Course List - Master of Public Administration

 

Core Courses (18 credits)
P ADM 500	Public Organization and Management Development of basic concepts and issues in public administration; administrative theory and public policy processes.	3 credits
P ADM 502	Governmental Fiscal Decision Making Nature, function, and technique of governmental budgeting viewed as mechanism for allocating resources among alternative public uses. Prerequisite: P ADM 500	3 credits
P ADM 503	Research Methods Examination of research methodologies relevant to administration, planning, and public policy. Prerequisite: demonstrated working knowledge of IBM SPSS	3 credits
P ADM 505	Human Resources in the Public and Nonprofit Sectors Concepts and approaches contributing to effective use of human resources in public and non-profit organizations; legal issues and requirements.	3 credits
P ADM 506	Management Information Systems for Public and Health Administration The design, implementation, and purpose of computerized management information systems in public and nonprofit organizations.	3 credits
P ADM 510	Organizational Behavior Examination of concepts of human behavior in formal organizations, systems analysis, conceptual models, and decision processes.	3 credits

 

Required Course (3 credits)
P ADM 594	Research Topics Supervised student activities on research projects identified on an individual or small-group basis. Prerequisite:  P ADM 503	3 credits

 

Internship (3 credits)
P ADM 595*	Internship Supervised off-campus, nongroup instruction, including field experiences, practicums, or internships. Written and oral critique of activity required. *Required for students who have less than two years of relevant work experience. Prerequisite: P ADM 503	3 credits

 

Elective Courses (15 credits)
AGBIO 520	Agricultural Biosecurity: Protecting a Key Infrastructure Course will explore intentional and unintentional threats to the agriculture-food system, history, and current approaches for safeguarding this key infrastructure.	3 credits
CAS 553	Disaster Communication This seminar provides students with a comprehensive understanding of the multifaceted nature of disaster communication across phases of a disaster.	3 credits
CRIMJ 408	Police Administration Principles of administration as they relate to a police organization; and policy development. Prerequisite: CRIMJ 100 or CRIM 100 and CRIMJ 210 or CRIM 210	3 credits
CRIMJ 430	Alternatives to Incarceration Control and treatment of offenders in the community, probation and parole organizations, diversion programs, innovative sentences, supervision techniques. Prerequisite: CRIMJ 100 and CRIMJ 113 and CRIMJ 230 or permission of program	3 credits
CRIMJ 441 (US)	The Juvenile Justice System Historical and contemporary view of the juvenile justice system. Focus on analyzing components of the system, their interactions, processing, and handling of youths. Prerequisite: CRIMJ 100	3 credits
HRER 501	Labor and Employment Law Legal context of employment in the United States.	3 credits
P ADM 401	Introduction to Homeland Security This course provides foundational knowledge about homeland security, including policy, organization, and legal issues in the American context.	3 credits
P ADM 404	Homeland Security and Defense in Practice This course analyzes, evaluates, and critiques homeland security plans in practice. Prerequisite: P ADM 401	3 credits
P ADM 507	Introduction to Public Policy Analysis Introduction to the analysis of public policy within its organizational and political contexts, including an emphasis on an economic perspective.	3 credits
P ADM 511	Organizational Change and Development Theory of organizational change and development; case analysis of applications in actual situations. Prerequisite:  H ADM 510 or P ADM 510	3 credits
P ADM 512	Issues in Human Resources A survey of major human resource issues such as job stress, burnout, and the many forms of discrimination in organizations. Prerequisite: P ADM 505 or P ADM 510 or H ADM 510	3 credits
P ADM 522	Government Financial Management Theories and techniques of financial planning and control, with emphasis on their application in government and nonprofit agencies. Prerequisite: P ADM 502	3 credits
P ADM 550	Policy and Program Evaluation The course will cover the theoretical issues in and basic methods of policy and program evaluation (retrospective policy analysis). Prerequisite: P ADM 503	3 credits
P ADM 557	Federalism and Intergovernmental Relations Study of the impact of a federal system of government on the administration of public functions. National-state-local dimensions.	3 credits
P ADM 597A	Homeland Security Law This course assesses the controlling authorities that pertain to homeland security from the U.S. Constitution to the major federal statutes, court decisions, and executive directives. Beyond an analysis of the universal relevance of law to homeland security, specific issues are considered in detail, based on their relationship to U.S. vital national interests. This course also emphasizes the compelling requirement that not only government organizations, but also the professional practitioner perform competently, ethically, and legally in all situations.	3 credits
P ADM 802	Multifaceted Approaches to Homeland Security Examination of the roles of the public and private sectors and the military in preparing, mitigating, and responding to disasters. Prerequisite: P ADM 401	3 credits
P ADM 803	Strategic Planning and Organizational Imperatives in Homeland Defense and Security The Homeland Security framework depends on strategic planning and organization. This course examines the key issues associated with these. Prerequisite: P ADM 401	3 credits
P ADM 897	Special Topics Course (Performance Measurement and Management) Designed to enhance the ability of students to develop and use performance measurement systems for purposes of improving the management and performance of government programs, and to enhance their ability to think critically about results-oriented governance and managing for results. Prerequisite: P ADM 500	3 credits
PL SC 439	The Politics of Terrorism Analysis of political terrorism as a violent alternative for peaceful change and traditional warfare in the nuclear age. Prerequisite: CRIMJ 100 or PL SC 014 or permission of program	3 credits

Elective courses available in the following areas:

• government administration
• human resources management
• information resource management
• policy analysis 
• criminal justice