MPA Faith-Based Leadership

Leading a faith community today is an increasingly complex and challenging task. Our MPA helps develop effective, equipped and well-informed leaders who can help their organisations maximise their impact for the good of society.

Today’s faith communities are often sizeable organisations with sophisticated educational, healthcare or social engagement projects and significant financial turnover. However, the initial training of faith leaders understandably focusses on their theological and pastoral skills, leaving many leaders with significant professional responsibilities and management challenges that they sometimes feel ill-equipped to confront.

The Birmingham Master of Public Administration in Faith-Based Leadership offers a globally-unique approach to faith leadership development, combining insight into organisational, administrative, managerial and leadership skills from negotiation to social entrepreneurship, from decision science to ethical purchasing, and from leading volunteers to intercultural engagement with a commitment to faith-sensitive application of these core principles on the ground in faith communities across the world.

The MPA is a two-year, part-time programme designed for senior and emerging senior leaders from across a variety of faiths, from faith-based organisations and from governmental and non-governmental organisations that deal with faith-based issues as part of their everyday life. Our programme is ideal for, for example, chairs of trusts, mosques, temples and gurdwaras, directors of companies and CIOs, bishops, area deans or equivalent, CEOs or COOs from faith-based organisations.

Employability

Your degree will provide excellent preparation for your future career, but this can also be enhanced by a range of employability support services offered by the University and the College of Arts and Law.

The University's Careers Network provides expert guidance and activities especially for postgraduates, which will help you achieve your career goals. The College of Arts and Law also has a dedicated careers and employability team who offer tailored advice and a programme of College-specific careers events.

You will be encouraged to make the most of your postgraduate experience and will have the opportunity to:

• Receive one-to-one careers advice, including guidance on your job applications, writing your CV and improving your interview technique, whether you are looking for a career inside or outside of academia
• Meet employers face-to-face at on-campus recruitment fairs and employer presentations
• Attend an annual programme of careers fairs, skills workshops and conferences, including bespoke events for postgraduates in the College of Arts and Law
• Take part in a range of activities to demonstrate your knowledge and skills to potential employers and enhance your CV

Applicants will ordinarily require a 2:1 or above at undergraduate level (or equivalent), three years’ experience in a leadership role at some level (not necessarily senior yet), and will need to be employed or presently volunteering extensively in a leadership capacity, with the capacity to dedicate approximately 8 hours a week on average to their studies throughout the two years. Degree apprenticeship applicants are required to commit 20% of their working time to this off-the-job training.