The university offers programs leading to a
postgraduate certificate and master's degrees. Furthermore it runs
doctoral programs, and administers programs of
executive education. In 2015 the cooperation expanded to include the
University of Southern California's
Price School of Public Policy. Master's students may earn the
European Master of Public Administration diploma by studying an additional
semester abroad at one of the twelve partner schools in the EMPA network. The one-term
postgraduate certificate program offers complementary studies in public management. It is aimed at young and future government officials holding a graduate-level degree. It resembles the first semester of the Master of Administrative Sciences program. The
Master of Administrative Sciences (
Magister rerum publicarum) is the school's traditional flagship program. It is a one-year postgraduate program open to students holding an additional graduate-level degree, preferably in law, economics, history, or sociology. Students can choose from some 100 courses that are divided into five policy areas: 1. Public tasks, Organization and Proceedings, 2. Public Management, 3. European and International Affairs, 4. State and Economy, and 5. Higher Education and Research Management. The program comprises two terms at the school, an eight-week internship at German or European institutions, and a subsequent period of three months to write the master's thesis and pass an oral examination. International student enrollment in this program regularly hovers around 50 percent. The
Master of Arts in Administrative Sciences is a two-year interdisciplinary program focusing on public administration in an international context. First year students follow a core curriculum consisting of six modules on administrative, legal, economic, methodological, and strategic topics, and complete a mandatory eight-week internship. In the second year, students choose courses from the following six optional modules: 1. Government and Administration, 2. Public Policy, 3. Europeanization and Internationalization of Public Administration, 4. Organization and Personnel, 5. Funding of Public Services, and 6. Competition and Regulation in the Infrastructure Sector. At the end of the second year, students complete the master's thesis. The
Master of Arts in Public Economy is a two-year program dedicated to the study of the
public economic sector from an interdisciplinary perspective. During the first year, students follow the core curriculum of the M.A. in Administrative Sciences. Second-year students complete four deepening modules in Public Finance, Competition and Regulation, Procurement, and Public Corporate Governance, choose one optional module on Public Enterprises, or Infrastructure, and write a master's thesis. Both M.A. programs also offer a one-year option for students holding a previous relevant master's degree. The
Master of Public Administration in Higher Education and Research Management is a two-year part-time program for professional university or research institute administrators. The university runs
doctoral programs in administrative sciences (
Doctor rerum publicarum), law (
Doctor juris), and political sciences and economy (
Doctor rerum politicarum). Doctoral candidates are required to complete one year of coursework in residence at the school, and produce a dissertation which makes a creditable contribution to scholarship in its field. The dissertation must be supervised by a member of the faculty. The school's
executive education provides in-service training for senior civil servants of all government levels. The seminars, workshops and conferences deal with contemporary problems of administration, legislation, and European affairs. The
Speyer Leadership College (
Führungskolleg Speyer) is a two-year in-service program preparing senior executives holding at least the rank of a
Government Director to assume higher positions. ==Admission and fees==