Bachelor of Public Administration (BPA) as an academic program of Tribhuvan University is created to prepare students to foster the career in public affairs management. The graduates of the BPA program would be able to resolve societal challenges related to public affairs in general and particularly good governance, project management, development management, human resource management and leadership development as well as local governance. In addition, BPA provides in-depth knowledge of public administration focusing on social responsibility that befalls on middle level professionals. This program is designed to fulfill the gaps by developing middle level professionals required in public organizations. In general, students will learn to oversee a diverse workforce and community in public, private and non-profit organizations. Students will enhance their knowledge and skills to manage the mix of both local and regional needs in order to achieve optimal results within a multifaceted range of governmental regulations and the political process.
Graduates of the BPA will be able to utilize their knowledge in a variety of areas in state and local government, public and federal agencies, and private and public organizations including non-profits sectors both in Nepal and worldwide. Thus the BPA degree attempts to fulfill the mission of the university to promote intellectual quest and critical thinking needed in local, national and the global community. BPA aims to enable students to develop a greater awareness and responsiveness to fellow members within and outside the borders. Public Administration is a field in which these skills are urgently needed on a daily basis.
Objective of the BPA program: The objective of the Bachelor of Public Administration (BPA) is to enable graduates to tap on the opportunities available in multitude of employment positions in the public, private and the NGO sectors. Upon completion of the program, the graduates will be able to:
- Develop learning, research and professional skills in the area of public management;
- Prepare public managers to meet the needs and challenges of public service;
- Demonstrate an awareness to and knowledge of the political context of the duties of a public servant;
- Exhibit ethical conduct while maintaining awareness of the large responsibilities of serving the public interest; and
- Become effective managers, specialists, and figureheads in both the public sector and public organizations.
Program at a Glance: BPA program’s course cycle completes in eight semesters (four years). The total weight age of the program has 120 credits covering Administrative Sciences with 87 credits, Specialization 18 credits, Computer Application 9 credits, and the Internship and Report Writing 6 credits as given below.
Semester-wise Subject List;
| 1st Semester (Total 15 Cr. Each subject- 3Cr) | 2nd Semester(Total 15 Cr. Each subject- 3Cr) |
| BPA 101 English I
BPA 102 Foundation of Public Administration BPA 103 Sociology BPA 104 Micro-Economics BPA 105 Organization Theory |
BPA 201 English II
BPA 202 Development Administration BPA 203 Macro-economics BPA 204 Fundamentals of psychology BPA 205 Mathematics |
| 3rd Semester (Total 15 Cr. Each subject- 3Cr) | 4th Semester Total 15 (Cr. Each subject- 3Cr) |
| BPA 301 Public Finance
BPA 302 International Administration BPA 3031 Local Governance BPA 304 Human Resource Management BPA 305 Applied Statistics in Public Administration |
BPA 401 Social Change and Nation Building
BPA 402 Comparative Politics BPA 403 Basics of Public Policy BPA 404 Nepalese Legal system BPA 405 Development Planning and Nepalese Economy |
| 5th Semester (Total 15 Cr. Each
subject- 3Cr) |
6th Semester (Total 15 Cr. Each subject- 3Cr) |
| BPA 411 Organizational Behaviour
BPA 412 Administrative Law BPA 413 Office Management BPA 414 Fundamentals of Computer BPA 415 Revenue governance |
BPA 421 Research Methods in Public Administration
BPA 422 Government Budgeting, Accounting and Auditing BPA 423 Computer Application BPA 424 Environment management and Climate Change Specialization- I |
| 7th Semester (Total 15 Cr. Each subject- 3Cr) | 8th Semester (Total 15 Cr. Each subject- 3Cr) |
| BPA 431 E-governance
BPA 432 Recent Trends in Public Management BPA 433 Security management Specialization-II Specialization-III |
PA 450 Internship – 6cr.
Specialization- IV Specialization- V Specialization- VI
|
| Development Management Area | Human Resource Management Area |
| DM 451 Project management
DM 452 Cooperative Management DM 453 Tourism management DM 454 Social Development DM 455 Auditing in Nepal DM 456 Disaster Management |
HRM 461 Nepalese Personnel Administration
HRM 462 Administrative Reform HRM 463 Human Resource Development HRM 464 Performance Management HRM 465 Total Quality Management HRM 466 Employer-employee relations |
| SPA 3: Local Governance | |
| LG 471 Local Planning
LG 472 NGO Governance LG 473 Rural-Urban Partnership LG 474 Public Private Partnership LG 475 Local Finance LG 476 Public Service Delivery |
Student shall choose one of the three specialization areas (SPA), i.e., 6 subjects of one group only |
| Evaluation Scheme; | ||||
| Code No. & Course Title | Internal | Theory | Practical | Total |
| BPA 101 English I | 40 | 60 | … | 100 |
| BPA 102 Foundation of Public Administration | 40 | 60 | … | 100 |
| BPA 103 Sociology | 40 | 60 | … | 100 |
| BPA 104 Microeconomics | 40 | 60 | … | 100 |
| BPA 105 Organization Theory | 40 | 60 | … | 100 |
| BPA 201 English II | 40 | 60 | … | 100 |
| BPA 202 Development Administration | 40 | 60 | … | 100 |
| BPA 203 Macroeconomics | 40 | 60 | … | 100 |
| BPA 204 Fundamentals of psychology | 40 | 60 | … | 100 |
| BPA 205 Mathematics | 40 | 60 | … | 100 |
| BPA 301 Public Finance | 40 | 60 | … | 100 |
| BPA 302 International Administration | 40 | 60 | … | 100 |
| BPA 3031 Local Governance | 40 | 60 | … | 100 |
| BPA 304 Human Resource Management | 40 | 60 | … | 100 |
| BPA 305 Applied Statistics in Public Administration | 40 | 60 | … | 100 |
| BPA 401 Social Change and Nation Building | 40 | 60 | … | 100 |
| BPA 402 Comparative Politics | 40 | 60 | … | 100 |
| BPA 403 Basics of Public Policy | 40 | 60 | … | 100 |
| BPA 404 Nepalese Legal system | 40 | 60 | … | 100 |
| BPA 405 Development Planning and Nepalese Economy | 40 | 60 | … | 100 |
| BPA 411 Organizational Behaviour | 40 | 60 | … | 100 |
| BPA 412 Administrative Law | 40 | 60 | … | 100 |
| BPA 413 Office Management | 40 | 60 | … | 100 |
| BPA 414 Fundamentals of Computer | 40 | 40 | 20 | 100 |
| BPA 415 Revenue governance | 40 | 60 | … | 100 |
| BPA 4211 Research Methods in Public Administration | 40 | 60 | … | 100 |
| BPA 422 Government Budgeting, Accounting and Auditing | 40 | 60 | … | 100 |
| BPA 423 Computer Application | 40 | 40 | 20 | 100 |
| BPA 444 Environment management and Climate Change | 40 | 60 | … | 100 |
| BPA 431 E-governance | 40 | 60 | … | 100 |
| BPA 432 Recent Trends in Public Management | 40 | 60 | … | 100 |
| BPA 433 Security management | 40 | 60 | … | 100 |
| Development Management Area | ||||
| DM 451 Project management | 40 | 60 | … | 100 |
| DM 452 Cooperative Management | 40 | 60 | … | 100 |
| DM 453 Tourism management | 40 | 60 | … | 100 |
| DM 454 Social Development | 40 | 60 | … | 100 |
| DM 455 Auditing in Nepal | 40 | 60 | … | 100 |
| DM 456 Disaster Management | 40 | 60 | … | 100 |
| Human Resource Management Area | ||||
| HRM 461 Nepalese Personnel Administration | 40 | 60 | … | 100 |
| HRM 462 Administrative Reform | 40 | 60 | … | 100 |
| HRM 463 Human Resource Development | 40 | 60 | … | 100 |
| HRM 464 Performance Management | 40 | 60 | … | 100 |
| HRM 465 Total Quality Management | 40 | 60 | … | 100 |
| HRM 466 Employer-employee Relations | 40 | 60 | … | 100 |
| Local Governance Area; | ||||
| LG 471 Local Planning | 40 | 60 | … | 100 |
| LG 472 NGO Governance | 40 | 60 | … | 100 |
| LG 473 Rural-Urban Partnership | 40 | 60 | … | 100 |
| LG 474 Public Private Partnership | 40 | 60 | … | 100 |
| LG 475 Local Finance | 40 | 60 | … | 100 |
| LG 476 Public Service Delivery | 40 | 60 | … | 100 |
Eligibility for Admission: Those students who successfully completed twelve-year schooling or its equivalent from any university, board or institution recognized by Tribhuvan University in any discipline in the 10+2 or PCL or equivalent program will be eligible for applying in this program. Student selection will be based on merit which is ascertained by written test, score of +2 or equivalent, and the interview.
Admission criteria: Written test: Eligible applicants are required to appear in the entrance test conducted by Central Department of Public Administration, Faculty of Management, Tribhuvan University. The test will follow the international testing pattern and standards. It includes the areas like:
- Verbal ability
- Quantitative ability
- Logical reasoning
- General awareness
There shall be altogether one hundred (100) objective questions containing twenty five (25) question in each section with a total weight of 100 marks. Student must secure a minimum of 40 per cent in the written test in order to qualify for the interview.
Interview: Applicants securing above cut off point marks in the written test will be short-listed. Only short listed candidates will be interviewed and selected for admission.
Teaching pedagogy: The general methods of instruction in BPA program will be combination of class lecture, group discussion, role play, problem solving exercise, guest lecture, case study, literature review, assignment, term paper, seminar presentation and project/field work. The teaching faculty will determine the choice of teaching pedagogy as per the need of the course.
The concerned faculty shall develop a detailed course outline and work plan at the beginning of each semester and also recommend the basic text and other reference materials for effective teaching-learning of the course modules.
Minimum general requirement: The minimum general requirements for the BPA program are as follows:
- A academic semester will consist of a minimum 75 teaching days excluding the days taken for admission and semester examination.
- A paper of 3cr marks will have 60 lectures. Each lecture will be of 1 hour duration.
Attendance, Evaluation and grading system: The evaluation of the students is based on internal and external examination. The weight age of internal examination will be 40 per cent whereas 60 per cent for the external examination. Internal examination will be conducted by Campus itself and external examination by Faculty of Management, Tribhuvan University. The final grade of the student shall be determined on the overall performance in the internal and external examinations. In order to qualify to appear in the semester final examination, a student must meet the following requirements:
- The student must have a minimum of 80 per cent attendance of the classes actually held.
- The students will not be allowed to appear in the second semester without appearing in the first semester. The same rule will be followed upto eight semesters.
The grading system; The final evaluation of students is done through the examination conducted by Tribhuvan University. Student must secure a minimum of grade ‘C’ or Grade Point Average (GPA) of 2.0 in the internal evaluation in order to qualify to appear in the semester examination. In order to pass the semester examination the student must secure a minimum of grade ‘C’ or Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 2.00.
Make-up Examination and Re-registration: In case of failure in one or more courses at the end of semester examinations, students can appear in make-up examination in subsequent semester. A student can appear only on two courses (6 credit hours) in the make-up examination. If the student fails in the make-up examination he/she shall have to re-register and repeat the course as per the course cycle. A student can re-register only two courses (6 credits hours in a semester. The examination of the re-registered course shall be held as per the course cycle.
Internship/Field work: Each student shall prepare an internship report/a field work/project work in the eighth semester based on his/her work in the respective organization assigned to him/her in a prescribed format of the Central Department of Public Administration, Tribhuvan University. Students shall be attached to organizations where they have to work for a period of eight weeks. The report’s quality will be evaluated on the basis of clarity of research problem along with the objective which is followed by appropriateness of methodology, exactness of findings as well as conclusion including references. The report must be submitted by the end of the eighth semester. Students must secure a minimum grade of “C” in the internship. The internship carries a weight equivalent to 6 credit hours.
Graduation requirement: The BPA program extends over four academic years (Eight semesters). The degree is awarded upon the successful completion of all the required courses. All candidates for the BPA degree must fulfill the following requirements:
- The successful completion of 120 cr. marks as prescribed with passing grades in all the courses with CGP of 2.00,
- A minimum of grade ‘C’ obtained in the internship.
- Completion of courses for the fulfillment of requirements of the BPA program must occur within seven years from the time of registration as prescribed for the fulfillment of BPA program by Tribhuvan University.
Scholarship Provision and Fee Structure: There would be scholarship to the student. Priority of providing scholarship will be given to the student who studied +2 and SLC from public schools/colleges.