Ateneo School of Government


The Ateneo de Manila University School of Government, commonly referred to as Ateneo School of Government is the graduate school of leadership and public service of the Ateneo de Manila University, a private, Roman Catholic university established by the Society of Jesus in the Philippines.

History

In 1996, the ASoG was established to develop public leadership and management. It seeks to provide cooperation among the government, the private sector, non-government organizations, and people's organizations. It was initially a unit under the Ateneo Graduate School of Business until it was formally established as an autonomous academic unit in 2001.
In November 2000, twenty-five staff members of the Philippine Department of Agriculture started a customized, full-time program. In January 2001, sixteen students for the first batch and thirty students for the second batch started the general MPM program for the public. In June 2001, twenty senior staff members of the House of Representatives of the Philippines graduated from the customized, part-time program.

Academic offerings

The Master in Public Management is the flagship academic program of the ASoG. The MPM is a 45-unit master's degree program for leadership and management in the public and non-profit sectors. The MPM has two categories:
Starting in the 2014–2015 academic year, the School of Government offers a PhD in Leadership Studies, major in Public Management. The PhD program involves 60 units of coursework capped by a dissertation. Subjects offered include ethics, public policy development and analysis, organizational development, public finance, and sustainable development. In keeping with the University's Jesuit tradition, a Spirituality course is also included in the curriculum.
Short training programs which are task-oriented and skill-specific are also available. These continuing education and executive classes can be customized to suit the needs of organizations.

Program design and delivery

The MPM makes use of actual cases and practical exercises in concentrated and accelerated modular schedules. ASoG courses are taught through adult learning techniques that build on the student's experience. These techniques include active discussions in class, the use of problem-based case studies, simulations and lectures.
Each academic subject is delivered through four-hour sessions per week for eight consecutive weeks.
The MPM is composed of forty-five units. Each three-unit course is composed of eight classes usually held every Saturday. Each class generally runs for four hours in duration. Part-time MPM requires approximately two-and-a-half years to complete. However, under the MPM accelerated option, a student can take six academic units per module.
The PhD in Leadership Studies program follows a similar mode of delivery, but with added research options. An option to choose between quantitative research and public policy implementation research is given, with a particular emphasis on local governance.

Program content

The MPM program requires the completion of the following mandatory courses:
At least three of the following electives must be taken to graduate from the program:
The PhD program requires the following courses:
The ASoG requires MPM applicants to hold at least a bachelor's degree in any field, good academic records, and at least two years of significant work experience. Applicants must be interested to work in the public sector, and usually come from the government, foreign funding agencies, lawyers, elected local officials, non-government organizations, the media, and the academe.

Faculty

The ASoG draws from experienced and academically qualified pool of faculty. All faculty members have experience working in or for government. Prominent faculty members include Representative Nereus Acosta, and Senators Francis Pangilinan and Francis Escudero.