What is unique about this Master’s programme?
“The programme trains the next generation of ambitious public administration students. Its unique selling point lies in the combination of strong governance knowledge with valuable technical skills, on a topic of high societal interest: artificial intelligence (AI). AI is transforming our lives and societies. Public institutions are no exception. The programme is a collaboration of the Public Administration department with Communication Science. This collaboration is important because we want to build students’ computational skills and critical engagement with (big) data. This combination of skills is in high demand in all areas of society.”
What is driving this programme’s set-up?
“As we speak, AI is being deployed across public sectors and policy domains. These developments come with opportunities but also, unless carefully managed, with serious challenges that can lead to digital exclusion, amplify bias or decrease accountability in public services. To ensure responsible use, specialised skills on this are needed in the public sector. This has high societal relevance, especially in the aftermath of high-profile public scandals involving algorithmic failures and discrimination.
It is critical that public organisations become demanding and discerning users and consumers of AI technologies, understand the opportunities and challenges that different tools bring. This all starts with having the right inhouse expertise. This is where this programme comes in.
We equip our students with the analytical and technical skills needed for a thoughtful and responsible use of the technology, mindful of both its positive and negative effects, social consequences and impact on public values and public institutions.”
What are the career prospects for students graduating from this programme?
“This programme answers a big skills gap in the job market. The rise of algorithmic governance requires a new generation of trained public administration experts that have a strong theoretical and analytical understanding of governance, coupled with innovative computational skills. Such profiles are currently in short supply.
In terms of career paths, you can think of working for instance, as a public manager, policy-maker but also management positions in the private sector, or working as a consultant or data analyst. Traditional jobs are being redefined by AI. If you think of your typical public sector bodies, be it municipalities, regulatory bodies, ombudsmen or courts of audit – these are all receiving mandates and tasks in the area of algorithmic governance: either using AI, thinking of using AI, or overseeing how others are using AI.
A recent statistic I saw cited by the Dutch government is that the IMF calculates that, in developed economies, up to sixty percent of jobs may be affected by AI. All aspects of society are becoming digitalised, so I cannot emphasise enough how critical these skills are.”
For more details, see the programme curriculum and the website.