STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT AS AN INTEGRAL COMPONENT OF MASTER’S PROGRAMMES IN PUBLIC MANAGEMENT AND ADMINISTRATION

Abstract

The article examines the topical issue of the presence of an educational component – «Strategic Management» in master’s programmes of Ukrainian higher education institutions in the specialty 281 «Public Management and Administration». The definitions of the terms «strategic planning», «strategic planning in public management», «strategic management» given in dictionaries and other encyclopedias are considered. The analysis of the scientific output in the study of strategic aspects of public management allowed us to conclude that «strategic public management» or «public strategic management» as an interdisciplinary direction at the system-methodological level was not fully developed. 15 university master’s programmes in public management and administration were studied, according to the results it was established that the vast majority of these programmes (60%) contain the mandatory discipline «Strategic Management» or its equivalent. Some master’s programmes even include additional professional competencies and/or additional program learning outcomes in strategic management. It was found that the content modules of the discipline «Strategic Management» do not, as a rule, contain issues of strategic public management and make limited use of the terminological apparatus of the theory of public management. The practice of formation of master’s programmes in the specified specialty by institutions of higher education confirms that the educational discipline «Strategic Management» is an integral component of these programmes. The legislation on the public service of Ukraine and scientific sources on the theory of public administration, public strategic planning, also indicate the obligation of strategic management competencies for public servants. It has been proven that the Standard of Higher Education in the specialty 281 «Public Management and Administration» for the master’s degrees does not create adequate conditions for the training of qualified management personnel for the government authorities of Ukraine, competent in matters of state strategic planning and state strategic management. The proposal regarding the need to restore in the established order the field of knowledge «Public Administration», which must include the specialties «Public administration», «Anti-crisis Public Administration», «Strategic public Administration» and other specialties, which require the training of managerial personnel for the post-war reconstruction of Ukraine, is substantiated.