Master of Public Administration

AD 511. Foundations of Public Administration and Policy. 6 Credits.

This course introduces students to public administration in the United States. The course focuses on governance, inter-governmental relationships, organizational theory, policies, and strategic planning as affected by fiscal constraints, public needs, social change and politics. Students are introduced to the role of leadership, the necessity for professional ethics and accountability, and personal competence. Students also begin the program-long requirement of developing their skills of critical analysis, research, integration of information, and effective writing.

AD 521. Public Administration Research and Analysis. 6 Credits.

This course reviews major research method designs and their application to policy development and evaluation. Students are also exposed to statistical techniques commonly found in public administration and social science research from the perspective of managerial control and application to evaluation of research design/program evaluation. Particular focus is placed on quality assurance and best- evidence management.

AD 531. Legal Environment, Human Resources and Organizational Leadership. 6 Credits.

This course explores three areas of public administration; the legal environment for the public organization, human resources, and organizational leadership. The first part of the course focuses on creating agency authority, public participation, civil liability, employment law, and due process. The second part of the course focuses on selecting and retaining quality employees and managers, evaluations, coaching and training. The third part of the course focuses on strategic leadership, organizational analysis and culture, managing conflict, and organizational vision and change.

AD 542. Leading the Nonprofit Organization. 6 Credits.

This course explores the broad scope of leadership responsibilities challenging senior leaders within the nonprofit sector. Among the topics to be studied are strategic planning, fundraising, stakeholder engagement, governance, marketing, and performance management. Students will also examine trends in social entrepreneurship and the use of technology, such as social media, that are transforming the field. The course focuses on developing flexible leadership skills that can be applied in a variety of settings, across the life cycle of both small and large scale nonprofit organizations.

AD 544. Strategies and Principles for Sustainability I. 6 Credits.

This course introduces students to the principles and strategies of sustainability as it applies to public works services in the community. Specifically, the course will present students with a study of: 1) The connections between the environment and mankind, 2) How air and water pollution affect public health, 3) The impact to the economy when water and transportation policies are not well thought out, 4) The importance of using long-term economic models in public policy decision making, 5) Learning how to think in a holistic manner, 6) The attributes of a sustainable work culture, and 7) How to build community support for a sustainable program.

AD 554. Principles and Strategies for Sustainability. 6 Credits.

AD 557. Public Works Administration, Part I. 6 Credits.

This course of study focuses on the local, state, regional, and national legal, political, technological, and operational issues key to public works administration in the areas of public utilities, water resources, transportation, facilities and structures, and parks and grounds. Topics include the historical development of, and technological advances in, public works management; the public works policy-making process and current public works policy; internal and external communication challenges; public affairs, enforcement, and emergency management roles of public works officials.

AD 558. Certified Government Financial Manager Studies. 6 Credits.

This course explores the legal and regulatory foundation for financial reporting and accountability for public organizations. Topics include development of transactions, enactment of appropriations, and incurrence of obligations or encumbrances. Other topics include financial reporting, analysis of governmental financial performance, costing of government services, and auditing of governmental organizations. For course readings students are provided current study guides published by the Association of Government Accountants’ Certified Government Financial Manager, designed specifically to prepare professionals and students for the CGFM certification examination.

AD 559. Public Organization Financial Management. 6 Credits.

This course introduces students to four major areas of financial concern: Preparation of budgets; creating management strategies for the organization based on the principles of strategic financial management; obtaining financial resources from issuing bonds and levying taxes; and managing cash and employee retirement funds. Students will also examine contemporary perspectives on professional ethics and ethical behavior by leaders in the public sector especially in regards to their fiduciary responsibility in investing and managing public funds.

AD 561. Capstone Studies. 6 Credits.

The core course in capstone studies provides students the opportunity to synthesize learning from all previous seminars and to apply the concepts and principles in two ways: the preparation of a written capstone project that offers a practical or theoretical solution to a program, operation, policy, problem or issue of contemporary importance and relevance to the work or career goals of each student; and a 1500-word paper suitable for publication in a professional journal. Students will be required to exhibit in-depth critical thinking, policy analysis, and effective writing. Course assignments will maximize the exchange of student suggestions and comments on the various stages of the capstone project, to include but not limited to topic section, thesis, resources and supporting information. Prerequisites: Completion of all prior required core and concentration/elective courses, or permission of the program director.

AD 564. International Development and Influence I. 6 Credits.

This course introduces students to the political and historical background to U.S. efforts to foster development in developing countries, and the cultural, economic and legal factors involved in planning and engaging in economic and infrastructural development in these areas. Particular focus will be placed on the value and role of analytical research, identifying stakeholders, understanding the role of non-governmental organizations and assessing the social, cultural and political context of the areas of development.

AD 567. Public Works Administration, Part II. 6 Credits.

This course of study focuses on local, state, regional, and national master public works planning, contract administration and project management; multi-year financing of public works projects; environmental impacts and other cost-benefit analyses, and decision-making modeling; multi-jurisdictional services and public-private joint ventures; and, trends and future challenges.

AD 574. International Development and Influence. 6 Credits.

This course builds on the materials presented in AD564 International Development & Influence I. Students will be introduced to the role development as a means of furthering democratic principles and U.S. foreign policy. Particular focus will be placed on the problems and challenges presented by conflicts, corruption and poor governance in areas of development, strategic planning, security analysis, management of information public works and other infrastructural projects, and how the developing organizations should integrate or coordinate their efforts with other actors in the area. Finally, students will be familiarized with the process of an organizational needs assessment as a necessary step in planning international development.

AD 595. Residency. 0 Credits.

GJ 551. Law Enforcement Administration. 6 Credits.

This course examines law enforcement best practices, police leadership, workforce development, accountability, internal affairs, productivity, and managing special units. Students will also study the role of community policy, community policing, restorative justice programs, crime prevention, and the role of technology, integrated justice systems, and information system security.

GJ 552. Corrections Administration. 6 Credits.

This course examines administration in the corrections environment. Topics include personnel management, budgeting and public finance, workforce development, staffing, special units, correctional policy development and planning, The role of technology and integrated justice systems are examined, as well as information system security.

GJ 556. Critical Incident Management for Public Safety. 6 Credits.

This course explores public administration within the scope of critical incidents and crisis management. Among the topics to be studied are domestic terrorism and counterterrorism, the roles of the National Incident Management System and the National Response Framework, best practices for first responders, and constitutional issues related to the execution of first responder duties. Students will also study the use of specially trained and equipped units such as SWAT teams, and the role of community policing and community partnerships in responding to crises, whether manmade or natural. Prerequisites: Completion of all prior core courses in seminars one, two and three or permission of the program director.

OL 510. Leadership Fundamentals. 6 Credits.

This course focuses on differentiating the conceptual and theoretical aspects and models of leadership and leadership studies in order for students to apply leadership skills and principles to their place of work. The fundamentals of leadership are taught within the context of present and past leaders with an emphasis on how to live out these fundamentals in an ethical manner.

OL 520. Emotional Intelligence. 6 Credits.

This course provides information about the new way of evaluating intelligence in individuals. This new measure of intelligence is called EQ or emotional intelligence. Students are given the opportunities and tools to evaluate their capacity to think about work through the lens of reflection and introspection as a guide to understanding the behavioral aspects of working together and providing customer service. By examining thinking patterns students will take away new skills in developing intuitive reasoning to enhance professional interpersonal relationships with peers and customers.

OL 530. Leading Change. 6 Credits.

A leader’s ability to understand and follow the change management process in a collaborative manner is a vital skill to master. A proactive mindset is a critical element in successful business or personal change. Students in this course will learn about different change management models, problem-solving to find the best ways to leverage change agents, and how to best manage change.

OL 540. Strategic Communication and Information Leadership. 6 Credits.

Strategic communication is a vital skill in today’s demanding, fast-paced, virtual or global workplaces. This course requires students to identify a personal leadership style, tendencies and preferences as a professional, and how one assimilates and applies information. Experiential learning is a large component of this course as students practice their skills at work and relay their experiences through a Leadership Development Portfolio (LDP).

OL 550. Strategic Organizational Behavior as Leadership in Organizations. 6 Credits.

This course recognizes the fundamental importance of utilizing and believing in an ethical strategy as a leader. Principled decision-making promotes triple-bottom-line thinking to heighten awareness of how important ethical practices are to promoting a lasting, honored, socially responsible brand. Several case studies will be reviewed to contrast the paths and results of several organizations whose leaders had a strategy, but not one grounded in ethical principles.

OL 560. Developing a Learning Organization for the Knowledge Base Economy. 6 Credits.

This course involves forward-thinking concepts of coaching, mentoring and succession planning to promote a learning organization that is prepared for the retiring baby- boomers, emerging X-ers, Nexters and “others” currently co-existing in the workplace. Using the new Human Resources model, Human Capital Management (HCM) learning becomes a strategic function formalized via a corporate university or learning management system. This course also addresses how a leader can recognize the key components of the knowledge-based economy in their organization.

OL 595. Residency. 0 Credits.