An undergraduate curriculum analysis of Public Administration in selected higher education institutions

Abstract

Public Administration Education has been a contentious issue as the discipline developed and struggled to find its own identity and theoretical framework. The article argues that Public Administration Education has been shaped by its historical influences and that the interdisciplinary nature of Public Administration poses specific challenges to its teaching. Public Administration, as a social science, finds its application in various political, social, economic and physical environments. The reality is that some common characteristics in the practice of public administration can be discerned, but this is not sufficient to create a theory. The implication of the above is that institutions of higher education, although led by South African Qualifications Authority registered qualification outcome, interprets the discipline based on their own peculiarities – leading to fragmentation and non-consensus as to what constitutes the discipline of Public Administration. In this article, the authors argue that teaching Public Administration does not reflect any true discipline related inquiry. Rather, institutions of higher education react to the practice of public administration in teaching the theory of Public Administration. The authors argue for a balance between theory and practice to be evident in Public Administration Education. This article will explore, using inductive reasoning, the content and context of teaching Public Administration in undergraduate degree programmes. Selected institutions of higher education will be used. The article concludes with a framework which could inform future curriculum selection for the teaching of Public Administration.