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About Us

Briefing

What 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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Mission

The Department of Public Affairs and Administration 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 and Administration has three primary goals:

  • Developing managers of public affairs.
  • Emphasizing both theoretical and practical knowledge.
  • Developing learners’ abilities to solve complex public problems.

Features

For Undergraduate Program

  • Fundamental knowledge
  • Political deliberation
  • Democratic practice
  • Public management
  • Communication
  • Problem-solving

For Graduate Program

  • Independent conduct of research
  • Democratic governance
  • Administration
  • Interdisciplinary integration
  • Research on mainland China

Future Development

The major objectives of the Department of Public Affairs and Administration 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 society, students might work as legislators, aides, journalists, pollsters, or think tank analysts.
  • To make good use of their professional specialty, graduates could work as professionals in the private sector.
  • To map out and carry out societal reform, graduates could work in different kinds of NPOs for public service.

Brief History

The MCU Department of Public Affairs and Administration 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 program was extended to Kinmen County in 2000 to support higher education in Taiwan’s outlying islands. In 2001, the Graduate School of Public Affairs was established.

Since 2003, the Department has comprised undergraduate, graduate, and EMPA programs. The Department currently has 10 faculty members, all holding doctoral degrees related to public affairs, and operates professional classrooms such as the Mock Council, Public Opinion Poll Center, and Qualitative Research Classroom.

The Department also emphasizes internationalization, including student exchange programs and a dual-degree agreement with XiNan University in Chongqing, China.

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 to cultivate elites with expertise in managing public affairs.

We have solid faculty members with excellent academic and practical experience, as well as state-of-the-art teaching facilities including a Public Opinion Poll Laboratory and Mock Council Meeting Room. Currently, we offer undergraduate, graduate, and EMPA programs.

Striving for excellence in the field of public affairs is our enduring pursuit. We hope you enjoy visiting our website, and your suggestions are always welcome.