Government and Local Governance
This masters program is seeking to cover the gap in the Palestinian public service and non- governmental market by providing both sectors, and also their partners from the private sector, with experts who own knowledge, practical skills and experiences. The program addresses capacity building, research skills, analytic and planning skills of public servants and nongovernmental organizations’ leaders. The program specifically addresses the topic of good governance and national development planning, local development and sustainability.
- Providing students with theoretical frameworks of public administration and public policy making and implementation through multi- focused tracks; legal, political and administrative.
- Responding to challenges of public service work through providing multi-disciplinary research dimensions in government and local government, and public policy.
- Enriching government and local government based research with focus on strategic planning and budgeting.
- Preparing and equipping students with public policy related skills (making, implementing evaluating and analyzing) that can contribute to Palestinian public policy reform.
- Equipping students with necessary skills for public financial analysis and economic policy affairs.
Graduates of the program are expected to contribute to providing public and non-governmental sectors with well and highly qualified experts who can lead and take part in national and local sustainable development planning and implementation.
Intended Outcomes
- Graduates qualified with distinguished research skills that can contribute to solving public problems.
- Graduates that can lead policy making, implementation, evaluation and analysis; and capable to connect theory with practice.
- Graduates who are capable to conduct scientific policy analysis to help policy makers.
- Graduates who are capable to conduct national and local strategic plans that respond to real challenges.
- Graduates who are well equipped with leadership skills that leads comprehensive public sector reform process
- Graduates who understand and believes in good governance and public service ethics and able to use it in public jobs.
- Public agencies and institutions employees, managers and leaders
- NGOs leadership and management
- Financial analysts
- Policy making supporters and consultants
- Local governors, leaders and developers
- International NGOs consultants
- Leaders of public positions elections’ campaigns
- National and local development based by Researchers
- Academic professors
Students are required to complete 36 credit hours distributed as follows:
1. Compulsory Courses (21 Credit Hours)
Course No. |
Course Title |
Prerequisite(s) |
Public Policy Principles (policy design, implementation, and evaluation) |
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Scientific Research Approaches in Social Sciences |
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Comparative Public Law |
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Local Governance and Local Municipalities |
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Financial Management & Analysis in the Public Sector |
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Strategic Planning in Local Government |
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Statistics in the Social Sciences |
2. Elective Courses: Elective course aim at meeting students different research interests. These are two categories: (1) 6 credit hours offered within courses of the Masters of Government and Local Government itself, (2) up to 3 credit hours offered within other programs in Birzeit University
3. Elective Courses within the Program:(6 credit hours)
Course No. |
Course Title |
Prerequisite(s) |
State Theory |
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Sustainable Development Policy Implementation |
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Ethics in Public Service |
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Political Communication |
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Contemporary trends in Public Administration |
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Program Evaluation in Public and Nonprofit Organizations |
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Economics for Public Decision-Making |
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Decision Making in Government and Administration |
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Leadership theories and Skills |
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E-government |
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Legal Development of Local Government in Palestine |
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Community Participation in Local Government |
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Land Management and Rural and Urban sustainable Planning |
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Special topic 1 |
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Special Topic 2 |
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*This course can be substituted with BUSA7301 Leadership
4. Elective Courses within other programs:(3 credit hours)
From Master of International Studies (INST) |
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3 |
Negotiations and Diplomacy |
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3 |
International Development |
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3 |
Principles of International Law |
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3 |
Regional studies |
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From Master Program in Law (JURI) |
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3 |
Evolution of the Constitutional System in Palestine |
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3 |
Constitutional Review |
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3 |
Public Freedoms and Fundamental Rights |
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3 |
Administrative Law/Administrative Responsibility |
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3 |
Advanced Studies in Public International Law |
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3 |
International Human Rights Law |
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3 |
Political Parties |
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3 |
Comparative Parliamentary Systems |
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3 |
International Humanitarian Law |
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3 |
Diplomatic and Consular Law |
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3 |
International Criminal Law |
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3 |
International Organizations |
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Master Program in Democracy and Human Rights (DMHR) |
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3 |
International Human Rights Law |
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3 |
Human Rights and Current Laws in Palestine |
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Master Program in Gender and Development(GADS) |
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3 |
Gender Analysis and Gender Planning |
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3 |
Applications of Modern Approaches to Gender and Development |
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Master Program in Business Administration(BUSA) |
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3 |
Leadership |
5. Track “A” or Track “B”: (6 Credit Hours); Thesis or two Seminars in addition to Practical Internship and a Comprehensive Exam
Course No. |
Course Title |
Prerequisite(s) |
Thesis |
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Seminar 1 |
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Seminar 2 |
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Practical Internship |
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Comprehensive Exam |
- Applicants must hold a bachelor’s degree in law either in political science, economics, public administration, or in other fields approved by the Program Council from a university recognized by Birzeit University.
- Students are required to take the English language test specified by the program. According to the results of this test, the need to register for a remedial course in English language ENGC 530 will be determined. Students are required to complete this course before the beginning of the third semester, according to the applied academic regulation related to remedial courses.
- A personal interview with the Program Committee.
- Applicants are required to complete the remedial courses determined by the program.