What is the programme all about?

The public sector needs interdisciplinary expertise to be able to fully benefit from the potential of ICT and technological innovations. Within a context wherein ICT becomes increasingly important for the modernization and innovation of the public sector, the sector itself needs experts (1) who are able to translate technological expertise into efficiency, effectiveness, performance and user needs, and (2) who are able to take into account organizational, cultural, social and structural peculiarities of the public sector when implementing new technologies.

PIONEER aims at providing students with specialised competencies about public sector innovation and the role of ICT and technological evolutions in the innovation process.

Structure

PIONEER is:

A unique Erasmus Mundus programme, subsidised by the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency of the European Commission (EACEA).

An interdisciplinary programme combining the expertise of the fields of public administration, public management, information systems and eGovernance.

An international initial Master’s programme of 120 ECTS, jointly organized by three universities:

1. KU Leuven (first semester): In Leuven, the student receives an introduction to public administration and public management, a general primer in the use of information systems in the public sector as well as an introduction into eGovernance practices.
2. the University of Münster (second semester): In Münster, the student gains deeper insights into the use of information systems in relevant business processes, ICT projects, new approaches to service delivery as well as insights into the possibilities of ICT for governance.
3. the Tallinn University of Technology (third semester): In Tallinn, the student gains in-depth knowledge of the potential benefits, risks, factors of failure/success of eGovernance, the role of eGovernance towards society and trends in public sector innovation.

During the fourth semester, students write their Master’s Thesis on a topic of their own choosing by pursuing one of two learning tracks: either an internship in a professional organization, or the possibility of conducting research at a research institute.

Structure

PIONEER is:

A unique Erasmus Mundus program, subsidized by the Education, Audiovisual, and Culture Executive Agency of the European Commission (EACEA).

An interdisciplinary program combining the expertise of the fields of public administration, public management, information systems, and eGovernance.

An international initial Master’s program of 120 ECTS, jointly organized by three universities:

1. KU Leuven (first semester): In Leuven, the student receives an introduction to public administration and public management, a general primer in the use of information systems in the public sector as well as an introduction into eGovernance practices.
2. the University of Münster (second semester): In Münster, the student gains deeper insights into the use of information systems in relevant business processes, ICT projects, new approaches to service delivery as well as insights into the possibilities of ICT for governance.
3. the Tallinn University of Technology (third semester): In Tallinn, the student gains in-depth knowledge of the potential benefits, risks, factors of failure/success of eGovernance, the role of eGovernance towards society, and trends in public sector innovation.

During the fourth semester, students write their Master’s Thesis on a topic of their own choosing by pursuing one of two learning tracks: either an internship in a professional organization or the possibility of conducting research at a research institute.