Education and Training

PhD Programme on Innovation, Economics and Governance for Development (IEGD)

The PhD programme is a multidisciplinary course offered by UNU-MERIT and its School of Governance. The programme focuses on research skills and methods, training fellows to become both scholars and practitioners in the fields of governance and the economics of technology. During their first year, fellows complete a basic, compulsory training programme conducted by leading scholars of the host and partner universities. These courses are taught in Maastricht and spread across two semesters. Taught entirely in English, this is an annual Maastricht-based programme which starts on 1 September. At the end of the programme, the doctoral degree is awarded by Maastricht University upon successful defence of the thesis.

Dual Career Training Programme to obtain a PhD in Governance and Policy Analysis (GPAC²)

Combining a PhD degree with a full-time job? The Dual Career Training Programme to obtain a PhD in Governance and Policy Analysis (GPAC²) offers courses, seminars and workshops that support the ambitions and intensify the research and analytical skills of the fellows. The programme meets the needs and availability of researchers with a full-time/part-time job, allowing the participants to combine their careers with obtaining a PhD. The GPAC² programme is designed to provide advanced training in theory and skills that are crucial to policy analysis and design. The research fits into one of the School’s research themes. The key lecturers of the programme are leading scholars in the field of policy analysis and the related areas like governance, risk management, sustainable development and social protection. The Dual Career Training Programme to obtain a PhD in Governance and Policy Analysis (GPAC²) is taught in English and consists of a common first year of training, followed by yearly workshops.

Evidence-Based Policy Research Methods

Developing competence and specific skills to effectively perform evidence-based academic or policy-oriented research is essential for knowledge creation and decision-making, whether in business, government or civil society. The Evidence-Based Policy Research Methods (EPRM) course aims to equip participants with the fundamental tools for designing and analysing evidence-based research. In order to ensure the development of a quality research proposal, participants will receive continuous personal feedback on their proposal by researchers and professors at UNU-MERIT. In order to build an evidence-based proposal, participants of EPRM will also have full access to a large selection of books, journals and databases available through the Maastricht University Library.

Master of Science in Public Policy and Human Development

The starting point of the MPP programme is to stimulate students to gain an understanding of the basic idea of good governance. The emphasis of the programme lies with the question of how can public policy be dealt with in the most effective and efficient way. To guarantee high quality in an international environment, we cooperate with the faculties of Maastricht University, partner universities and international bodies, such as the International Labour Organization (ILO).

Short courses (Master)

The Master Programme in Public Policy and Human Development is organised in such a way that students can also enroll in the separate courses. Most courses run for 4 weeks (some longer) and are concluded with a written exam and/or assignment. Students receive a certificate and credits for every course completed successfully.

Online courses

The decisions of public officials have important ramifications across both domestic and global political landscapes, often influencing individuals far beyond the physical borders of nation-states. The concept of “government” has evolved into a “process of governance” in which various public and private actors ranging from international organisations to local businesses cooperate in the decision making process.

Nowadays, the domain of public policy analysis is considered to cater for the needs of an important knowledge-intensive sector of the economy and society as a whole, e.g. to provide the knowledge and skills needed to analyze policy options and their impact on such issues as sustainable technology, social protection financing, effective and accountable governance, coherent and coordinated aid policies or health care management.

Given the growing complexity of the issues at hand, there is an increasing demand for specialists in policy analysis. Moreover, traditional educational settings continue to be a well-suited framework to meet the applicable needs of participants and institutions. However, facing new challenges and increasing time constraints, there is a growing need for innovative and collaborative learning programs in a lifelong learning setting. Online learning programmes can greatly contribute to this new framework, by continuously providing scholars, from all over the world and with different backgrounds, with a comprehensive combination of up-to-date theoretical insights, modern educational tools, technical and social skills and sector specific knowledge to put theory into practice.

UNU-MERIT and its School of Governance provide courses for professionals and scholars from all over the world in policy analysis, risk assessment, policy design, policy monitoring, policy evaluation and methods and techniques of policy research. In order to accommodate the needs of the participants to the greatest extend, these courses can be offered entirely online, in a blended learning setup, or as a classical face-to-face course.

Design and Evaluation of Innovation Policy (DEIP)

The UNU-MERIT course on the Design and Evaluation of Innovation Policies (DEIP) is an intensive one-week course for policymakers in science, technology and innovation policy in developing countries and for participants from the private sector involved in strategic decision-making about technology and innovation. The programme aims to meet the growing demand from developing countries for support in analysing the latest technological developments and designing appropriate responses and policies tailored to their specific development contexts. The target population of the course consists of senior and middle level officials of Ministries of Science and Technology, Ministries of Industry, Ministries of Economic Affairs and other technology supporting institutions as well as representatives from the private sector involved in science and technology policy issues. The course focuses on the theory and practice of innovation policy, on policy design, policy implementation, on the measurement and monitoring of innovative performance and on the evaluation of the outcomes of innovation policies. Courses are planned jointly with host organisations in developing countries.

Migration Management Diploma Programme (MMDP)

The Migration Management Diploma Programme is a three-month course designed for practitioners and civil servants working in the field of migration and/or asylum. The programme includes three different courses: 1. Migration management and protection; 2. Migration and development; and 3. Migration policy. Classes within MMDP are provided by world renowned scholars and practitioners such as Hein de Haas, Ronald Skeldon, Nicolaas de Zwaager and Anja Wiesbrok on a range of issues relating to migration. Moreover MMDP aims to provide a platform for networking through fieldtrips across Europe including a tour of Dutch Ministries in The Hague, EU institutions in Brussels, the UN and other intergovernmental agencies in Geneva and Schiphol airport.