Passport to New Career Heights

Since graduating from the Carnegie Mellon University’s Adelaide campus, South Australian Rebecca Murrie is confident she is on a path to new career heights.

With a Master of Science in Public Policy and Management on her resume, Ms Murrie joined South Australia’s Department of Trade and Economic Development, where she worked for 12 months with the Economic Development Board before her being promoted this year to the role of senior project manager in the department’s Office of the Chief Executive. Ms Murrie says she has worked on high-level State government projects including regulatory reform and a review of skills and workforce development; she is now collaborating with the department’s London office to attract UK migrants to South Australia.

“My Master’s degree has given me new managerial skills that can be applied in a broad range of professional roles,” Ms Murrie says. “I now don’t see any barriers to achieving whatever I want in my future.”

Carnegie Mellon University’s post-graduate studies in public policy and management provide aspiring leaders with the opportunity to build on their undergraduate professional qualifications, in fields as diverse as social work and sustainable urban planning, education and finance and commerce. These specific skills are required for elevation to, and success in, senior management roles – skills that may be acquired through the appropriate post-graduate study program.

Interaction between the public sector and the private and not-for-profit sectors is becoming more important as governments strive to be more efficient and more effective. Skilled leadership is essential; the public sector requires people with balanced foundations in analysis, leadership and technology who are change agents and social entrepreneurs, able to make a difference wherever they go.

The Executive Director of Carnegie Mellon Heinz School Australia, Tim Zak, points out that governments now outsource numerous functions previously preformed internally.

“Government contract work is a major source of business for thousands of companies in a wide variety of industries,” Mr Zak said. “At the same time, non-profit organisations are performing service-delivery and advocacy functions necessary for the wellbeing of communities.

“The Carnegie Mellon Heinz School public policy and management program improves the ability of personnel within public, not-for-profit and private organisations to address the wide range of challenges facing society today and into the future.

”Our success is reflected in the contributions of our graduates (numbering more than 5,000) have made to society through their work in international, national, state and local public agencies, not-for-profit organisations, and private corporations.”

Ms Murrie says the diversity of the career backgrounds and aspirations of her fellow students illustrates the relevance of the Carnegie Mellon Public Policy and Management program and the varied opportunities available to its participants.

“Through the study of policy analysis, financial management and analysis, project management and information technology, this program provides market-oriented training that’s applicable to any policy field in the public, non-profit and private sectors,” she said.

For more information on our programs click here MSIT http://www.heinz.cmu.edu.au/information-technology-management/program/index.asp and MSPPM http://www.heinz.cmu.edu.au/public-policy-and-management/program/index.asp

In this photo from right to left: Raymond Garrand (The CE of the Department of Trade and Economic Development) and Rebecca Murrie (Carnegie Mellon Graduate)