Online Master in Public Administration and Government in Latin America

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With this master you will obtain extensive knowledge of the current reality of the public sector in Latin America, through an online, dynamic and flexible methodology. The master's degree is officially endorsed by the prestigious Pompeu Fabra University, the number one university in Spain.

  • Public management
  • Latin America
  • Public administration

Next edition

Start program: 29 September, 2023 (To be confirmed)

End program: 15 December, 2024 (To be confirmed)

Modality

Online

Language

Spanish

ECTS credits

90

Schedule

100% online

Price

8600 €

On the Master in Public Administration and Government in Latin America you will find out about practical tools for the design of government structures and you will learn to improve governance and innovation in public administration in all its aspects: information and communication systems, planning, control, and evaluation and accountability of public institutions.

You will understand how government systems and public administration have evolved in recent years, in order to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of policies and their management, as well as to promote sustainable and territorially integrated social development.

The program will focus on the study of the specific needs of the social and institutional reality of each country or region to subsequently define public intervention strategies based on the introduction of political and institutional innovation systems adapted to the socio-political context.

The objective of the master is to offer you practical training to contrast theoretical, conceptual, and modeling knowledge with the possibility of its real application in the social environment. You will delve into topics such as:

  • Design and institutional evaluation of government structures.
  • Enhancement of governance improvement processes.
  • Analysis of the legal-economic system as a reference for the introduction of political-administrative improvements.
  • Design, implementation, and evaluation of public development policies in Latin America.
  • Introduction of innovation in Public Administration: organization, human resources, information and communication systems, planning, control and evaluation.
  • Improvement in processes of participation and accountability of Public Institutions.

The program is taught 100% online, so we have created a dynamic, challenging, current, market-relevant learning experience of high academic quality, which brings together participants from all over the world and provides real skills for today's job market.

In addition, the master offers a 5-day stay in Barcelona, the objective of which is to combine a conceptual analysis with visits to Spanish public institutions so that you have experiences that inspire you and allow you to reflect in order to improve and innovate in the Latin American context.

The Master in Public Administration and Government in Latin America is endorsed by Pompeu Fabra University, the 1st Spanish university and the 15th best university in the world (of those with less than 50 years), according to the Times Higher Education ranking. In addition, UPF Barcelona School of Management has EQUIS accreditation, the most prestigious institutional recognition for business schools globally.

Why choose this program

01

Gain an official qualification of international prestige

Study at a school accredited by EQUIS, an international distinction that guarantees the quality of our institution and makes us the 1st school of management linked to a public university with this accreditation in our country.

02

Current and specific content for Latin America

This is the official program with the most specialized content focused on the Latin American region offered in Spain. All content is currently applicable, as we review it periodically so that you get the latest knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to take your career to the next level.

03

Program 100% online

We offer you online training, through a very simple platform, fully compatible with your work or family responsibilities. In this way, you can organize your schedules, learning at your own pace and from anywhere in the world. In addition, you will develop all the necessary skills for the current work context: technological management, work with a diversity of nationalities, time zones, experiences and sectors.

04

Learn from industry professionals

You can count on teachers of the highest academic level and recognized international trajectory, such as Carles Ramió, David Sancho and Miquel Salvador, who will support you and inspire you to achieve your professional goals.

05

Visit institutional bodies and expand your network of contacts

In January 2023, we offer the chance to visit Barcelona for a week so that you have the opportunity to learn about the Spanish public administration reality and carry out a comparative analysis with the Latin American reality. This experience will allow you to expand your international contacts by meeting with teachers and colleagues of more than 10 nationalities.

Who is it for?

The Online Master in Public Administration and Government in Latin America is aimed at university graduates who wish to specialize in the improvement and innovation of governance dynamics, as well as professionals in government public administration, cooperation and development in Latin America.


The master brings together political leaders and public managers from different areas of government in Latin America, as well as specialists in public management, cooperation and development who seek to delve into the political-institutional reality in Latin America.

Admission and enrolment

Accreditations

The UPF Barcelona School of Management is the management school of Pompeu Fabra University, the 1st Ibero-American university and the 16th placed university in the world, among those under 50 years of age, according to the Times Higher Education ranking. 

UPF Barcelona School of Management has EQUIS accreditation, the most prestigious institutional recognition for business schools globally, and places itself among the top business schools in the world.

The Master in Public Administration and Government in Latin America is an official master's degree and has the academic recognition of the Ministry of Education of the Government of Spain. The Quality Agency of the University System of Catalonia (AQU) has also institutionally accredited UPF-BSM. This accreditation certifies all the official master's degrees that we teach and recognizes the quality of our educational model in accordance with the criteria of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA).

EQUIS-Accredited
 AQU-MUGPALOL-EN
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Curriculum

The Master in Public Administration and Government in Latin America structures its contents into 10 subjects that will be taught online over 14 months. During this period, a practical subject is proposed, which corresponds to the on-campus week in Barcelona. It is planned for January 2023, so that participants are already immersed in the themes and dynamics of the master's degree and can meet with their classmates and teachers. During these 5 days of face-to-face classes, workshops will be held and participants will present their proposals for the development of the Final Master's Project or Thesis, in order to receive feedback from the management.

Public Management and State Reform
  1. The administrative organization in the political system: the functions of public powers in contemporary States.
  2. Political relationship and administration in Latin America.
  3. Public intervention through the provision of public services.
  4. State models and criticism of the public sector.
  5. New Public Administration and Latin America.
  6. Reference administrative models and traditions in relation to Latin America.
  7. Globalization of reference points and reform of the public sector.
  8. The modernizing waves of Latin American Public Administrations.
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Political and Institutional Development
  1. Political science as the backbone of the study of democracy.
  2. Elements of analysis of democracy, institutions, actors and political processes.
  3. Social analysis.
  4. The power and the state.
  5. The perspective of institutional analysis.
  6. The reform of the State in Latin America.
  7. Social cohesion in Latin America: the conceptual debate.
  8. Panorama of social inequity in Latin America.
  9. Ethics and the fight against corruption in the public sphere.
  10. Limited resources and growing demands on the part of the citizen.
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Federalism and Decentralization
  1. The reform of the state in Latin America.
  2. The great options and configurative elements of decentralization processes.
  3. The centralist tradition in Latin American politics.
  4. Crisis of governance, decentralization and reform of the State in Latin America.
  5. Crisis of the nation-state and territorial distribution of power.
  6. The development of local governments in Latin America.
  7. Local autonomy and the importance of local politics.
  8. Citizen participation at the municipal level.
  9. Localism and repoliticization at the municipal level.
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Integration in Latin America
  1. International organizations and regional regionalism.
  2. Co-operation and integration in international trade.
  3. The phenomenon of regional economic integration.
  4. International co-operation organizations in Latin America and the Caribbean.
  5. Main regional integration processes in Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean.
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Policy Design, Implementation, and Evaluation
  1. Political Science as the backbone of the study of public policy and Public Administration.
  2. The analysis of public policies as an analytical approach to Political Science.
  3. The design, implementation, and evaluation of policies.
  4. The definition of service offer.
  5. Characteristics of services.
  6. Servuction: factors to consider in the definition of the service.
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Economic and Social Development Policies
  1. Fight against inequality.
  2.  The policy of promoting the labour market and job placement.
  3. Social policies and their impact on economic development in Latin America.
  4. Concept of economic development in the context of decentralization in Latin America.
  5. Public policy networks in development.
  6. Typologies of public action programs for development.
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Economic Analysis and Management Instruments
  1. Regulation as an arena for political interaction.
  2. Independent regulatory agencies in Latin America in the international context.
  3. Outsourcing of services and external hiring, and the specificities in Latin America.
  4. New relationship models in the external provision of services.
  5. The concept of project planning.
  6. Programing techniques.
  7. Cost-benefit analysis in Public Administration.
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Organization and Management
  1. The problems of Public Administrations in Latin America.
  2. Institutional empowerment strategies.
  3. The basic dimensions of an administrative structure.
  4. Organizational structures.
  5. Basic elements of the servuction approach.
  6. The approach to operational management of services.
  7. Production of services and new paradigms of public management.
  8. The organizational culture of public management.
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Human Resources Management
  1. Basic characteristics of international civil service systems.
  2. Models in Latin America.
  3. Personal management and people management.
  4. The human resources management sub-systems.
  5. Planning, management and evaluation of the human resources system.
  6. The evaluation of the performance of human resources.
  7. The implementation of a management model for professional skills.
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Marketing of Services and Transversality
  1. Leadership, management, and control in public administration and public services.
  2. The mission and public utility. Demand in public services.
  3. The inclusion of demand in the public action agenda.
  4. The networks of actors in the public sphere.
  5. Environmental analysis techniques.
  6. The concept of quality of service.
  7. The establishment of quality indicators and quality circles.
  8. Participatory design: quality circles.
  9. ICT in Public Administrations, digital government and open government.
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Advanced Concepts of Public Management and Innovation: Experiences and Case Studies

This module corresponds to the on-campus. The contents of these sessions include: critical review of the Governance models analysed and generation of debate on their applicability in the Latin American environment, visits to political-administrative institutions of different levels of government and Public-Private partnerships, and personalized tutoring of the participants. The topics to be developed will be related to the contents worked on in the different subjects and will be developed in morning and afternoon sessions at the University facilities, as well as at the headquarters of the different institutions to be visited during the stay in Barcelona.

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Master's Final Project

Definition and object of study. Description and diagnosis of the chosen public policy and its institutional framework. Specific proposals for action. Implementation of change proposals. Conclusions and recap.
A video must be sent with the presentation of the Project once it is finished, which will be evaluated by the academic directors.

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Complementary activities

The NAME also includes the possibility of participating in practical activities and activities for personal and professional growth such as:

  • International Week in Barcelona: The master offers a module that is carried out in person for 10 days in Barcelona. During this period, it is planned to hold intensive sessions that combine academic content and teaching dynamics aimed at developing the competencies provided in the program.
    Teachers with diverse profiles (academics, managers and professionals who have led relevant experiences in different fields of management and public policies) will participate in the face-to-face sessions and combine different teaching methodologies such as: masterclass sessions, debate sessions and group reflection, workshops, case studies, visits and discussions on real experiences with the protagonists who have developed them.
    This on-campus week aims to:
    • Establish the basic and introductory concepts that will be worked on throughout the Master's Degree in Public Administration and Government in Latin America.
    • Provide continuity to the three initial modules carried out virtually and present the modules that will be developed later.
    • Promote a face-to-face meeting that favours both the generation of new dynamics between teachers and participants in the master as well as the possibility of directly learning about relevant experiences in the fields of the master.
  • UPF-BSM Inside: is a group of interdisciplinary subjects (applied data, communication, creativity, innovation and project management, sustainability and leadership among others) that, if you take this program, you can access at no additional cost. They are 100% online and you can take them throughout the academic year at your own pace, as they have been designed as self-study subjects.
  • International mobility: The UPF Barcelona School of Management offers you the possibility of expanding your training and international vision through the International Mobility Programme. Extend your studies extracurricularly, during the academic year following the completion of your Master's, at a top-level institution. Limited places.

Qualification obtained

Once students have completed the course they will obtain the Gobierno y Gestión Pública en América Latina official Master's Degree, issued by the Pompeu Fabra University.

Issuance of official Master's Degrees: The amount stipulated in the DOGC (Official Gazette of the Government of Catalonia) must be paid for the rights to issue the degree. This rate varies annually and the rate in force at the time of application for the degree will be applied.

Faculty

The master is designed by Carles Ramió, David Sancho and Miquel Salvador, academics with extensive experience and national and international recognition in the field of government and public management (especially in Latin America), and professors from the Department of Political and Social Sciences of the University Pompeu Fabra.

In addition, you will be able to get in touch with other experts and international references in the field during the on-campus week in Barcelona.

Academic directors

Carles Ramió Matas
Carles Ramió Matas

Full Professor UPF

David Sancho Royo
David Sancho Royo

Associate Professor UPF

Faculty

Carles Ramió Matas

Full Professor UPF

Miquel Salvador Serna

UPF with dedication to UPF-BSM
Associate Professor UPF

David Sancho Royo

Associate Professor UPF

Methodology

At the UPF Barcelona School of Management we are committed to a flexible and dynamic online model, which aims to place the participant at the centre of the process so that they are the owner of their learning process.

To facilitate day-to-day management and the achievement of your academic goals, the program is structured into subjects, with which you will acquire knowledge, and instrumental and aptitude skills.

All this, while having 24/7 access to the virtual environment so that you can organize your study without schedules and at your own pace. In this way, you can combine it with your work and personal life, making the most of the time you have for it.

Show video

01.

Interactive teaching materials

Various materials and formats will make your experience more motivating: videos, case studies, content maps and downloadable resources. Designed and updated periodically by professionals and experts in the field, they put at your disposal the latest knowledge, skills, and tools to take your career to the next level.

02.

Active and collaborative learning

Participation and discussion with your classmates and teachers are essential to the collaborative learning process. We will provide you with various tools such as the Discussion Forum, where you can propose new topics for debate, comment on and answer questions presented by the teacher or respond to interesting comments.

03.

Streaming sessions with experts

Through videoconference sessions with the expert teacher or special guests, you will be able to ask questions, discuss your learning and connect in real time as if you were all in the same place. To ensure the flexibility of the training, we record the sessions so that you can refer to them if you have not been able to connect.

04.

Personalized help

You will have the support of the expert tutor, who will guide you through each didactic unit; the help of the coordinator and the program manager in the delivery of activities, qualifications, management of procedures or access to services, and the guidance of the career advisor in the improvement of your personal brand and the search for professional opportunities.

05.

Mentor

Throughout the program, you will develop your Final Project and, for this, you will be assigned an expert mentor on the subject, who will be in charge of advising you and supervising its development until the final presentation and defence.

Evaluation

The activities and evaluation dates of each of the subjects in the program will be detailed at its start.

The program's evaluation tests will be established and corrected under the quality criteria required in all UPF Barcelona School of Management programs, which guarantee their academic value and recognition.

The evaluation of the program will be carried out online on the basis of:

  • Resolution of practical cases oriented to business reality
  • Knowledge tests for each subject
  • Proactive participation in forums and debates
  • Realization and presentation of a Final Project

Tools

The learning process is characterized by its flexibility, since, in the virtual learning environment, the structure of the school calendar and the diversity of multimedia resources which are made available to the student allows them to acquire knowledge in a self-regulated manner.

The support of the teaching staff and interaction with classmates is carried out by making use of a wide variety of communication channels that facilitate proximity and didactic dialogue. 

 

Professional Future

The program brings together professionals with a minimum of 3 years of accredited work experience in the public sector and/or companies providing public services both nationally and internationally. The program is designed to train you in all areas of public management and in trends and good practices in order to implement improvements, changes, or introduce innovation to them.

 

Due to the high international participation, the program offers great networking opportunities with other professionals in the sector, for creating links and working synergies with experts and colleagues.

 

Student profile

The master's degree brings together students of more than 10 nationalities and of various academic and professional profiles, mostly from the Latin American public sphere, such as political leaders, public managers from different governmental fields and specialists in public management, co-operation and international development.

 

In addition, we receive more and more candidates from the private sphere and the academic world who are interested in venturing into public administration or increasing their knowledge in this area to improve the connections between their institutions and the regional or national public administration.

 

36

Average age

10

Number of years of professional experience

84%

Students from Latin America

50%

Students with previous studies in Law or Advocacy

33%

Students with work positions in management of areas, departments, or general management

Career opportunities

You can count on our Talent UP professional development program from Professional Careers, a training complement designed to increase the value and positioning of our students in the professional market. This program provides you with tools and resources, through individual career counseling, training activities, company events, and career opportunities.


  • Management of Public Organizations: State, Regional, Local and International Administration
  • Management of Non-Governmental Organizations and International Organizations
  • Management of consulting companies, and collaborating companies and contractors with the Administration
  • Functions of Strategic Management, Management of Organization and Human Resources, Management of Analysis and Evaluation of Programs
  • Training of professionals dedicated to Public Administration.

Admission and enrolment

Our admission process consists of a rigorous evaluation of each application to preserve the quality of the group as well as the training, experience, and work capacity of all students.

Who can apply?

  • A university degree is needed in order to apply, preferably in the field of Law and Social Sciences.
  • Likewise, a minimum of three years of work experience is needed in the public sector and/or companies that provide public services both nationally and internationally. This experience will be valued together with the rest of the information provided at the time of admission.
  • Those participants who do not have Spanish as one of their mother tongues or who did not have it as a teaching language in their training studies, must prove that they have at least a B2 level of Spanish (Common European Framework of Reference), as well as fluently take part in a personal interview with the academic director, if necessary.
  • Knowledge of English, on the reading level, is valued positively, but it is not mandatory for admission.

How to apply?

To apply for admission to this program, students must read and accept the Terms and Conditions of Contract once they start the application for admission through its form.

Application for admission

Complete your application within the next admission rounds:

RoundApplication deadlineAdmission resolution
622/02/202309/03/2023
715/03/202330/03/2023
813/04/202327/04/2023 

Applications for admission will be evaluated when you complete the following steps:

  • Complete the online admission form.
  • Pay the €120 admission fee. This amount will be returned if you are not admitted.
  • Send the following documents through the online platform e-registrar:
    • Presentation letter
    • Video motivation (3 min)
    • CV
    • Scanned copy of university degree (if you are in the last year of your degree, you can provide your academic records)
    • Scanned copy of Transcript of Records. Make sure that it includes your GPA (Grade Point Average)
    • Scanned copy of ID Card or Passport
    • Passport-size photo (jpg format)

Additional documents may be requested in certain cases.
Applications are subject to the number of places available on the program.

Admission

  • The Admissions Committee will select the candidates on the basis of a personal or CV-based interview.
  • You will be notified of the admission decision in writing.

Enrolment

  • Resgistration must be paid within a 15 days after the admission.
  • Once the letter of acceptance to the program has been received, you will need to submit the following original documents before the course begins:
    • Stamped and/or authenticated photocopy of your university degree.
    • Stamped and/or authenticated photocopy of your transcript of records.
  • If you have a foreign degree, we will indicate you in the admission letter the specific instructions of the documents required
  • Paying the reservation fee (25% of the program's tuition fees) is essential in order to reserve your place
  • If you pay the tuition fees by bank transfer you will be required to introduce the program code. The program code for this course is 1552.
  • The remaining tuition fees must be paid 2 weeks before the start of the course.

Grants, scholarships and financing

Scholarships

The UPF Barcelona School of Management offers you different means of financing so that you can take any of our programs without worry. We offer you the opportunity to finance part of your program, either by rewarding your talent through scholarships, through grants from entities dedicated to promoting education or through collaboration agreements with financial entities.

Grants and discounts

Online Master in Public Administration and Government in Latin America

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