS modules, specifically International Economics and Organisational Behaviour. I also particularly enjoyed the Collaborative Governance module with Chris McInerny who was my dissertation supervisor.
We had some great guest speakers in the public administration lectures including a senior civil servant and an academic who did the Masters programme, and then worked in the civil service in Belfast and who is currently a lecturer at Belfast University. The guest speakers were interesting and the chance to work on challenges in the collaborative governance module was very practical too.
What experiences/opportunities has it presented you with? ( e.g. academic facilities, workshops, academic support, guest speakers, etc)
It has given me a chance to broaden my knowledge, to consolidate the things I already knew, and to see how this newly acquired knowledge could be applied in practice.
It did give me the confidence to think about pursing a PhD and I would like to do that if the opportunity arises. The programme gave me the confidence that I actually could do a PhD, which is something I might not have considered previously.
Would you recommend the programme to others?
I absolutely would recommend this programme to others. I think you would get the most out of this course if you have some work and life experience. Coming into the programme as a mature student this course offers a lot, it contextualizes work situations, it broadens horizons and I really think that people beyond the public sector should consider it. It has a lot to offer to people in the charity and not profit sector.
Any advice/tips for prospective students of the course?
Be prepared because it is intense. I arrived into this course at the age of 46, having not done an exam for nearly 30 years and realized that assessment started on day one. We were basically set our first assignment in the first week and everything we did counted towards our final grade and there was no practice, it was straight in. Things like academic referencing, I had never done any of that.
Enjoy it. Don't spend all your time worrying about whether or not you can do it because you can. I often found myself thinking that I don't feel like I know how to write like an academic but I've been writing for my job for 25 years so I absolutely can write. I felt as if I couldn’t write an essay because I hadn't written an essay since I was 18 but just forget all of that stuff and just do it.
Don't be scared of the dissertation. I really enjoyed the dissertation process. I undertook original research with leaders in the charity sector. It was really fascinating and wonderful to have the space to do that. I enjoyed that part of the program. It was great to be able to take that time to reflect on how we gained the benefit of the other modules. Enjoy the dissertation and don’t be frightened of it, that would be my advice.