The School of Humanities and Social Sciences of Macao Polytechnic Institute (MPI) held the opening ceremony for the Doctoral Degree Programme in Public Policy for the new academic year on 2 September, 2020. Approximately 40 people attended the ceremony, including Lam Fat Iam, Director of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, and Zhang Tao, Programme Coordinator, together with the faculty and PhD students of the Doctoral Degree Programme in Public Policy.

In the welcome speech, Director Lam Fat Iam stated that the Bachelor’s degree programme of Social Sciences in Public Administration (Chinese) is one of the most popular courses at MPI. The programme has been quality-assured and is the first one positively reviewed by the Higher Education Evaluation Center of the Ministry of Education (HEEC). In the field of public administration, he pointed out that MPI and the Chinese Academy Government have jointly held a programme of Master of Public Administration (MPA) for a decade. The Doctoral Degree Programme in Public Policy has been launched this year, and thereby a multi-level educational system has been gradually organized in which bachelor’s degree programmes, master’s degree programmes and doctoral degree programme are built up. The fact is that many students are attracted to study the programmes in public administration and the graduates of these programmes serve to work in the Government and private sectors in Macao. At the ceremony, Programme Coordinator Zhang Tao introduced the general information, teaching arrangements and learning requirements of the doctoral degree programme. The faculty of the programme encouraged the doctoral students to cherish their time on campus, devote themselves to scientific research, and improve themselves by laying a good foundation for their academic career.

The doctoral degree programme of Public Policy of MPI features in-depth discussion on public administration, public affairs, policies, laws and systems, globalization and regional collaboration; enlightens students to have an interdisciplinary understanding of policy challenges; enhances their research and communication techniques in presenting research outputs to the decision-makers; and cultivates professionals in administrative management and policy advising as well as teaching and research to contribute to the field of public policy. The programme currently has a total enrollment of 30 students, most of whom are senior government officials, community leaders in Macao, professionals from various universities and research institutions, as well as graduates of well-known universities in mainland China.