This is the introductory course in public administration designed to provide students with a broad overview of the field of Public Administration, both as an academic discipline and as a profession. It examines the context in which public administration occurs and its relationship to the social and political environment in which it exists. Students will be exposed to the various functions involved in administration of public policy and how to apply practical solutions to the problem faced in its implementation.

This course focuses on the structure, process and role of individuals in organizations emphasizing how and why these components have to be coordinated to efficiently and effectively attain organizational goals and objectives. It defines and examines concepts, models, paradigms and theories in the field of organization theory as the basis for understanding internal and external organizational dynamics.

This course is designed to provide students with an opportunity to study and apply both qualitative and quantitative research methods. While focusing on descriptive research, other research designs and various data gathering techniques are examined. This course provides an understanding of quantitative as well as qualitative techniques for analyzing research data on public programs and administrative problems. Explores the relevancy of quantitative and qualitative analysis to problems administrators face in public agencies. Students will learn to make appropriate use of applied research in decision-making and will utilize computer programming in support of statistical analysis.

This course is designed to provide public administrators with the fundamental economic background necessary to understand and implement public policy. Macroeconomic and microeconomic theories are used to develop tools that are useful applications.

This course is designed primarily to acquaint students with the public policy making process in the United States. The goal isto enable students to identify, explain and understand the structure, sources and processes of public policy making, and, to attempt to use models developed by policy analysts and experts to analyze government policies and programs. Particular emphasis will be placed on the socio-economic and political variables that impact upon the policy making processes and on the utility of theoretical knowledge and research in the formulation, implementation and evaluation of public policies in the United States.

The focus of this course is upon developing a full understanding of the nature of the working relationship which exists between management and the worker within a productive environment. This type of environment, one where emphasis is placed on creating a work situation which is mutually beneficial to both parties, is the primary focus of the human resource function in public and private organizations. This course provides an overview of the historical nature of human resources management in the public sector, explores legal and constitutional structures, and develops recommendations for establishing and maintaining constructive relationships between these two competing groups.

This course includes an overview of the political and legal institutions in the budgetary process. The various contexts of public budgets, including political and economic, are explored. Additionally, students examine the executive and legislative foci on public budgeting. Budgetary analytical processes, operating budgets, capital budgets, and revenue systems are explained to provide students with the ability to plan, develop, and implement budgets in public sector agencies.

This course provides an understanding of how to manage information as a resource and information technology as an enabler in public and nonprofit organizations. It places a particular emphasis on ways in which information resources and information technology lend support to operational, tactical, and strategic decision making by frontline, mid-level, and top public administrators. No prerequisites for this course.

This course covers the many aspects of financial management: the need for accurate forecasting, accounting reporting, the players and pressures of the budget cycle; the importance of local revenue sources; the need for sound management of debt, cash, inventory, purchasing and risk. Trends and issues that have emerged in state and local financial management also will be explored. Students study the impacts of the last decade of the twentieth century: national and local efforts to foster accountability for performance in government; the effects of privatization and service contracting on local finance; the effects of a slowed economy on revenue sources, property valuation, interest rates, and service delivery; local government involvement in economic development; globalization of the local economy, and other economic and demographic patterns in metropolitan areas. This course focuses on management principles and practices while outlining the financial and economic context within which financial management takes place.

This course introduces students to the importance of program design, implementation and evaluation in the field of public administration. It highlights essential steps and issues involved in the design of effective public programs and underscore the need to conduct good evaluation for these programs. In addition, the course examines how social science knowledge can enhance the design and evaluation of public programs.

The course will expose the students to the complex problems of managing urban America in the 21st century. Specific emphasis will be placed on the political environment of urban places with their diverse populations configured in dimensions of race, class and economic disparities. The overall goal of the course is to have the students gather general knowledge of urban America and acquire skills that may be applied in managing urban units of government.

All pre-service students are required to complete an approved internship. The length of the internship must be a minimum of twelve (12) weeks and 480 hours of on-site work. The purpose of the internship is to provide students with practical hands on experience related to their areas of concentration. This experience should be in a position which provides students with entry-level administrative responsibilities and under the direct supervision of a person in the organization who has mid to executive level responsibility. Students participating in their internships are counseled on various aspects of practical administration. Discussions also focus on the identification of problems which will be used in the students final Exit Paper. Students are required to prepare a portfolio and submit a critical analysis of one of the required textbooks.

This course is provided for students requesting special instruction in an approved concentration. Students are given required reading lists for analysis and discussion with the assigned faculty. Students also complete case study analysis and a major research paper on a topic that has prior approval of the faculty. The student learning outcomes reflect those of the specific course for which the independent study is undertaken, e.g., CPAD 521, Principles of community and Economic Development.

This course is designed to broaden the students¿ knowledge of the scope and character of managing in the public sector. In addition to exploring the traditional functions and behavior of public managers, this course will place emphasis on the politics of public management. Issues related to ethical behavior in public management will also be explored. Considerable attention will be given to current approaches to improve the management of public organizations.

Comparative public administration is the systematic study of public administration, policy and management from a cross-national perspective. It introduces students to a wide range of administrative systems with an emphasis on third world public bureaucracies. Selected administrative systems will be used in the study of comparative administration.

The course is designed to define and understand basic concepts in the field of social policy to understand the philosophical justification for American social policies. To examine competing theories developed to analyze social policy. To identify, discuss and review the literature on social policies. To analyze specific policies for context and relevance to society. To discuss ethical questions associated with the implementation of social policies.

This is an introductory course designed to enhance the knowledge of students in the area of labor management relations and collective bargaining. The primary objectives of this course are to introduce students to the terminology, historical context and current trends in the area of labor management relations as they relates to both the public and private sectors. Due to the legal environment and political context in which the public sector operates it is important to distinguish the differences between the management of labor relations in the public versus the private sector. Finally, this course will allow students to gain hands on experience in resolving labor management issues by examining relevant case studies and participating in various role play simulations.

This course gives the student a practical overview of strategic human resources practices as tools for management in today¿s knowledge-based organization. The organization¿s need to link the accomplishment of its strategic mission to human resource activities is explored. Emphasis is placed on using individual HR functions for achieving an organization¿s mission and purpose. Human resources techniques and functions are addressed from the perspective of their ability to provide value-added assistance to achieving goals of the organization.

This course is designed to familiarize students with essential concepts, theories and activities involved in the process of administering development in non-western societies. Since the concept of development is a western construct, the course will contrast the western view of development and administration with non-western perspectives of managing the forces of change, with the help of governmental and other structures; it will also highlight the areas of convergence and divergence of these contending forces of development and administration/management in these societies.

This course is an interdisciplinary analysis of the issues associated with the concepts of sustainability, environmental management, and policymaking. It explores how sustainability influences real-world practice in environmental management, planning, and policy. Students will learn to analyze and evaluate selected case studies illustrating sustainability thinking as it pertains to critical environmental zones and regions, along with global environmental threats. No prerequisites for this course.

This course is designed to introduce students to concepts, theories and methods developed in the study of community and development. Citizens empowerment, policy formation, and the role of the nonprofit organization will be discussed.

This course will explore traditional functions and behavior of nonprofit managers. Considerable attention will be given to current approaches to improve the management of U.S. nonprofit sector organizations. To this end, this course will approach this process through an in-depth analysis of strategic management and leadership processes, including the role of managing financial, paid staff, volunteer, fund development, governance and informational resources.

This course introduces students to various types of government, private and nonprofit grant funding. Specifically, students will evaluate strategies necessary for seeking grant funds, responding to Request for Proposals (RFPs) and developing grant proposal strategies. The course will l also focus on sustainability and grant management approaches to funding and overall strategic planning.

This course provides an overview of urban management practices to include, regulatory, programmatic and fiscal methods necessary to sustain urban growth.

This course examines the mechanics of real estate financial markets, including the roles of developers, investors, lenders, tenants, owners, and government. We will address these issues from both a financial and social perspective, including addressing issues of affordability, equity, and sustainability.

Concepts, theories, developments and practical applications in the compensation field are presented. Characteristics and design of compensation plans are evaluated based on their cost and effectiveness, as well as the return on the organization¿s investment.

This course explores the dynamics of humanitarian and disaster assistance in local, national, and global settings. It focuses specifically on major players and their interactions, along with an examination of the role of local, national, and global politics in assistance efforts.

This course examines the relationships between energy and environment policy to equip students with knowledge of the physical, environmental, technological, economic and political aspects of energy systems. It also explores the conflict between economic and environmental interests over the expansion and integration of renewable energy as part of the attempt to decarbonize energy systems.

This course allows students to apply the knowledge, skills, and competencies gained from core and elective courses in the MPA program to a concentration specific problem or dilemma. Students will be guided through the completion and defense an Internship or Applied Research Capstone Project. This course must be taken at the end of the students' degree plan.