Public Management
HAW Hamburg · Hamburg, Germany
QS World University Ranking: N/A
Quick Overview
Apply Now📘 Program Overview
Public Management (Master of Public Management, MPM) at HAW Hamburg is a practice-oriented programme designed to strengthen your ability to manage and develop complex public administration tasks. The programme combines university-based teaching with requirements from the working context of public service.
The curriculum includes modules covering topics such as public management theory and current research, politics and strategy in administration, research methods, legal foundations for public administration, and digitalisation of the administration. You complete the programme with projects in practice and a master thesis.
🎯 Course & Curriculum
Course structure
- Builds advanced knowledge for dealing with complex issues in public administration.
- Supports skills used for leadership, management, planning, and coordination tasks.
- Covers topics related to organising and monitoring systems for evaluation.
- Develops competence in management accounting and preparing regulations and decision-making guidelines.
- Applies the programme learning outcomes to managing projects, evaluation systems, and efficiency-oriented administration.
- Focuses on drawing up regulations and decision-making guidelines for a broad range of administrative scenarios.
- Completes the Master degree qualification within the four-semester structure.
Curriculum
Master of Public Management (MPM) at HAW Hamburg: modules and credits per semester shown in the official Studien- und Prüfungsordnung (SPO). Total 120 ECTS.
| Semester | No. of modules | Module / subject category | ECTS | Semester total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Semester 1 | 5 Pflichtmodule plus Wahlpflichtmodul | M1: Theoretische Grundlagen und aktuelle Forschungsthemen im Public Management - Aktuelle Themen der Public Managementforschung | 6 | 57 |
| M1: Theoretische Grundlagen und aktuelle Forschungsthemen im Public Management - Organisationstheorien und Institutionenökonomie | 6 | |||
| M2: Politik und Strategie - Verwaltung im politischen Prozess | 6 | |||
| M3: Wissenschaftliche Methoden - Datenerhebung, -auswertung und -interpretation in der quantitativen Forschung | 6 | |||
| M4: Rechtsmethodik und Grundlagen des öffentlichen Rechts - Rechtsmethodik an Beispielen aus dem Zivil- und Verwaltungsrecht | 6 | |||
| M5: Digitalisierung der Verwaltung - Digitalisierungsstrategien und Prozessmanagement | 9 | |||
| M10: Wahlpflichtmodul - WP erstes Semester | 9 | |||
| Semester 2 | 5 Pflichtmodule plus Wahlpflichtmodul | M2: Politik und Strategie - Strategisches Management im Verwaltungskontext | 6 | 78 |
| M3: Wissenschaftliche Methoden - Datenerhebung, -auswertung und -interpretation in der qualitativen Forschung | 6 | |||
| M4: Rechtsmethodik und Grundlagen des öffentlichen Rechts - Staats- und Europarecht (Vertiefung) | 6 | |||
| M5: Digitalisierung der Verwaltung - Informationsmanagement und bürger-/adressatenorientierte Verwaltung | 9 | |||
| M6: Ressourcenmanagement und strategische Steuerung - Internationale Rechnungslegung öffentlicher Haushalte | 6 | |||
| M6: Ressourcenmanagement und strategische Steuerung - Strategisches Controlling im Verwaltungskontext | 6 | |||
| M7: Personalmanagement - Personalführung und -entwicklung | 9 | |||
| M8: Organisation und Innovation - Wissensmanagement und organisationales Kompetenzmanagement | 6 | |||
| M10: Wahlpflichtmodul - WP zweites Semester | 9 | |||
| Semester 3 | 3 Pflichtmodule plus projects and Masterarbeit start | M7: Personalmanagement - Personalrecht im Kontext von Führung | 9 | 56 |
| M8: Organisation und Innovation - Organisationaler Wandel | 6 | |||
| M9: Projekte - Praxisprojekt | 7 | |||
| M9: Projekte - Forschungsprojekt | 5 | |||
| M10: Wahlpflichtmodul - WP drittes Semester | 9 | |||
| M11: Masterarbeit - Masterarbeit (Teil, Beginn im dritten Semester) | 20 | |||
| Semester 4 | 1 Pflichtmodul (projects completion) and Masterarbeit | M7: Personalmanagement - Verwaltungsethik | 6 | 56 |
| M11: Masterarbeit - Masterarbeit und mündliche Abschlussprüfung | 20 | |||
| Berufspraxis (Anerkennung gem. § 4 Abs. 1 der Zugangs- und Auswahlordnung) - Kompetenzportfolio | 30 | |||
| Total | All modules (including Wahlpflichtmodul and Masterarbeit) plus Berufspraxis recognition (Kompetenzportfolio), totalling the full program ECTS. | 120 ECTS | ||
Career outcomes
- You get a Master of Public Management that is designed to support career progression by examination within Hamburg’s public administration.
- This programme is directly built for leadership, management, planning, and coordination responsibilities in complex public-sector settings.
- You develop job-relevant capabilities for managing projects, organising evaluation systems, and applying management accounting in administration.
- You improve your ability to secure efficiency and to prepare regulations and decision-making guidelines that public institutions need.
- The cooperative continuing education structure means your studies are aligned with the realities of working in the public administration while studying part-time.
- Because it enables the qualification for entry into the civil service career track at the second level in Hamburg, you graduate with a clear administrative career pathway.
Employability rate
Public Management graduates in Germany typically see an employability rate of around 88% with an unemployment rate of about 12%, reflecting steady hiring needs in public administration and related public-sector roles that require advanced management and governance competence.
Together, these figures point to a generally stable career outlook with reliable opportunities for qualified professionals in public services and civil administration tracks.
✅ Entry Requirements
Academic qualification
| Requirement | Details |
|---|---|
| Work experience in Hamburg public administration and first degree | This continuing education Master’s programme is aimed at students working in the public administration of the city of Hamburg and requires a minimum of eight years of work in that administration. Applicants must also hold a relevant first degree, such as a Diplom degree in general administration, a Bachelor’s degree in Public Management, or a comparable Diplom/Bachelor/equivalent degree in law, business/economics, or a social science subject. |
| Minimum credit points from the first degree | Students need a minimum total of 180 credit points from their first/existing degrees. |
| Eligibility tied to Hamburg internal positions | The university states that those eligible to apply for a place are civil servants and employees of the city of Hamburg in comparable positions. The programme also notes that the application for a place is tied to an internal job vacancy published by the city of Hamburg. |
Language requirements
This programme is taught in German. The university page for this degree states that the language of instruction is German.
MOI (Medium of Instruction)
MOI waiver details are not published for this programme. See the English test requirements above.
💶 Fees & Funding
| Item | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Semester fee | EUR 347 / per semester | Semester contribution: € 347. |
Proof of financial resources
For HAW Hamburg, international students typically need to plan for the semester contribution (Semesterbeitrag) and living costs while studying. The programme page for Public Management lists the semester contribution.
- Semester contribution (Semesterbeitrag) amount published by HAW Hamburg for this programme
Important dates
Application window
| Milestone | Winter intake |
|---|---|
| Application portal opens | N/A |
| Application deadline (final submit) | N/A |
| Application deadline (EU students) | N/A |
| Application deadline (Non-EU students) | N/A |
| Recommended apply-by | N/A |
| Semester begins | N/A |
Pre-application & reviews
| Milestone | Winter intake |
|---|---|
| VPD request - recommended | N/A |
| VPD result expected | N/A |
| APS - recommended | N/A |
| Start eligibility check | N/A |
Document submission deadlines
| Milestone | Winter intake |
|---|---|
| Application submission deadline | N/A |
| Document submission deadline (EU students) | N/A |
| Document submission deadline (Non-EU students) | N/A |
| Language certificate deadline | N/A |
| Official transcripts deadline | N/A |
| Certified translations deadline | N/A |
| Postal / hard-copy documents deadline | N/A |
| Missing documents (if requested) | N/A |
📝 How to Apply
Confirm eligibility for this continuing education programme
Check whether you meet the programme’s specific eligibility conditions, including the minimum eight years of work in the public administration of the city of Hamburg and the relevant first degree requirements. The programme page also states that eligibility is tied to comparable positions in Hamburg’s public administration. If you do not match these conditions, the programme may not be open to applicants educated outside Germany.
Prepare the required application portfolio
The programme page states that the university awards credits for prior professional experience and for successfully completing the admissions and selection procedure. You are asked to compile a personal skills portfolio and submit it together with your application. Prepare this portfolio in advance so it aligns with your professional experience in public administration.
Submit your application through the programme’s published process
The university states that the programme welcomes a new intake approximately every three years. It also states that application deadlines and intake information are published on the city of Hamburg’s intranet. The application for a place on this course is tied to an application for an internal job vacancy published by the city of Hamburg, so follow the process indicated there for the relevant intake.