One of the major objectives of Governance Studies program is to enhance the administrative capacity and governance skills of early career professionals, mainly from the developing nations. Our focus is on governance, public policy, and public management. Toward the goal, enrolled students are focused on a broad spectrum of issues, such as administrative and fiscal reform, economic development, sustainable development, and community management. They are also encouraged to study varieties of policy making processes as well as issues in policy implementation and evaluation.

By offering a wide range of subjects for the students to choose from, our Governance Studies program encourages students to specialize further in the theory of public policy such as governance and policy sciences, or in more pragmatic issues such as government business relationships and intergovernmental interfaces. Students are trained for evaluating the role and function of these policy matters from different perspectives. In this regard, the program is highly interdisciplinary, enabling students to apply various approaches and concepts to political science, economics, and public management. By being exposed to these different fields, students will increase their knowledge in governance and skills for public management.

The first year of the master's program will mostly be devoted to the introduction of certain concepts, theories and methodologies in the fields of policy sciences and public management. This arrangement will help students to deepen their understanding of governance, public management, policy making, policy implementation and program valuation. In these courses, students are encouraged to participate vigorously in in class discussions, while they are also expected to conduct their own preliminary research related to their specific policy interests.

In the second year, most students conduct their own research, in addition to attending a few seminar courses that are relevant to their research interests . Each student will have to write a master's thesis (research paper), by the end of the second year under the supervision of a designated academic advisor. The theme of the thesis may vary according to their interests, such as governance, public management, international finance, urban policy, and social development.

NOTE: The university may have additional program-specific eligibility requirements. It is recommended to verify these on the official university website.