Laurea Magistrale (Second cycle degree/Two year Master - 120 ECTS) in Politics Administration and Organization

The second cycle degree programme in Politics, Administration and Organisation aims at providing sound qualitative and quantitative methodological training, and specialised knowledge in organisation theory, political science, governance science and industrial relations theory. This type of training offers career opportunities in both the private and public sectors. On one hand, a progressive reduction in the differences between public and private organisations calls for improving the overall efficiency of public administration and adapting to the new opportunities offered by the IT and telecommunications revolution. On the other hand, changes in the private sector cannot be fully understood without examining not only the institutional context in which businesses firms operate but also broader issues of public interest (for instance, social goals and environmental protection) which are increasingly at the heart of companies' activities (see for example the development of the third sector). Both the private and public sectors are increasingly in need of (a) new organisational solutions, (b) a redefinition of professional profiles, and (c) procedures to evaluate efficiency and effectiveness in terms of customer or user satisfaction.
The programme proposes a learning path that first of all, compared to the Public Administration Sciences classes, gives greater emphasis to methodological considerations in order to provide graduates with the skills necessary for building and interpreting analytical models and mastering advanced data analysis techniques. This is achieved through course units in the fields of methodology, statistics, econometrics and the theory of games.
Secondly, the core curriculum course units aim at providing students with advanced skills in political science, governance science, theory of organisation, and industrial relations. The aim is to provide graduates with the skills for analysing specific political-institutional contexts, interpreting intra and inter-organisational cooperation and conflict, evaluating and quantifying the efficiency of organisations, carrying out cost/benefits analyses, elaborating programmes for evaluating "customer satisfaction", and planning and managing relations with trade unions.
The learning outcomes of this programme are also achieved through a wide choice of related and integrated activities in the juridical, economic, political and social disciplines. These subject areas are both core curriculum and integrated and related course units. This is due to the fact that law, sociology, political science and economics cover a wide range of sub-subject areas, and therefore they can be offered to students with different aims: to provide core curriculum knowledge or to develop in-depth knowledge of specific themes for integrating basic knowledge. Integrated activities within these subject areas also facilitate academic mobility of students.

The programme provides students with methods and skills necessary for working independently as consultants within an organisation, or pursuing a career as a manager in companies operating in the market place, the third sector, or in public administrations and associated organisations operating at the local, national or supranational level.

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING ABILITY:
Graduates:

- will have an in-depth knowledge of the organisational, political and economic sectors. Such knowledge is useful for interpreting intra and inter-organisational dynamics and for planning and managing organisational change processes that take into account the opportunities offered with technological progress in IT and telecommunications;

- will have in-depth knowledge of political science. Such knowledge is necessary for the analysis of micro- and macro-economic phenomena, helping to identify key actors, their objectives and the systemic, cultural and institutional constraints within which they operate;

- will combine the theory of organisation skills with the necessary political science knowledge for carrying out institutional analysis with particular reference to problems related to the planning of institutional reform policies;

- will have in-depth legal-institutional skills in industrial relations, necessary for managing work conflicts and carrying out human resource management functions;

- will have in-depth methodological knowledge for mastering advanced analytical tools such as the theory of games, econometric models and multivariate statistics. These methodological skills, along with computer proficiency, will provide students with the necessary knowledge for planning and managing research activities associated with markets, service clients and public opinion.

Students learning and development of the knowledge skills listed above will be based on attendance at lectures and seminars, and the undertaking of case studies, supervised home study in the core curriculum subject areas: statistical methods, organisational analysis , decision-making processes and political and economic institutions.
Learning is assessed mainly through: written and oral exams, individual and/or group essays, and oral presentations.

ABILITY TO APPLY KNOWLEDGE AND TO UNDERSTAND:
Graduates:

- will have knowledge of and the ability to apply comparative analysis principles at micro- and macro levels, aware of the fact that organisational processes and political-institutional dynamics must be studied from an interdisciplinary point of view;

- will have advanced methods skills and mastery of computer systems for managing organisational research through the selection of indicators and by adopting advanced statistical analysis techniques in order to connect evaluation processes to a detailed empirical framework.

Students ability to apply the knowledge and understanding listed above will be achieved through critical reflection on the texts proposed for home study stimulated through classroom debate activities, case studies analysis , bibliographic research, individual and/or group projects relating to organisational and decision-making processes, as well as during the internship and preparation of the thesis .
Assessment is through written and oral exams, essays and problem-solving activities, including complex ones, which will include specific tasks to assess the students' command of analytical tools and methods, and the development of a critical understanding. Internships will be assessed through the presentation of an essay by the student and company tutor.

JUDGEMENT SKILLS
Graduates:

- will be able to produce original innovative solutions as regards organisation, administration processes and policies gathered from different national and/or functional contexts, evaluating the various implications (political, economic and ethical) for the environment for which their are planned;

- will have advanced methods skills for the development of efficiency and effectiveness indicators which are necessary for the planning and implementation of evaluation processes for organisations and administrations, in particular through programmes that aim to measure “customer satisfaction”.

Judgement skills are developed in particular during practical activities, seminars, in the preparation of papers including complex reports (in particular related to organisational and decision-making processes) where particular importance is given to the students' critical analysis and problem-solving skills, and during traineeship and internship activities and the preparation of the thesis.
The acquisition of judgement skills is assessed through the evaluation of individual study programmes, the students' ability to analyse and interpret empirical data, describe and analyse case studies, actively take part in lectures and through the evaluation of the students' critical understanding and capacity to successfully complete the in-depth study work assigned during single course units and during the preparation of the thesis.

COMMUNICATION SKILLS:
Graduates:

- will develop interpersonal communication skills and the ability to put forward arguments at different levels of complexity adapting their communication style and the content of their presentations to different types of audiences;

- will have the skills to plan and implement public communication initiatives targeted according to the target, means used and themes involved;

- will have an advanced proficiency in English (at least level B2), the necessary skills to guarantee full access to sources for professional updating, to carry out management and commercial activities in international markets and to actively take part in international networks of institutional and organisational actors.

Students written and oral communication skills will be developed during course units and practical activities that provide for the study of case studies and/or the preparation of essays and written papers and their oral presentation and discussion in class. The communication skills listed above will also be developed through the preparation of the research thesis and its presentation, and through participation in an internship/traineeship and the compiling of a relevant report of activities undertaken.
English language is acquired and assessed through a specific course unit and relevant evaluations.

LEARNING SKILLS:
Graduates:

- will develop excellent analytical and theoretical study skills through an interdisciplinary study programme. This type of training produces students ready to acquire analytical and methodological tools from a number of different fields and the ability to updated their knowledge and acquire an effective problem-solving approach. Good English language proficiency also allows graduates to access advanced international scientific literature.

Learning skills are developed throughout the overall course programme, in particular during home study, in the preparation of individual and group projects and in the preparation of the thesis.
Learning skills are continuously assessed during the course units, through the presentation of data collected autonomously, the elaboration of individual in-depth work on themes assigned during lectures, tutoring during projects, and through the evaluation of self-learning skills developed during the activity in preparation of the thesis.