Master of Arts in Public Management and Policy | PMP
Themes
The key to a successful career in public administration
The Master of Arts in Public Management and Policy is an advanced degree combining academic excellence and a practical grounding in real-world administrative practice. It thus distinguishes itself from purely theoretical educational courses on the one hand and exclusively practical training courses on the other.
This Master’s degree provides a multidisciplinary education programme, including lectures by faculty specialising in different domains, most notably law, political science, economics, management and sociology.
The programme is run jointly by the universities of Berne, Lausanne and Lugano. Classes are mainly given by professors from these three institutions.
In Lausanne, classes are given by faculty from the Swiss Graduate School of Public Administration and the Institute of Political Studies. Classes take place in the IDHEAP building and are usually for Master’s in PMP students exclusively.
This programme of study is worth 120 ECTS and usually takes two years to complete.
PMP 2022 (32 Ko)
- Acquiring multidisciplinary knowledge
- Understanding and resolving diverse managerial, economic, political and legal problems
- Using Switzerland’s institutional, cultural and linguistic characteristics in order to put forward multidisciplinary approaches to managing the country’s public and parapublic entities
- Encouraging student mobility between the programme’s partner universities
Some figures
Around 93% of our graduates are employed within a year of obtaining their qualification.
Camille-Angelo Aglione
Director of the Valais Nursing Homes Association
Master’s in PMP, class of 2011
“At the start of my career, I was able to benefit from (IDHEAP’s) national network of alumni and thus meet the leaders and experts who helped me carry out my first assignments. Over ten years later, after a stint in Bern and now with a management role in Valais, I can only confirm that this course really boosted my career.”
Mathilde Appia
Deputy Director of the Qualife Foundation
Master’s in PMP, class of 2019
“I’ve got very positive memories of my Master’s in PMP at IDHEAP. The classes were varied and rich, and the professors had time for rewarding interactions. Having that line on my CV played a significant role in my being hired by the Qualife Foundation. Since then, I’ve had the opportunity to progress within the organisation, and the competencies I acquired during my Master’s contributed to that progress.”
Simon Crausaz
Special Advisor at Switzerland’s Federal Department of Home Affairs
Master’s in PMP, class of 2011
“Thanks to its practical multidisciplinary approach, the Master’s in PMP provides you with a solid foundation from which to analyse complex problems. The course also introduced me to different ways of thinking, and today these enable me to pull partners’ different perspectives closer together. The ability to interpret, simplify, and communicate technical ideas is a real asset—one that helps me overcome blockages and find pragmatic solutions.”
Ana Domingues
Integration Specialist at Switzerland’s State Secretariat for Migration
Master’s in PMP, class of 2016
“The Master’s in PMP is a real guarantee of a high level of expertise. When I think about an existing public policy or a future measure, I look at it from its economic, political and societal points of view.”
Naomi Luta
Research Assistant in IDHEAP’s Public Finances Unit
Master’s in PMP, class of 2019
“This Master’s provided me with a state-of-the-art multidisciplinary education. The quality of the analysis and the methodological rigour that I learnt over these two years of training remain useful to me now in my academic career.”
| Year 1 |
Multidisciplinary training Year 1 covers the multidisciplinary fundamentals of public administration. The course is made up of five compulsory modules: political science, public administration and management, public law, public economics and the course on research methods and its thematic seminars. The course is given over one year at Lausanne (UNIL), Bern (UNIBE) and Lugano (USI) universities. |
60 ECTS |
| Year 2 |
Specialisation Students can opt for the specialisation of their choice at one of the three partner universities: UNIL, UNIBE or USI. |
30 ECTS |
|
Dissertation During the final semester, students are required to write a research paper or dissertation about their internship in a public or parapublic organisation. |
30 ECTS | |
| Master PMP | 120 ECTS |
For more information about these courses, click here.
Degree awarded
Master of Arts in Public Management and Policy
Partner universities
University of Lausanne | University of Bern | University of Lugano
ECTS credits
120
Duration
4 semesters
Start date
Begins in autumn semesters only
Teaching
Most courses at IDHEAP are taught in French, but some are also in English. The recommended French language level is C1. Teaching is classroom-based at the IDHEAP building.
Examinations
Each course is evaluated using students’ seminar work papers as well as via written and oral examinations.
Admission requirements
Holders of a high-school baccalaureate or a university degree from a Swiss university or university of applied sciences and arts in one or more of the following subjects: political economics, business management, political sciences, sociology or law can be admitted without further preconditions.
Holders of a qualification from another faculty may be accepted according to certain conditions (participating in an induction programme). See the Master’s in PMP regulations (in French).
Registration
Registration deadline: 30 April
Your application should be presented to the Admissions Office before the deadline.
Please note that any candidates requiring a student visa to study in Switzerland should submit their application by 28 February.
Head of Programme at the Lausanne site
Prof. Giuliano Bonoli
Guiliano.Bonoli@unil.ch
Academic Secretariat
Sabine Janssens
pmp.idheap@unil.ch
+41 21 692 68 27
We are open Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, plus Wednesday morning. Visits to our office are by appointment only.
Switzerland
Tel. +41 21 692 68 00
Fax +41 21 692 68 09
