Courses

This course traces the historical development of the intellectual and theoretical foundations of modern public administration from the country's founding documents through the core theories and the evolution of public administration thought through the decades. This provides a base of knowledge on which students can build a strong understanding of modern public administration. It includes an overview of the role of public administration professionals within a democratic society, and an introduction to ethical issues faced by public administrators.

This course analyzes theories and strategies of resource allocation as a basis for managing revenues and debt in government. It focuses on budgeting as a tool for controlling both operations and policy at all levels of government. Students will gain knowledge of the role of government in a market economy, how local, state and federal governments raise the money they spend, and why expenditures are channeled toward certain critical areas in the economy under conditions of market failure.

This course provides an overview of human-resource management in public and non-profit organizations. Topics include the historical development of civil-service merit systems, laws that affect operations of personnel systems, analysis of the components of a personnel system, the impact of labor negotiations, and the role of personnel systems as vehicles for social change.

This course provides an introduction to research methods and statistics as used in public and nonprofit sectors. Qualitative and quantitative designs are explored through the design of program evaluations.

This course introduces theories and approaches to policy analysis. The core of the course follows the policy analysis cycle and includes: problem recognition, problem definition, development of alternative solutions, analysis of alternatives, selection of policy options, policy implementation and evaluation.

This course examines theories of organization and behavior in public-sector agencies. Topics include management, bureaucracy, motivation, leadership, and decision-making.

As the culminating experience of the program, this course helps student to refresh on the material covered in the program and prepare for the final written and oral exams. Students must demonstrate a mastery of all theories and concepts covered in each class, and demonstrate the ability to write compelling thesis essays and weave together theory and concepts with master-level depth and breadth in live discussions.

Leaders in government agencies and nonprofit organizations are challenged to lead their organizations toward solutions to complex problems. This course examines administrative leadership theories and concepts from a variety of perspectives and administrative settings.

This course provides a comprehensive approach to conflict resolution with an emphasis on public sector labor negotiations. Students will evaluate and critically analyze theoretical, collaborative and practical approaches associated with conflict resolution, negotiation and consensus building in the workplace. Case study examinations will include root causes and dynamics of conflict, various methods of conflict analysis and resolution techniques, reflective practice, third party roles, and ethics as it applies to the position of the legitimate and accountable administrator.

This course examines legal and ethical concepts and challenges facing public administrators. Theoretical concepts provide a foundation on which to build a framework for making responsible decisions in the public sector.

This course examines the interrelationship of political and economic factors that influence both public political and economic outcomes. Foundational theories are explored through the lens of political and administrative decision making.

This course examines and prepares students for professional presentation skills within an organization. This course provides students with effective ways of integrating technology, data, narrative information and persuasive written and oral presentation skills. Practical application and demonstration of skills will be required.