Description of the Program

The Bachelor program of Public Administration is designed to provide students a broad understanding of theoretical and practical knowledge of administration and governance. It also allows the students to learn various aspects of politics and policy dynamics, social research, economics, human resource management, financial and development administration in relation to various public, private, non-profit, NGOs, and international organizations. Students pursuing a Bachelor of Social Science degree in Public Administration will develop leadership capacity, analytical ability, research and communication skills. The curriculum aims to equip and make students familiar with the modern tools and techniques of policy analysis, programme direction, project management, reforming institutions, the direction of development, budget making and analysis, human resource management, and mitigating various problems of governance. The BSS (Honours) in Public Administration is a 135 credit hour program. The program includes 39 (units) taught courses (117 credits), a fieldwork/research monograph/internship/project work (I unit/4 credits), 3 seminars (3 units/6 credits) and 4 Viva-voce (8 credits) spread over 4 years duration divided into 8 semesters.

Program Educational Objectives (PEOs)

The main educational objective of Bachelor of Public Administration is to boost up the level of understanding of the students so that they can effectively apply and share the acquired knowledge and skills nationally and globally, and make important contributions to governance and development process. Apart from this, the followings are specific objectives:

PEO-1.   To produce graduates equipped with substantive academic knowledge and skills related to public administration and governance.

PEO-2.   To prepare the students for pursuing their professional careers in public, private and NGO sectors as well as in academia home and abroad.

PEO-3.  To provide professional graduates in solving problems associated with the lifecycle of politics, administration, policy, and governance.

Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs):

Upon successful completion of this program, graduates will be able to:

PLO-1. Acquire knowledge on  basic principles, tools, techniques, strategies, theories and practical skills of public administration from a national and global perspective.

PLO-2. Describe, analyse, and evaluate the various approaches of leadership and reform in reengineering an organization for achieving expected results.

PLO-3. Synthesise resources and approaches for designing development project proposals for programs and services of government.

PLO-4.  Apply their acquired knowledge in planning and designing programs for human resource management.

PLO- 5.  Contribute to the formulation, implementation and evaluation processes of policy, programs, and projects for various sectors of governance.

Mapping between PEOs and PLOs

	PLO-1	PLO-2	PLO-3	PLO-4	PLO-5
PEO-1	X	X
PEO-2			X	X	X
PEO-3		X	X	X	X

 Key Concepts and Areas Addressed Under this Programme

Public administration, public policy, financial administration, political science, sociology, economics, international relations, human resource, local governance, development studies, management, accounting, business communication, NGOs, international development, human rights, gender studies, environment, academic reading and writing skills, research methodology. 

Admission Requirements

In this program, students shall be eligible for admission if he/she passed SSC and HSC or equivalent examinations from Bangladesh or abroad subject to the terms and condition  set by the Faculty of Social Science, University of Rajshahi and the directives of the university admission committee. 

Programme Structure:

1. Duration of the Programme: The BSS (Honours) in public administration programme is 4 years programme which is divided into 8 semesters. Every semester shall be of 26 (twenty-six) weeks of which 15 (fifteen) weeks for class teaching, 02 (two) weeks for preparatory leave, 03 (three) weeks for holding the semester final examination, and 06 (six) weeks for publication of results.
2. Total Minimum Credit Requirement: BSS (Honours) in Public Administration is a 135 credit hour programme. For the degree of BSS (Honours) a student shall be required to earn a minimum 129 credit hours and minimum CGPA 2.50.
3. Course Distribution
   1. General Course: Social Sciences
   2. Core Courses- Public Administration: Major, 2. Minor (indicated at the right/last column of the Table-1) 

 Table-1: Semester and Year-wise Distribution of Courses (Major/Minor) and Credit Hours

1st Year  1st Semester BSS Honours January-June  2021
Course No.	Course Title			Credit	Exam. Hours.		Exam Marks	Types of Course/ Core Courses
PAD 111	Introduction to Public Administration			3	3		100	Major
PAD 112	Politics and Government in Bangladesh			3	3		100	Major
PAD 113	Introduction to Economics			3	3		100	Minor
PAD 114	English Reading and Writing Skills			3	3		100	Minor
1st Year  2nd Semester BSS Honours July-December  2021
PAD 125		Introduction to Political Science	3			3	100	Major
PAD 126		Introduction to Sociology	3			3	100	Minor
PAD 127		Human Resource Management	3			3	100	Major
PAD 128		Computer Application-Concepts and Practices	3			3	100	Minor
PAD 129		Academic Reading and Writing Skills	3			3	100	Minor
		Seminar	02
		Viva-Voce	02
		Total	31

2nd Year  1st Semester BSS Honours January-June  2022
Course No.	Course Title			Credit	Exam. Hours.		Exam Marks		Types of Course/ Core Courses
PAD 211	Introduction to Social Research			3	3		100		Major
PAD 212	Introduction to Financial Management			3	3		100		Major
PAD 213	Rural Local Governance in Bangladesh			3	3		100		Major
PAD 214	Public Administration in Bangladesh			3	3		100		Major
PAD 215	Introduction to Anthropology			3	3		100		Minor
2nd Year  2nd Semester BSS Honours July-December  2022
PAD 226		Introduction to Qualitative Research Methods	3			3		100	Minor
PAD 227		Rural Development in Bangladesh	3			3		100	Major
PAD 228		Introduction to Development Studies	3			3		100	Major
PAD 229		Introduction to International Relations	3			3		100	Minor
PAD 2210		Financial Administration in Bangladesh	3			3		100	Major
		Seminar	02
		Viva-Voce	02
		Total	34

3rd Year  1st Semester BSS Honours January-June  2023
Course No.	Course Title	Credit	Exam. Hours.	Exam Marks	Types of Course/ Core Courses
PAD 311	Introduction to Quantitative Research Methods	3	3	100	Minor
PAD 312	Urban Governance in Bangladesh	3	3	100	Major
PAD 313	NGOs and International Agencies for Development	3	3	100	Major
PAD 314	Environment and Sustainable Development	3	3	100	Major
PAD 315	Introduction to Accounting	3	3	100	Minor
3rd Year  2nd Semester BSS Honours July-December  2023
PAD 326	Public Sector Management	3	3	100	Major
PAD 327	Concepts and Issues of Governance	3	3	100	Major
PAD 328	Leadership Studies	3	3	100	Major
PAD 329	Political Thoughts	3	3	100	Major
PAD 3210	Disaster & Vulnerability Governance	3	3	100	Major
	Seminar	02
	Viva-Voce	02
	Total	34

4th Year  1st Semester BSS Honours January-June  2024
Course No.	Course Title		Credit	Exam. Hours.	Exam Marks			Types of Course/ Core Courses
PAD 411	Introduction to Constitutional Law and Human Rights		3	3	100			Major
PAD 412	Introduction to Public Policy		3	3	100			Major
PAD 413	Management Information Systems (MIS)		3	3	100			Major
PAD 414	Public Personnel Administration in Bangladesh		3	3	100			Major
PAD 415	Project Management		3	3	100			Major
4th Year  2nd Semester BSS Honours July-December  2024
PAD 426	Comparative Public Administration	3		3		100	Major
PAD 427	Political Economy	3		3		100	Major
PAD 428	Gender and Development	3		3		100	Major
PAD 429	Business Communication	3		3		100	Minor
PAD 4210	Institutions and Development	3		3		100	Major
	Internship/Project Work/Research Monograph	02
	Viva-Voce	02
	Total	36
	Grand Total	135

Course Identification: (e.g. PAD 111 is a course of Public Administration Department taken in the 1^st Semester of 1^st Year and Course title is Number-1)

 Assessment/Evaluation Process

Performance of the students shall be evaluated in the following ways:

1. Under the Semester Ordinance student’s evaluation shall be based on the continuous assessment as well as evaluation of the Semester Final Examination. Out of 100 marks of each course unit, 10 shall be for class attendance, 20 for in-course tests and home assignment or oral test/laboratory practical or session/mid-term examination etc. Rest 70 marks shall be for a four hours Semester Final Written Examination.
2. Class Attendance Requirements- To be eligible to sit for Semester Final examination a student should attend at least 75% classes. However, the Department may recommend a student having attendance between 60% to less than 75% for condonation on condition that she/he pays a fine determined by the university authority.
3. Students shall not be allowed to appear at the Semester Final Examination if her/his average class attendance is below 60%. The marks of class attendance shall be counted as per the following table: 

Table -2: Attendance and Marks Distribution

Attendance	Marks
90% and above	10
85% to below 90%	9
80%  to below 85%	8
75%  to below 80%	7
70%  to below 75%	6
65%  to below 70%	5
60%  to below 65%	4

1. One internal (normally course teacher) and one external examiner (from the listed panel of examiners) will examine the semester final examination script. If the marks given by the two examiners differ by 20% or more, the script must be examined by a third examiner.

• Grading System

Grading Scale: 0.00(F) to 4.00 (A+).

Grades: In each course, total of (i) the marks awarded by Semester Final examiners (ii) the average of the in-course tests and home assignments or oral test/laboratory practical examinations or Sessional, and (iii) class attendance marks awarded by the course teacher, shall be converted into Letter Grades as follows (table-2).

Table-2: Grading System

GRADING SYSTEM
Marks Obtained	Letter Grade	Grade Point
80% and above	A+	4.00
75% to less than 80%	A	3.75
70% to less than 75%	A-	3.50
65% to less than 70%	B+	3.25
60% to less than 65%	B	3.00
55% to less than 60%	B-	2.75
50% to less than 55%	C+	2.50
45% to less than 50%	C	2.25
40% to less than 45%	D	2.00
Less than 40%	F	00

 Grade Point Average (GPA) and its Calculation Procedures 

Grade Point Average (GPA) is the weighted average of Grade Points in all the courses passed/completed by a student. If a student has passed/completed 6 (six) courses in a Semester securing credits C₁, C₂, C₃, C₄, C₅, and C₆, and his/her secured Grade Points (vis-a-vis the LGs) are G₁, G₂, G₃, G₄, G₅, and G₆, respectively then his/her GPA in a particular Semester is given by:

Suppose a student has completed six courses in a Semester and obtained the following grades:

Course	Credit	Letter Grade	Grade Point
PAD  125	3	A-	3.5
PAD 126	3	B	3.0
PAD  127	3	A	3.75
PAD 128	3	B+	3.25
PAD 129	3	B-	2.75
Seminar	2	A+	4.0

Then the GPA of the student shall be calculated as follows:

Course Withdrawal

If any student gives report that he/she has taken admission simultaneously in more than one Department/Institute of this University or in any other higher institution with an exception of Certificate/Diploma course his/her studentship of a student shall be cancelled or automatic withdrawal. In addition, if any student wants to withdraw from the course he can do through appropriate process of the University.

Incomplete (I) Course

If a student earns less than 40% (F Grade) marks in a course shall be incomplete. Similarly, if a student remains absent in any course of the Semester Final Examination, his/her grade shall be considered as F (incomplete course) and he/she shall be required to sit for improvement examination for that course within two years by appearing in the concerned Semester Final Examination.

Readmission:

1. For re-admission, a student shall have to apply within 15 (fifteen) days immediately after the publication of result or a deadline specified by the
2. On re-admission, the roll number of a student shall remain the same and every roll number shall carry with it the year of

Grade Change:

1. A student obtaining F grades in the 1st through 8th Semester shall be required to improve/clear the grade within two years by appearing in the concerned Semester Final But if a student with an F grade in a course obtains a grade less than ‘B-’ (D, C and C+) in the first improvement examination, he/she shall not be allowed to appear in any further improvement examination in that course.
2. A student earning less than ‘B-’ (D, C and C+) grade in a course in the 1st through 8th Semester shall be allowed to improve course grade. A student may choose the maximum two courses (in each semester) to improve the grade by appearing at the concerned Semester Final Examination once only within next two years. If the grade point obtained in the improvement examination is lower, then the earlier obtained grade point shall stand. However, a student must complete the programme within six academic years. Conducting examination and publishing results shall not be hampered due to course improvement of those

1. At the end of the BSS (Honours) programme, a student may choose to improve the CGPA with the next available batch by appearing at the maximum of 4 theoretical courses of 4th year with grade earned less than ‘B-’. A student, seeking this improvement, shall be allowed to appear at such an examination only once. However, no improvement shall be allowed after the expiration of six academic years from the
2. No improvement shall be allowed in the in-course test/home assignment/oral test/laboratory practical/ sessional/ mid-term examination as well as in the internship/project work/research monographs and viva-voce. For the improvement of grade in a course, the student shall apply to the concerned department at least 2 (two) weeks before the starting of the semester final

Course Dropout:

1. A student, failing to earn required yearly GPA after taking re-admission in any semester, shall be dropped out of the BSS (Honours)
2. A student, failing to clear F grade at next two consecutive examinations, shall be dropped out of the BSS (Honours)
3. A student, failing to complete all the eight semesters within six years, shall be dropped out of the BSS (Honours)

Detail Programme Structure

The programme offers 39 mandatory courses for a four years Bachelor of Social Science with Honours in Public Administration. A detail course description with intended learning objectives and course learning outcomes are furnished below:

Department of Public Administration

University of Rajshahi

Curriculum for Masters of Social Science

Session: 2020 – 2021

MSS Final Examination-2021

 Name of the Programme

Masters of Social Science

Name of the Degree

Masters of Social Science (MSS) in Public Administration

Name of the Faculty Offering the Programme

 Faculty of Social Science

Name of the Department offering the Programme

Public Administration 

Vision of the Programme

The vision of the MSS programme in Public Administration is to produce future managers, administrators, leaders and service providers to contribute to the well-being of society on the pursuit of knowledge through interactive teaching and research at the highest level of excellence.

Mission of the Programme

The mission of the MSS programme is to offer graduates academic skills and practical knowledge of public administration that lead and manage organizations in public, private, non-profit, and multinational sectors. Besides, the programme is designed to develop graduates, who understand the increasingly complex issues shaping policies and projects at the local, national and global level.

Description of Programme

The Master of Social Science in Public Administration program prepares students to become evidence-based policy makers, analysts, and managers. MSS program in Public Administration combines work on the theory of public administration, public policy, organizations, and public management with in-depth training in research methods. The program emphasizes the theoretical foundation of public administration that is the broad-based study and practice of government and political processes. To that end, the program provides an academically rigorous public administration based curriculum relevant to public policy and management. MSS Degree in Public Administration can be obtained by pursuing any of the following two ways: (i) coursework (general group) (ii) course work & thesis (thesis group).

Key Concepts and Areas Addressed

Organization Theory, Behaviour, Culture, Decision Making, Leadership, Development Theories and Administration, Policy Analysis, Administrative Law, New Public Management, Administrative Reform and Innovation, Strategic Management, Administrative Ethics.

Program Educational Objectives (PEOs)

The main program educational objective of MSS in Public Administration is designed to provide high quality education to students and prepare them for leadership roles in the public and private sector. Apart from that, there are some specific objectives as below:

PEO-1. To produce students equipped with cutting edge knowledge in public administration.

PEO-2. To examine the critical issues and possible solutions to the challenges in governance.

PEO-3. To develop students’ skills and knowledge required to become effective public managers and leaders.

Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs)

Upon successful completion of the program, graduates will be able to:

PLO-1. Utilize critical thinking about organizational design processes and behavior.

PLO-2. Develop organizational leadership and strategic planning.

PLO-3. Analyze political, legal, and ethical concepts and issues of public administration.

PLO-4. Formulate and evaluate the policies and programs of state or organization.

PLO-5. Apply quantitative and qualitative research in public administration.

Mapping between PEOs and PLOs

	PLO-1	PLO-2	PLO-3	PLO-4	PLO-5
PEO-1	X	X
PEO-2			X	X	X
PEO-3		X	X	X	X

Admission Requirements

For admission to the MSS course in Public Administration a candidate must have passed the Bachelor of Social Science (BSS) with honours degree of four years duration from this university or any other recognized university.

International Students: Only Foreign Students will be eligible for this program. Applicants for Master program must

1. Have a Bachelor’s degree from a recognized institution;
2. Obtain Bachelor’s degree with at least 55% marks in traditional system or grade B in grading system;
3. Apply within five years from the date of completion of the Bachelor’s degree;
4. Meet other eligibility criteria as determined by the concerned Faculty of the University of Rajshahi.
5. The application will be evaluated by the competent authority of Rajshahi University
6. International students, if found eligible, will be offered provisional admission which will be finalized after paying all fees/charges (as may be applicable), and after receiving the NOC/ Clearance certificate from the competent authority of Bangladesh Government.
7. International students pursuing different programs in the University shall not ordinarily be provided with any financial assistance by the University and shall be required to pay tuition and other fees for different courses as stated in “Fess for International Students” page.
8. International students may be provided with separate accommodation on usual terms and conditions; and if provided, they will have to pay prescribed fees.

Duration of the Course

The MSS course consisting of General and Thesis groups shall extend over one academic year and the examination shall be held at the end of the course. The degree has to be completed within a minimum of one academic year and in not more than two academic years from the date of first admission.

Assessment/Evaluation Process: Performance of the students shall be evaluated in the following ways:

1. Under the existing Ordinance student’s evaluation shall be based on continuous assessment as well as evaluation of the Course Final Examination. Out of 100 marks of each course unit, 20 shall be for in-course tests and home assignment or oral test/laboratory practical or session/mid-term examination etc. Rest 80 marks shall be for a four hours Course Final Examination.
2. One internal (normally course teacher) and one external examiner (from the list Panel of Examiners) will examine the Course Final Examination script. If the marks given by the two examiners differ by 20% or more, the script must be examined by a third examiner.
3. The average marks of the Final, Internal Evaluation, and marks for class attendance shall be converted into Letter Grades in the following way:

GRADING SYSTEM
Marks Obtained	Letter Grade	Grade Point
80% and above	A+	4
75% to less than 80%	A	3.75
70%  to less than 75%	A-	3.5
65%  to less than 70%	B+	3.25
60%  to less than 65%	B	3
55%  to less than 60%	B-	2.75
50%  to less than 55%	C+	2.5
45%  to less than 50%	C	2.25
40%  to less than 45%	D	2
Less than 40%	F	0

4. Class Attendance Requirements- To be eligible to sit for Semester Final examination a student should attend at least 75% classes. However, Department may recommend a student having attendance between 60% to less than 75% for condonation on condition that she/he pays a fine determined by the university authority.

Students shall not be allowed to appear at the Year Final Examination if her/his average class attendance is below 60%. The marks of class attendance shall be counted as per the following table:

Attendance	Marks
90% and above	10
85% to below 90%	9
80%  to below 85%	8
75%  to below 80%	7
70%  to below 75%	6
65%  to below 70%	5
60%  to below 65%	4

Grade Point Average (GPA) Calculation Procedure

Grade Point Average (GPA) is the weighted average of Grade Points in all the courses assed/completed by a student. If a student has passed/completed 6 (six) courses in a Semester securing credits C₁, C₂, C₃, C₄, C₅, and C₆, and his/her secured Grade Points (vis-a-vis the LGs) are G₁, G₂, G₃, G₄, G₅, and G₆, respectively then his/her GPA in a particular Semester is given by:

Suppose a student has completed six courses and obtained the following grades:

Course	Credit	Letter Grade	Grade Point
PAD  101	3	A-	3.5
PAD 102	3	B	3.0
PAD  103	3	A	3.75
PAD 104	3	B+	3.25
PAD 105	3	B-	2.75
PAD 106	2	A+	4.0

Then the GPA of the student shall be calculated as follows:

Distribution of Marks and Credits

Total marks of the Master of Social Science (MSS) (General and Thesis Group) shall be 900 for all subjects, which shall be equal to 36 credits (9´4).

Each course shall carry 100/75/50 marks that shall be equivalent to 4/3/2 credits respectively. 20% of each written course shall be earmarked for internal evaluation. There shall be at least two internal evaluations in each course to be evaluated by the course teachers. In all the subjects, 900 shall be distributed among theory courses, thesis, viva-voce, fieldwork/internship, and tutorial/terminal examinations. (I) For the general group there shall be 8/12/16 (eight/twelve/sixteen) courses (theory/theory and research) carrying 100/75/50 marks of 4/3/2 hours duration examination. 50 marks shall be dedicated to viva-voce & class attendance (40+10). The rest 50 marks shall be dedicated to fieldwork/internship and tutorial/terminal examinations. These 100 marks shall be equivalent to one course for general group students. (ii) For the thesis group, there shall be 6/9/12 (six/nine/twelve) theory courses carrying 100/75/50 marks 4/3/2 hours duration examination, a thesis carrying 250 marks and a viva-voce examination on the thesis and other courses carrying 50 marks.

Submission of Thesis

 The thesis shall be submitted within three months of completion of the last examination of the general group. The thesis shall be submitted to the chairman of the department.

Qualification of the Thesis Student

 Thesis students shall be selected on the basis of marks /grade obtained in the BSS (Honours) examination. A student securing at least a GPA  of 3.25 (B+) in the  BSS(Honours) examination shall be allowed to opt for the Thesis group provided she/he must satisfy the  thesis proposal evaluation committee formed by the Department. 

Evaluation of the Thesis

There shall be two examiners for each thesis to be recommended by the Examination Committee and appointed by the Vice-Chancellor. Concerned supervisor shall not be an examiner of the Thesis/Dissertation.

Publication of Results

The results of the MSS examination shall be published within two months from the date of the last written examination or submission of the Thesis as the case may be.

Summary of Programme Structure:

MSS Degree in Public Administration can be obtained by pursuing any of the following two ways: (i) purely coursework (general group) (ii) course work & thesis (thesis group).

Course Work:

As part of fulfilment of MSS degree, the Department of Public Administration offers 08 courses, each carrying 100 marks (80 marks for written examination and 20 marks for internal evaluation) and 4 credit hours. In addition, viva-voce, terminal and tutorial carry 50, 25 and 25 marks respectively. Course-wise distribution of marks and credit hours are as follows:

Summary of the Program Structure

Master of Social Science (MSS): 2020-2021                 Examination 2021

Course No.	Course Title	Marks	Duration of Exam.	Credits Hours
PAD 501	Organisation Theories and Behaviour (80+20)	100	4 hours	4
PAD 502	Development Administration (80+20)	100	4 hours	4
PAD 503	Public Policy Analysis (80+20)	100	4 hours	4
PAD 504	Principles of Administrative Law (80+20)	100	4 hours	4
PAD 505	New Public Management (80+20)	100	4 hours	4
PAD 506	Administrative Reforms for Innovation and Good Governance (80+20)	100	4 hours	4
PAD 507	Strategic Management (80+20)	100	4 hours	4
PAD 508	Administrative Ethics (80+20)	100	4 hours	4
	Total =	800		32
	Viva-voce + Attendance (40+10)	50	N/A	02
	Terminal + Research (25+25)	50	N/A	02
	Grand Total =	900		36

 Thesis Group:

In the case of thesis group, the student will choose 6 courses out of 8 and the thesis and viva-voce will carry 250 and 50 marks respectively.

	Marks	Credits		Credits Point
Total Marks of Course Work	600	(Credits 4´6)	=	24
Thesis	250	(Credits 4´2.5)	=	10
Viva Voce on the thesis and other courses	50	(Credits 4´0.5)	=	02
Total Marks =	900	Total Credits	=	36

 

DETAIL PROGRAMME STRUCTURE

A detail programme structure is furnished below with a detail course outline of all the individual courses offered, teaching strategies, and assessment strategies along with the corresponding alignment with Course Leaning Outcomes: