About Us
BriefingWhat does public affairs refer to?
People have different definitions for this term.
However, it obviously is not in the realm of “personal issues" or "individual business".
In hopes of defining the meaning and connotations of the term, we have to seize the spirit of the word "public". Surely, what "public" means is not yet clearly defined but it seems to refer to the "activities within governmental jurisdiction" from a theoretical and practical point of view.
In other words, the origin of public affairs is that when an individual influences the other members of the society directly or indirectly for personal issues or business, resulting in this affair impacting the public, the government will oversee that matter.
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【Brief History】
The MCU Department of Public Affairs was officially established in 2003. Before 2003, the EMPA program of public management and community development, founded in 1999, acted as the forerunner of the department. The next year, 2000, the EMPA program was extended to Kinmen County, which was an effort of Ming Chuan University to support higher education to outlying islands of Taiwan. In 2001, the Graduate School of Public Affairs was established. Since 2003, the Department has comprised three programs, undergraduate, graduate and the EMPA. The aim of the Department is to train professional agents for the field of public affairs. In terms of faculty, we currently have 10 members, all have doctoral degrees related to public affairs. In addition, we have three professional classrooms designed to help strengthen students' learning effect iveness, including Mock Council, Public Opinion Poll Center and Classroom for Qualitative Research. Recently, the Department emphasizes the internationalization of learning, such as encouraging students going abroad for study exchange, and signing a dual-graduate degree agreement with XiNan University, Chongchin, China.
By keeping the Department in the forefront of the field of public affairs, the Department of Public Affairs continues to strive for producing excellent students in the field of public affairs.
【Mission】
The Department of Public Affairs prepares students to become managers of public affairs who not only care about local issues but also think globally. Students will gain ability to address public problems through interdisciplinary training, which emphasizes both theoretical and practical knowledge.
【GOALS】
The Department of Public Affairs has three primary goals:
- Developing managers of public affairs.
- Emphasizing both theoretical and practical knowledge
- Developing learners'abilities to solve complex public problems
【FEATURES】
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【FUTURE DEVELOPMENT】
The major objectives of the Department of Public Affairs are to provide students the necessary public affairs training through offering courses needed to establish students' own specialties. Thus, in terms of career after graduation, there are five broad categories for students to choose from:
- To prepare for a career in teaching or academic research, students might further their public affairs study in a doctoral degree.
- To enter public service, graduates may register for national civil service examinations.
- To advance the development of the nation and the society as a whole, students might work as legislators, national assembly aides, journalists, pollsters, or members of Think Tanks who analyze policies and offer suggestions.
- To make good use of their professional specialty, graduates could work as professionals in the private sector, responsible for a variety of training programs.
- To map out and carry out societal reform, graduates could work in different kinds of NPOs for public service.
【WORDS FROM THE DEPARTMENT CHAIR】
Dear friends,
On behalf of the faculty members and students, I sincerely welcome your visit to our department’s website. Following the University’s mission and goals, the department was founded in 1999 and its educational goal is to cultivate elites with expertise in managing public affairs. In order to fulfill the goal, we have solid faculty members who are equipped with excellent knowledge and experience in the field of political science and public administration. We also have state-of-the-art teaching facilities, including Public Opinion Poll Laboratory and Mock Council Meeting Room. Currently we have undergraduate, graduate, and EMPA programs. Striving for excellence in the field of public affairs is the aim we pursue. We hope you enjoy visiting our website and your suggestions will be especially appreciated.
Sincerely,