Full Tuition: MA of Public Administration, Hungary

Deadline: 24 January 2013
Open to : applicants holding an accredited bachelor’s degree, plus one year work experience and international experience.
Scholarship : full tuition, housing and living stipend.

Description

The School of Public Policy at the Central European University’s two-year Master of Public Administration (MPA) program will attract exceptional students who seek a professional education equipping them to make innovative contributions towards resolving the paramount public policy challenges of the 21st century.
The MPA program will offer integrated components designed to foster intellectual growth and reflective thinking; the development of practical skills; and experiential learning. The program will place the student at the center of learning by making an effort to bridge classroom and experiential learning with real world problems, encourage both reflection and action, and contextualize knowledge. In cooperation with SPP’s network of worldwide partners, it entails a student-designed, policy-oriented practice component (the ‘passion project’), which commences in the winter term of the first year of the MPA program, builds on a summer internship, and runs through the entirety of a student’s second year at SPP.
SPP students will be passionate about the world and knowledgeable about specific issues. The school aspires to be vigorously inclusive, attracting students and faculty and practitioners from diverse backgrounds such as law, economics, journalism, grassroots and community organizations, medicine or engineering. Their first class starting in September 2013 will consist of approximately 25 students.
Areas of concentration initially offered by SPP will include analysis in a host of public policy areas such as

• regional and global governance,
• human security and development, and
• global media and communication.

Read more about the program on their FAQs page HERE.

Costs and Scholarships

The full tuition per academic year is €11,000 or a total cost of €22,000 over the course of the two-year Masters program. In addition to tuition fees, the estimated living cost per student is 160,000 HUF per month. Read more about living expenses in Budapest HERE.
SPP will offer a limited number of merit-based financial aid packages which will be awarded to exceptional students on a competitive basis. All applicants to the two-year Masters program will automatically be considered for merit-based financial aid.
Financial aid packages range anywhere from a full fellowship which includes a full tuition scholarship and living stipend (contribution to living expenses), to a 50 percent tuition scholarship. Click HERE for more information about the scholarships.
The full CEU Fellowship covers tuition and medical insurance. In addition, full fellowship recipients are awarded a monthly stipend of 96,000 HUF and accommodation in the CEU Residence Center, which is covered directly by the university. The monthly stipend is calculated to cover essential costs. Students need to budget additionally for travel, recreation, and incidentals, which can vary with the individual. Read more about the full and partial scholarships HERE.

Eligibility

All applicants must fulfill the general CEU admissions requirements listed HERE.
SPP aims to educate exceptional minds who aspire to be influential leaders in the public policy field. Successful applicants will have:

• a strong academic background;
• a high aptitude and passion for learning both in and out of the classroom;
• a high leadership potential with demonstrable interpersonal skills;
• a strong interest in global policy;
• a desire to serve others in the public, civil society, and/or private spheres.

Students should ideally possess at least one year of relevant work experience as well as some international experience. Work experience can consist of any experience or combination of experiences obtained through paid/unpaid employment, professional or volunteer work, and/or internship opportunities. Living, working, and/or studying abroad qualifies as international experience.

Application

Applications must be completed and submitted by 24 January 2013. Applications can be submitted online using the Online Application Form. In order for their application to be considered complete by the admissions committee, applicants need to submit the following:
General CEU Requirements:

1. Completed online CEU Application Form
2. Letters of recommendation
3. Academic records
4. A full curriculum vitae or resume, including a list of publications, if any
5. Proof of English proficiency
6. Application fee of 40 USD

Program-Specific Requirements:

1. Statement of Purpose
2. (2) Short essays
3. GRE/GMAT scores (optional)

Although not required, the admissions committee will look favorably upon applicants who highlight their work and/or international experience. This could be any combination of professional, internship, and/or volunteer work that was either full-time or part-time. International experience can be demonstrated if the applicant has previously worked, lived, and/or studied abroad.
The final admissions decisions (including financial aid package offered) are made available to candidates via the online application system on April 1, 2013.
For questions or more information please contact CEU at sppadmissions@ceu.hu.
See the original website HERE for more information.