The University of Macau (UM) Faculty of Social Sciences (FSS) recently held an orientation activity for 19 students in the university’s first doctoral programme in public administration (DPA). The students come from all walks of life and work in various positions, including university lecturer, civil servant, company executive, lawyer, and manager of state-owned enterprises.

According to Rector Yonghua Song, UM was the first educational institution in Macao to offer a master’s degree programme in public administration. In line with the university’s goal to serve the local community, the new DPA programme aims to further enhance the management knowledge and skills of current public administration professionals and to nurture more talent in the field for Macao and China.

According to FSS Dean Hu Weixing, the DPA programme is the first of its kind to be taught in Chinese in the Greater China region. Unlike PhD programmes that focus on developing students’ academic competencies, the DPA programme places an emphasis on the integration of theory and practice and aims to nurture professionals with the ability to solve practical problems in public administration.