Department of Public Policy

At this time of the year I am inundated with emails from students asking me to tell them about the advantages and of choosing Public Policy as a Major.

I would think that the first thing I need to tell you is what the mission of the Department is. The Department of Public Policy was created with the sole aim of training young people to be leaders in Malta’s society. In fact the slogan of the Department is “we make leaders out of ordinary people” Our entire major is geared to train students to take up leadership positions in both the private and the public sector. Former graduates of the Department today hold leadership positions within every sector and in Parliament, foreign affairs, the higher offices of the Public Service, Local Councils, EU institutions, SmartCity Board of Directors, the media and national and multi-national companies. Because of this our graduates walk into satisfying careers even before their final results have been published. Furthermore, the standing of the Department is so high that recently Competitive Malta, an organization made up of 25 of Malta’s leading industries and a partner of the World Economic Forum, chose the Department of Public Policy as its first research partner in Malta. This means that from this coming October students of Public Policy, especially those at Hons level, will be closely involved in researching some of the most relevant issues facing Maltese society. For further information please access Competitive Malta webpage at:

http://www.competitivemalta.com/competitivemalta/news_detail.aspx?id=79878

The advantages of studying Public Policy are threefold: 1. Public Policy opens the way for a career in both the private and the public service. Because of our knowledge-based programme graduates of the department are seen by private sector employers as a fully rounded product that can be entrusted with positions of leadership. All of our students are in responsible positions and although you may not hear about it nearly all of the reforms carried out in Malta over the last twenty years had been entrusted to our graduates. Just let me say that the people in charge of Malta’s IT revolution were graduates of our department. Many of our students also end up holding career positions in the public service. Five of the current head of ministries are our former graduates. The Head of Foreign Affairs and Malta’s first female ambassador are also Public Policy graduates, as are the CEO of Enemalta and other public corporations. The public service is very attractive for female graduates as it offers great flexibility for young women who want to have a family and continue with their career. It is also attractive because it offers support to employees who want to continue with their studies. 2. Another advantage of Public Policy is that its strong academic programme makes it possible for graduates of the department to pursue postgraduate studies in both Public Policy and other areas. For example several of our graduates have gone on to study European Studies, Economics, International Relations, Human Resource Management, Diplomatic Studies and Statistics up to Ph.D level. This of course enhances the career choices that our students can make. 3. Finally, because our courses are run on the lines of British Universities our students have found it easy to obtain scholarships and continue with their studies abroad. One of our graduates has just finished his Masters in Britain and has been appointed Policy Reseach Analyst with the Bank of England.

Who Should Study Public Policy The students who gain most from Public Policy are those taking economics and management. Economics is a subject that requires a deep understanding of the policy processes that lead to economic decisions. Public Policy makes sense of economic theory making it relevant for the world of work. Public Policy also helps explain the environment in which management decisions are taken. Our subjects include Decision- making, project evaluation and industrial relations all of them necessary for a career in management. Public Policy is multi-disciplinary subject and gives strength to other disciplines. We did make a feeble attempt in year one to show you this.

A Student Centred department The department cares for its students and provides them with support during the course and in advancing their careers. Students will also find a strong element of accountability. Our marking scheme is open and students have a means of knowing how their marks are arrived at. Because of changes in the Faculty we have not been able to adjust quickly enough but next year students will have an opportunity to be able to assess their own work. So far we have instituted a marking scheme which applies mainly to exams and dissertations but next year this marking scheme will be universally applied for essays. You can ask me for copies of these marking schemes.

The Proof of the Pudding They say that the proof of the pudding is in the eating. I think that the best way forward will be for you to speak to current and former students of the department. You may also speak to other lecturers in the Faculty, such as Dr Joe Azzopardi, Dr Philip von Brockdorff, Dr Rosemary Azzopardi, all former graduates of our Department and Dr Philip Beattie. However, if you wish that I put you in contact with current students of the Department please just ask me.

Prof. Godfrey A Pirotta Head, Department of Public Policy Visiting Professor, University of Plymouth Business school, UK.