​​Career Opportunities

What career opportunities are there in the public management and governance field?

Government remains the single largest employer in South Africa. Once qualified, graduates are ideally placed to assume a position in any of the three spheres of government or in arms-length agencies, these include the public service and the broader public sector, such as local governments, public entities and public enterprises. Graduates will be ideally placed to eventually occupy managerial roles in government, given the preparation that they will have in dealing with complexity and their specific mix of cognitive skills. They will also be able to join non-profit or Third Sector organisations, as well as public affairs and other select divisions within private sector companies. The optional specialisations that are offered allow for closer targeting of prospective careers.

For those interested in general management positions in the public sector the BA Public Management and Governance and the BA Honours (Public Governance) and the Postgraduate Diploma (PGDIP) in Public Policy and African Studies is an excellent starting point. The combination of Public Governance, Public Management and Public Administration and Public Policy as major focus areas will lay a solid foundation for any aspiring public manager in any layer of government, non-profit organisations, private sector consultancy firms or private sector enterprises that do a substantial component of project sector work.

We also acknowledge the importance of public management in highly complex situations and have packaged a specialisation with a view to preparing those who intend to apply for managerial positions in the public sector. Public Governance, Public Management and Public Administration serve as a perfect base to prepare candidates to work in the central institutions of government, and in the offices of Ministers, and Heads of Departments and Parliament. This qualification could also be a stepping-stone into the role of a public policy analyst in any government department or Third Sector organisation. This is a very important initiative, given the fact that policy analysis and monitoring is significantly influencing the domestic situation of developing countries and increasingly a demand is being made on those employed in the public domain to be able to understand and operate in a policy management context.

These qualifications equip graduates with the interdisciplinary knowledge, skills and attitudes to successfully cope with the competition, demands and the challenges in the market and society.