MPA-Master of Public Administration

MPA 600. Administrative Ethics. 3 Hours.

Theories and principles of ethics. Understanding ethical issues and use of ethical principles in resolving ethical dilemma in public organizations.

MPA 601. The Public Policymaking Process. 3 Hours.

Public Policy as a decision-making process. Examines environmental and organizational factors, the choice of alternatives, and the implementation and evaluation of public policy, with applied references to specific functional areas e.g. housing, pollution, energy and transportation.

MPA 602. Scope of Public Administration. 3 Hours.

Explores differences between public and private sector organizations. Examines both institutional and behavioral elements as they apply to public agencies. Covers topics such as budgeting, personnel, ethics, federalism and other fundamentals of public administration.

MPA 603. Public & Nonprofit Budgeting. 3 Hours.

MPA 603 examines the institutions and actors involved in the collection, custody, and expenditure of public revenues. The course combines theory and practical application to teach the principles and techniques used in government and nonprofit budgeting, including the budgeting process and financial management.

MPA 604. Human Resources Management. 3 Hours.

Examines the major concepts, theories, procedures and themes needed for effective management of human resources in the public and nonprofit sectors. Topics include merit and civil service systems, organized public labor, recruitment, classification, performance appraisal, disciplinary and grievance procedures, training and staff development, diversity and anti-discrimination policy and strategies, ethics/morality and personnel law.

MPA 605. Information Management for Government. 3 Hours.

The course is designed to introduce information and related technologies and how it affects people and government in a democracy. Students are exposed to information theory and modern day information technology tools to understand, interpret and manage governmental operations.

MPA 606. Foundations of PA Research. 3 Hours.

An introduction to research methodology presenting quasi-experimental and experimental research designs, exposition of qualitative and basic survey methods, and basic data analysis.

MPA 607. Quantitative Methods for PA. 3 Hours.

MPA 607 introduces basic statistical techniques used by social scientists and public administrators. Designed to provide students with the tools to produce and consume quantitative information, MPA 607 combines theory and application of both descriptive and inferential statistical methods. With real world examples from various policy areas, MPA 607 should make students aware of the many uses of statistics for public and nonprofit leaders and give them the means to employ those practices effectively and efficiently.

MPA 617. Science Policy. 3 Hours.

Science and technology intersect with multiple areas of public policy. Think of the growing concerns over technological surveillance, the debates over policy for climate change mitigation, the challenges posed due to global health crises, or the fear that American research and development competitiveness is eroding in a globalized economy. These issues reflect important questions about the relationship between science, technology, and public policy. Are scientific and technological developments governable, and if so, how and by whom? Is more and better science always better for policymaking? Who is the best judge of the value of scientific research programs and the validity of scientific findings? Are scientific and technological innovations generally socially beneficial, and who decides? What role should policymakers play in regulating science?.

MPA 621. Open Government. 3 Hours.

The course will explore transparency and how governments operate in the context of transparency as well as how they, as consumers, can utilize their right to a transparent government.

MPA 623. Public Administration in Pop Culture. 3 Hours.

Pop culture can be a useful tool for learning about ideas and concepts, especially related to the public sector and its workplaces. In addition, pop culture is thought to represent commonly held sentiments about society and government. This class seeks to connect public administration theories to pop culture in the form of television, movies, podcasts and more. In this class, students will: 1. Learn about various public administration theories; 2. Identify public administration theories in pop culture; 3. Explore how public administration and administrators are portrayed in pop culture; and 4. Think critically about how pop culture contributes to our understandings about government.

MPA 647. Contemporary Political Issues in Science. 3 Hours.

Our rapidly changing world faces significant, multi-faceted problems at the nexus of technology and society. The response to these socio-scientific issues will impact the future of the human condition. The scientific process has a role to play in finding timely, effective, and evidence-based solutions. This course showcases science as a dynamic and iterative process that includes collecting and connecting observations, making hypotheses based on the current understanding, and constructing models that are revised as new knowledge is acquired. It emphasizes the role of dialogue and communication in shaping responses to socio-scientific issues.

MPA 662. State and Local Government Administration. 3 Hours.

This course is designed to introduce students to the study of state and local government administration. Introduces key concepts related to state and local government political structures and institutions; regional, state and county economic performance and state/local government finance.

MPA 664. Women in Public Administration. 3 Hours.

Studies in the leadership of women in public service. Focus on theoretical and professional development of women in government and nonprofit administration.

MPA 665. Crisis Management. 3 Hours.

Management and coordination of institutions to respond, plan, and mitigate crises. Focus on the role of managers in managing short and long term crises.

MPA 666. City County Management. 3 Hours.

Study of the typical nature of local government and the importance of local-state-federal relations, regional cooperation, and the nonprofit and public-private partnership in providing local government services.

MPA 667. Administrative Law. 3 Hours.

Explanation of law in society and the legal setting of public administration. Examination of substantive areas of the study of law including regulatory process, administrative adjudication, the administrative procedures acts, administrative due process, judicial review, liability and citizen's rights.

MPA 668. Intergovernmental Relations. 3 Hours.

The various relations among governments in the U.S. system. Focus on understanding the interactions, attitudes, and behavior of elected officials and bureaucrats of two or more units of government functioning in their public capacities.

MPA 671. Marketing and Fundraising. 3 Hours.

The use of marketing and fundraising strategies for nonprofits. Incorporates both theory and practice as students learn the fundamentals of marketing and resource development and apply them to hands-on projects in local nonprofit agencies.

MPA 672. Nonprofit Management. 3 Hours.

The day-to-day challenges faced by managers of nonprofit agencies, including the challenge of fund raising, balancing competing values as related to efficiency, effectiveness and equity.

MPA 673. Nonprofit Health. 3 Hours.

This course provides a comprehensive overview of role of the Nonprofit Sector and its important contribution to mission and success of our health system and social enterprise in the United States. The course examines various aspects of nonprofit health organizations including history of these agencies, sources of revenue, fund raising and marketing practices, accomplishments and achievements, criticisms and controversies, and the role of volunteer leadership and best management practices.

MPA 674. GIS for Managers. 3 Hours.

Examines the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) using GIS software. It integrates theory and socioeconomic applications of GIS in the public and nonprofit sector.

MPA 675. Equity in Public Administration. 3 Hours.

Public administration has four pillars: efficiency, economy, effectiveness, and equity. That last one—equity—joined the other three in the 21st century and does not receive the same attention or stature as the others. This course is designed to provide students with an understanding of social equity by exploring what it means, what equity (or inequity) looks like in policy and practice, and how to ensure equitable policies and institutions.

MPA 678. Strategic Planning. 3 Hours.

Presents the strategic planning process as it is utilized in contemporary settings. Focuses on how the strategic planning process is applied in the public and nonprofit sectors.

MPA 681. Local Government Planning. 3 Hours.

This course examines the historical roots of modern land use planning and explores contemporary issues in planning such as sprawl and smart growth.

MPA 682. Economic Development. 3 Hours.

The course is devoted to understanding economic development practices in the United States. It focuses on how market forces combine with non-economic variables to influence the economic development process. Theories and case studies drawn from various disciplines, particularly economics and public finance, will be used to understand the economic development process.

MPA 683. Public Managerial Economics. 3 Hours.

Application of microeconomic theory to real life problems faced by managers. Emphasis on understanding the complex real life social and economic challenges using economic principles and applying economic decision criteria in solving problems.

MPA 684. Grants Management. 3 Hours.

Covers the essentials of grant-writing and the management of grants.

MPA 686. Data Management. 3 Hours.

MPA 686 provides a unique opportunity for students to explore the data management process. The past decade has seen a dramatic increase in the collection of data, and policy analysts, practitioners, and academic researchers must be equipped with the tools to use this data in an efficient manner. Throughout the semester, we will explore the importance of data and then move to working with primary and secondary data sources. Using Excel and Stata, students will learn how to collect, clean, and present data in ways consistent with best practices in the data management field.

MPA 687. Resource Management. 3 Hours.

Focus on concepts and skills essential to managing public organization resources.

MPA 688. Global Public Administration. 3 Hours.

Focus on concepts and skills essential to administering national and global organizations.

MPA 689. Program Evaluation. 3 Hours.

Analytic tools for evaluating public and nonprofit programs and services.

MPA 690. Seminar in Public Services Issues. 3 Hours.

Examines starting and maintaining a faith-based service organization (FBSO). Topics include role of faith/spirituality, mission, governance, setting, staffing, funding, church/FBSO issues, state/federal involvement, cooperative ventures with other FBSOs, networking.

MPA 695. Special Topics in Public Administration. 3 Hours.

Explores special topics in public administration.

MPA 696. Independent Study in Public Administration. 1-3 Hour.

One-on-one learning experience between student and an instructor. Permission of Program Director required.

MPA 697. Graduate Learning Portfolio. 3 Hours.

May be taken only in the last semester of the program; Permission of MPA Director required.

MPA 698. Internship in Public Administration. 3 Hours.

Supervised field placement in government or a nonprofit agency for directed work experience arranged by the internship coordinator and as per the guidelines in the internship manual. Permission of Graduate Program Director required.

MPA 699. Thesis Research. 3-6 Hours.

Research and writing of thesis. Permission of MPA Director required.
Prerequisites: GAC M