Welcome to the Department of Political Science & Public Administration
BACKGROUND
The Department of Political Science & Public Administration is one among the four departments of Faculty of Social Sciences, Naresuan University. It has been recognized as the main and famous educational institution on political science and public administration in the lower northern part of Thailand. The department’s members of faculty are leading scholars who are specialized in his or her field. They are active not only on teaching but also on conducting research. Some of them hold prestigious scholarly positions–such as journal reviewers, book and journal editors, and dissertation committee. In addition, some of them hold administrative positions of the faculty and university namely Associate or Deputy Dean and Vice President.
The Department Aims
One of the department objectives is to maintain high academic standards. Faculty members must systematically provide and develop teaching materials for students in each course. Students are strongly encouraged to participate in class. Criteria for passing each course, students are required essay exams and writing assignments based on independent research that uses analytical framework. For intern program, students are required to meet academic requirement for preparation to join public or private organizations as trainees. Criteria for passing the intern program, intern supervisors of the department and trainees’ supervisors at public or private organizations must satisfy each student ’s performance.
The department also continues to encourage students to think critically and be active and ready to respond to the rapid changing of economy, politics, and society. Graduates from the department must not only be well-qualified persons but also be democratic citizens in order to maintain a free and fair society.
Undergraduate and Graduate Programs
Department of Political Science & Public Administration of Nareuan University offers Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Master of Political Sciences degrees. A Bachelor of Arts degree aims to provide students with a broad knowledge of public affairs; however, they also have to pursue a solid background in subfields of political science: government and politics, international relations, public policy and administration, and local politics and administration. Before completing their study, all students require to obtain internships in government or local government agencies, public or private enterprises. After that, they have to register for doing research on topics related to political science and public administration. In case of a Master of Political Sciences degree, the department offers two programs: one is designed for students that pursue academic excellence; another for government officials, public sector or private employees that pursue administration theory and techniques that help to apply for their career and develop their career path as well. For more than ten years, graduates from the department have been employed in various organizations of public and private sectors, which is an example of the great success of the department.
Research Activities
Besides giving a lecture, members of the department have been conducting researches in various areas according to their interests. Sources of grant are usually provided by Naresuan University Research Fund, government budget, and financial support from government organizations and private sector. However, the department also collaborates with domestic and foreign educational institutions for doing research together. Research findings are generally used to support lecturers teaching in class. In addition, some of them are used by policymakers and officials in public and private organizations to formulate policy and measures to address problems. Furthermore, each year, faculty members’ research papers are presented at both national and international seminars. Some of them are usually Published in journals and books.
curriculum highlights
- Organizational Development
Concepts and theories of organizational behavior at the individual, group, and organizational levels; organizational change management; analysis of changes in organizational environment; strategic planning for organizational change; interventional tools and achievement assessment of organizational development. - Thai Local Administration
Structure and management of Thai local government; functions and responsibilities of local government; local personnel administration; local finance and budgeting; local innovation and governance.