Public Administration & Governance

The Department of Public Administration and Governance (PAG) offers programmes that are aligned with the vision and goals articulated in the Vision 2030 of CPUT. The department resides within the Faculty of Business and Management Sciences and hence is further aligned with the faculty’s vision and goals of 2030 and the Strategic Plan. The vision and goals of the department are therefore aligned with the vision and goals of the CPUT as a whole and the faculty. The department’s Strategic Plan further embraces the values that are reflected by the institution and the faculty.

The following values, informed by the Batho Pele principles of the South African Public Service, guide and shape the work of the Department of Public Administration and Governance:

• Openness
• Honesty
• Social justice
• Integrity
• Client-centred

The department commits itself and strives to:

• produce competent graduates needed to build the economy in responding to the local, national, and international socioeconomic needs.
• be the leading department of Public Administration and Governance which interacts with government through community engagement, academic partnerships locally, nationally, and internationally to realise research, learning and teaching excellence for the public sector.
• produce competent and employable graduates who are responsive to the socioeconomic needs of the country.

Furthermore, the goals, objectives and principles are aligned with CPUT’s strategic plan to develop a responsive, coherent and transformative curriculum that will allow students to be better equipped in the Public Sector for any sphere of government, or within a public sector, or civil society agency or organisation. This is visible in the department’s focus on both the theoretical and practical aspects of the discipline i.e. Work Integrated Learning in the third year of study while completing the Diploma in Public Administration.

The vision, mission and goals of CPUT and the faculty are reflected in the practices and documentation of the department and is visible to the department’s stakeholders i.e. students registered for the programme, the Advisory Committee members and other industry members. The Advisory Committee to the department plays a pivotal role in ensuring that the curricula remain relevant, current and responsive, not only to the academic context, but also to the needs of industry. The department engages actively with the Advisory Committee to ensure that the qualifications remain current in response to the knowledge, skills and practices within the public sector, which is pertinent to the department’s commitment to produce competent and employable graduates.

The programme offered in the department comprises the following SAQA accredited qualifications:

• Diploma in Public Administration and Governance-Ext (Foundation) Year 0
• Diploma in Public Administration Years 1-3 (NQF level 6)
• Advanced Diploma in Public Administration Year 4 (NQF level 7)
• Postgraduate Diploma in Public Administration Year 5 (NQF level 8). This qualification was implemented for first-time delivery in January 2023.
• Master of Public Administration (NQF level 9)
• Doctor of Public Administration (NQF level 10)