I did a Masters in Public Administration (MPA) at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy of the National University of Singapore in the 2015-2016 academic session.
This page is to summarise experiences and learnings from that for people who might find it useful. I welcome questions,
A promotional video from the School:
1) Course experiences:
Social Policy Design: This was a new course taken by Prof M. Ramesh. It was a bit raw being the first time, but nevertheless for me a very rewarding experience. Prof Ramesh has enormous experience and his slides in particular were fantastic - chock-full of useful insights. A must-take course at the School if you are from, or transitioning to the social sector.
A quick snippet from the course is here:
http://despoki.blogspot.in/2016/08/fundamentals-of-healthcare-policy.html
Development Economics: This was another excellent course taken by Prof Jie Chen. An excellent accompaniment to the above course on Social Policy Design. My notes on this course here:
http://despoki.blogspot.in/2016/08/development-economics.html
Organisation Theory: The professor who offered this was Dr. Henry Wai-Hang Yee who is no longer with the School. I guess someone else will pick this up, and the course might change significantly as a result. My notes:
http://despoki.blogspot.in/2016/09/organisation-theory.html
2.) Academic Talks:
One of the highlights of the academic experience are the many public talks organised with faculty and guests. Some notes from some of these:
http://despoki.blogspot.in/2015/10/prof-no-one-is-reading-you.html
http://despoki.blogspot.in/2015/09/jan-peter-balkenende.html
http://despoki.blogspot.in/2015/09/kishore-mahbubanis-2nd-deans-lecture.html
http://despoki.blogspot.in/2015/09/talk-by-prof-rohan-samarajiva-on-ict.html
http://despoki.blogspot.in/2015/09/institute-of-water-policy-research.html
http://despoki.blogspot.in/2015/08/a-talk-by-author-john-burgess-on-his.html
http://despoki.blogspot.in/2015/08/robert-wasson-of-institute-for-water.html
http://despoki.blogspot.in/2015/08/kishore-mahbubani-talked-to-us-today-on.html
3.) Costs:
The Schools funds a good fraction of the students on scholarships. In our year (2016) the scholarship which was pretty similar for everyone covered tuition, accomodation at student housing and about $1000/- living cost. This is pretty comfortable for a single person (not so much if you are there with spouse or family). It also funds air travel to-and-fro and a book allowance. Overall, very generous!
4.) Other:
My classmate Bobby Anderson describes his experience at the School:
https://www.facebook.com/nuslkyspp/posts/1250141825025711
I came to Singapore from India with my wife and 7 year old child to do the course. It was quite challenging to manage work and family, but doable. Financially, the scholarship did not quite cover all expenses, since my child had to go to a private school. Some notes from my wife about relocating from India:
http://despoki.blogspot.in/2016/03/guest-post-banupriya.html
The School of Public Policy is on the Bukit Timah campus, along with the School of Law, separate from the rest of NUS. Photos:
http://despoki.blogspot.in/2015/12/bukit-timah-campus-photos.html
6 comments:
Hi Vijay,
Sorry in advance I might upset you with my story but its important for you to answer my query.
I am 27 Yr old currently consulting BJP on election campaigning for UP elections . Passed out school in 2007 and enrolled into Jamia Hamdard for BBA course but couldn't continue graduation because of some family issues and started working in IT/ITES sector till about late 2013 . Started my graduation(BA) from a private university and completed this year . I hail from Banda(UP) which is in Bundelkhand and i am sure you know how backward the area is . Well so getting back on track in year 2013 i started running a Community Kitchen in Village with the help of funding from from my friends in Delhi . In 2014 i got an opportunity to work in PM Modis election campaign and i joined it immediately and there i along with other team build the very successful "Chai Pe Charcha" campaign along with other great experiences. After 2014 elections i started assisting my Local MP on different issues like how can we implement Israel Model of Farming in our Bundelkhand region and how agri policies have to be different for this region etc . Worked with him for over an year and then had a chance to closely work with PM's Team on E-Rickshaw project . We created E-rickshaw as a financial product which made positive impact on 5000+ families in Noida,Ghaziabad,Lucknow and Varanasi .
Now the question comes : I want to pursue Masters In Public Policy and my pockets arent deep enough for UK/US . I was searching through "LKY SPP" and i thought to ask you with kinda poor education background will i be able to apply for "LKY SPP" and is yes what kinda financial support is available there . And if no which school would you suggest .
Regards,
Praveen
Dear Praveen,
Your story is very interesting and the projects you have been involved with seem fascinating. I would love to hear more.
It is hard to say off-hand whether you can get admission and financial aid. On the negative side it looks like your education qualifications are not good. On the positive side, it looks like you have been involved with very interesting projects and also have some say with political representatives, which is seen as a positive thing. Couple of things I would therefore suggest:
1.) Talk to the admissions department at LKY School and explain your background and they will tell you whether you stand a chance or not
2.) Write a compelling essay on the kind of work you have done, showing your leadership potential, and changemaking potential.
Do write to me directly at despoki.1971@gmail.com and we can talk sometime,
With best wishes,
Vijay
Hello sir, I have completed my engineering in 2015 and now i m pursing my Master's in NIT Jamshedpur, i have 1 year experienced and now the question comes, I want to make a career in International financial Institution in the UN system. So,I m in dilemma that in which course should i apply for
1. Masters in Public policy
2. Masters in Management
3. masters in International affairs
Is it possible to get a chance !
Many Thanks
Sourav
Hey Vijay
This is Shan.i am a resident of Delhi currently working for a startup as a content writer.I was in ernst and young for 1.5 years.i worked in development Advisory services and working there made me realise that this is pretty much what i want to do .I did my graduation in Economics for Delhi University.I want to apply for NUS MPP as I truly feel it will help me where I want to go.,careerwise.I havent taken GRE and in GMAT ,i scored a 660. Needed your guidance as to how to go on about it.I have work experience of two projects and I have done volunteering for Dalai Lama's school in Ladakh.Would love to hear from you.
Shaina
Varou, Shaina Singh - please email me at despoki.1971@gmail.com and I'd be happy to respond or have a call with you. Apologies in advance for not responding earlier, didn't see your comments. Hope you see this comment and reach out!
Hi Vijay.
I chanced upon your blog whilst reading up about this course offered by NUS. I have a bachelor degree in Engineering and a certification from IIM-B. I have 10 years experience in
business development experience in power generation companies. It would be of great help to me if you advise me if I stand any chance at all for the January 2018 opening.
Best Wishes,
Aparna
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