Practical and Public Management Research Projects

The public management research projects offer students the possibility of a practice-oriented processing of a concrete problem. The students are empowered to analyze practical challenges of public management and to develop a corresponding solution concept. The results are presented to representatives of the institution concerned. 

Learning content

The goal is the largely independent execution of research, data collection and concept development. By participating in the course research project, students learn to survey the scientific literature on a thematic sub-aspect, research relevant information, and critically reflect on assumptions and opinions.

The Chair of Public and Nonprofit Management offers students the unique opportunity to delve deeper into various topics in the field of public management together with diverse project partners in a realistic setting. In the project course, students put themselves in the position of management consultants. This provides the framework for applying empirical methods, presentation techniques and other competencies in cooperation with the practice partners. The practice partners benefit from the impulses of the students and show the students the practical relevance of topics from the field of public management.

Learning content

Students analyze concrete, practical challenges of a public organization and develop a corresponding solution concept. In doing so, students interact directly with customers, for whom they formulate an offer as a first step. In order to prepare the students specifically for this task, a workshop with experienced consultants is provided. The independently developed results are presented to the customers both orally and in writing. Students are expected to carry out research, data collection and concept development largely on their own and to prepare presentations and a final report while being supervised by the lecturer.