Curriculum

The thirty-six (36) unit MPA curriculum consists of twenty-seven (27) units of required core coursework and nine (9) units of elective courses. In addition, students admitted with no prior public administration related coursework will be required to complete one or more public administration prerequisite or bridge courses before enrolling in master’s level core courses.

All MPA Online core courses are three (3) credit units each and are offered on a twelve (12) week schedule. The program is offered in four (4) terms or sessions each year. Students can enroll and begin studies in any of the four sessions.  All prerequisite or bridge courses are two (2) credit hours each and are offered on an eight (8) week schedule within four sessions.

The MPA curriculum consists of the following components:

An undergraduate statistics course and a computer application course (or evidence of basic computing skills) are program requirements and should be met before admission.  In addition, satisfaction of the Graduate Writing Examination (GWE) should also be met in the first session of enrollment and must be completed before enrollment in excess of twelve (12) units is permitted.

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Prerequisite Coursework

Applicants deemed to be deficient in undergraduate preparation or experience will be required to complete from one to three of the following courses or equivalents listed below:

• PUB 495-1   Fundamentals of Public Administration (2)
  Analysis of the role of public administration within the American political system and the concordant functions and responsibilities of public sector and administrators; discussion of administrative ethics; overview of public sector administrative and managerial processes.
  
• PUB 495-2   Fundamentals of Applied Statistics for Public Administration (2)
  Study of the role and application of statistical analysis in public management; review of mathematics and statistical functions; use of statistics in planning and decision-making functions; introduction to the uses and application of computer technology.  
  
• PUB 495-3  Fundamentals of  Financial Resource Administration (2)
  Research administrative and political considerations of fiscal policy, the budgetary process and fiscal controls, financial management and planning, government and the economy, intergovernmental fiscal relations and nature of grants-in-aid, alternate revenue sources, and contemporary issues.
  
• PUB 495-4  Fundamentals of  Public Personnel Administration (2)
  Study of policies, methods and techniques in Public Administration; government personnel systems; manpower management; values in public career systems; concepts of man and work; motivation and morale; training; labor-management relations; contemporary issues.

NOTE:  Prerequisite courses carry no graduate credit.

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Core Courses

The core courses in the MPA Online program are designed to provide a thorough background in each of the major areas of public administration. MPA students must complete the following nine (9) courses for the core component:  

• PUB 500 Environment and Practice of Public Administration (3)
  Prerequisite:  PUB 495 Foundations of Public Administration or approved equivalent course (2)  
  A study of the history and development of the field of public administration, the context of operations, and the functions of management.  The practice of management will focus on the political environment, management theory, planning, organizational structure, resources, decision-making and policy analysis.
   

• PUB 501 Public Management (3)
  Prerequisite: None required.
  This course is designed to provide an overview of the functioning and skill requirements of the contemporary public sector manager.  The focus of this course will be on the management of programs and people in a public sector environment.   Emphasis will be given to the management responsibilities of planning, organizing and controlling. 
   

• PUB 502 Administrative Theory and Behavior (3)
  Prerequisites: None required.
  Historical overview of organizational theory and public administrative theory and analysis of the theoretical perspectives that have characterized these fields; discussion of various theories, concepts, and models that can be used to analyze organizations and improve organizational effectiveness.
   

• PUB 504 Quantitative Methods in Public Administration (3)
  Prerequisites: PUB 495 Fundamentals of Statistics; PUB 500
  Quantitative methods used in decision-making with special emphasis on the public sector.
   

• PUB 506 Administrative and Public Policy Analysis (3)
  Prerequisites: PUB 502; PUB 504
  Application of analytical tools to the solution of public management problems, introduction to general models of policy analysis, integration of solutions into administrative processes in government; policy studies cases.
   

• PUB 508 Seminar: Public Personnel and Labor Relations (3)
  Prerequisite: PUB 500
  Managing the human resources of a public agency with emphasis on selected activities of recruiting, staffing, evaluating, compensating, motivating and training the work force. Procedures and legal requirements for collective bargaining, affirmative action, and equal opportunity will be explored.
   

• PUB 510 Seminar: Public Financial Management (3)
  Prerequisite: PUB 502; PUB 504; PUB 506
  Examination of methods, processes and problems in the administration and budgeting of public revenues, revenue generation, forecasting, cost control, financial management cases. 
   

• PUB 512 Foundations of Ethical Administration (3)
  Prerequisite: PUB 500 is recommended.
  Examination of the foundations of ethical administration, including evaluation and application of ethical theories to public sector issues.  Course provides opportunities for students to think reflectively, recognize ethical problems, and gain skills to effectively deal with political and administrative problems.

• PUB 592 Capstone: Integrative Seminar in Public Administration (3)
  Prerequisite: Completion of ALL MPA core courses.
  Integrative course that emphasizes the interrelationships between the academic field of public administration and administrative practice.  Course includes case study analysis and individual and group integrative projects.   CR/NC grading.

or

• PUB 599 Honors Thesis (3)
  Prerequisites: Special Permission from MPA department. Grade point average greater than 3.80.
  Thesis relating to public administration. CR/NC grading.

Core Course Schedule

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Elective Courses

Elective course requirements are designed to encourage the development of individualized programs of study. Students may use elective courses to pursue a specialized focus in public administration or to strengthen general public managerial competencies. Elective courses may be selected in consultation with the MPA program coordinator.

• PUB 423   Administrative Law (3)
  Role and nature of administrative law, procedural requirements and judicial review of administrative actions, safeguards against arbitrary action, delegation of legislative power, legal principles and tends in the development of public administration.

• PUB 426   Intergovernmental Relations and Grant-Writing (3)
  Administrative concerns with relationships among federal, state and local governments in the United States; including developments in governmental administrative reorganization, grants-in-aid and administrations, grantsmanship application strategies, resource development and evaluation; expanding areas of intergovernmental cooperation in functional areas of administration.

• PUB 434   Administrative Planning (3)
  A review of the techniques of administrative planning to include normative forecasting, planning and policy formation.  The future environment of government services to include demands and resources will be explored within the framework of systems analysis and policy sciences.
   

• CJA 443.  Criminal Law and Justice Administration (3) S.
  Examination of the law of criminal culpability, parties to crime, defenses, and sentencing issues.  Critical analysis of types of crime, elements of specific crimes, theories of criminal law, and issues pertaining to its application by the criminal justice system.
   

• CJA 444.  Juvenile Justice Process (3) F.
  Examination of the administration of juvenile justice, including juvenile justice policies and procedures, and components of the juvenile justice system.  Critical analysis of the theory and dynamics of how the juvenile justice system responds to juvenile issues, including delinquent behavior.
   

• CJA 445.  Policing and the Administration of Justice (3) F.
  Examination of policing in the United States.  Critical analysis of theories of policing, police administration, and police obligations and responsibilities under the law.  Analysis of historical and contemporary approaches to police-community relations.
   

•  CJA 446.  Terrorism and Extremism (3) F.
  Examination of contemporary terrorism and extremism.  Critical analysis of terrorist behavior, typologies of terrorism, and extremism as a foundation for terrorist behavior.  Analysis of the role of law enforcement and other public administrative agencies.
   

• PUB 521   Seminar: Individual and Group Behavior in Organizations (3)
  Prerequisite: Seminar PUB 502 is required; PUB 500 is recommended.
  Discussion of theories of human behavior related to work behavior; analysis of interpersonal and behavioral issues commonly encountered in organizational settings.   Special emphasis is given to the application of theories, concepts, and techniques to actual public sector work situations.

• PUB 525   Seminar: Human Resources Management (3)
  Prerequisite: PUB 508 is recommended.
  An examination and in-depth review of selected topics in managing the human resources of an organization such as worker's compensation, risk management, performance appraisal, classification, benefit packages, cutback management, and pension systems.

• PUB 595   Special Topics in Public Administration (3)
  Prerequisite: Consent of MPA Coordinator.
  Intensive study of a specialized area of Public Administration (e.g., Urban Administration, Criminal Justice Administration) or a selected topic in contemporary public management. 

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