Public Administration (PAA)

This is a basic course for students with a limited background in accounting. Emphasis will be placed on the development of basic accounting, concepts, and techniques, the difference between public and private sector accounting and applications of accounting concepts to government, health care, and nonprofit institutions. The course will provide an overview of financial cost, and managerial accounting. Topics to be included are: reading financial statements, governmental fund and nonprofit accounting, operating and capital budgets, general fixed assets and long-term debt, account groups, and government accounting standards. Emphasis will be placed on the role of accounting in management decision making and organizational control.

This course is designed to allow students to pursue research in an area of study not normally offered in the regular course offering. The student needs the approval of an appropriate faculty member, the department chair, and the academic dean. The student selects a topic for guided research and meets regularly with the faculty member to review his/her progress. In addition to a list of readings to be completed, a research project or paper must be submitted as a requirement for this course.

This course provides an introduction to the field of public administration, including its history as an academic discipline and a field of service. It focuses on the organization and structure of American national, state and local governments and examines their powers, responsibilities and functions in the federal system. The course emphasizes the impact of a changing political environment on the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government as they influence the development of public policy. Specific case examples illustrating the principles of public administration will be taken from government, health care, and nonprofit organizations.

This course examines organizations from three perspectives, as closed, natural and open systems. It will help students to understand better the relationship among organizational structure, organization functions, and individual and group behavior. Behavioral forces and their implications will be addressed as students are exposed to concepts of power, control and change within appropriate contexts. Leadership will be discussed from a situational perspective with emphasis on the complexity of the modern organization in the government, health care, and nonprofit sectors. Knowledge of organization theory will be used to enhance students' understanding of management functions.

This course introduces the principles of economics as applied to the government, health care and nonprofit sectors in the United States. The course will provide an analysis of the role of public and nonprofit institutions in the private market economic system. Special attention will be paid to the interaction of economics and the political process. Specific topics to be covered are: public vs. private goods, market failure and externalities, supply and demand analysis, public choice theory, indifference curve analysis, macroeconomic stabilization, the public debt and economic development and growth. Economic analysis will be applied to contemporary policy issues such as public welfare, health care, the environment, transportation, education, and taxation.

This course provides an in-depth analysis of budgeting and finance as applied to government, health care, and the nonprofit sectors. Its main focus is on principles of public finance and budgetary analysis as seen in financial decision making. Topics introduced in the course include the budget cycle, budget methods, budget reform, taxation and tax structures, intergovernmental fiscal relations, and cost and break-even analyses. The course also involves computer applications of these concepts to problems in government, health care, and nonprofit sector decision-making.

This course is designed to make students aware of their responsibility as professionals in leadership and administrative positions in our complex society. Individual values and normative choices associated with the implementation of public policy will be discussed. Social, legal, and economic realities will be examined in light of philosophical arguments. Case studies and current examples relevant to government, health care, and nonprofit organizations will be used as practical applications of ethical precepts and conduct.

This is a core course in the MPA program. It covers the fundamentals of research methods for public administrators. The course is designed to assist public administrators in the consumption and production of research in their field. Both qualitative and quantitative approaches to research will be covered and public administration students will be given direct experience in both of these research areas.

This course teaches the fundamentals of statistic and quantitative methods as applied to public administration. The course is designed to integrate statistical and quantitative methods and decision making. Topics to be included are: basic measurement and experimental design probability and probability distribution, samples and sampling techniques, inference and hypothesis testing, contingency tables, analysis of variance, correlation analysis, and simple and multiple regression analysis. Emphasis will be placed on the applications of these concepts to issues and problems in government, health care, and nonprofit organizations.

This course examines the evolution of personnel practices from the early days of American government through the merit system as they apply to government, health care, and nonprofit organizations. Some of the specific topics covered are position classification, constitutional issues, and labor relations. Emphasis is placed on the human resources management function and its integration into the organization. The student is introduced to behavioral science concepts as they apply to human resources management. Required for all students in the human resources management and management of health care organizations specializations.

This course examines the effects which organizational structure, change and policies have upon employees. Students are exposed to the literature on organizational design and change. Diagnosis, analysis and interpretation of these variables are discussed from the perspective of their capacity to develop both the individual employee and the organization.

This course is an introduction to labor relations in a unionized environment. The course describes the history of unionization, the recognition of unions, preparation for and the process of collective bargaining, impasse procedures, contract administration, grievance processing, and employee and management rights and obligations. Special emphasis is placed throughout the course on the administrator's role in labor/management relations at the department and division levels and the manager's role vis-à-vis the negotiator/labor relations professional. Case studies are drawn upon during the course.

This course examines basic concepts in strategic planning and marketing with special emphasis on the organization and management of the strategic planning process, marketing decision models, and techniques for the promotion of services to the public. Discussion of the ethical issues surrounding marketing is included. Required of all students with a specialization in planning and evaluation or nonprofit financial management.

Program planning techniques common to all organizations will be studied. Special emphasis will be placed on the application of the planning process to governmental, health, and nonprofit organizations. The course will have equal emphasis on the evaluation of existing programs. Needs assessment, monitoring, and methods of measuring program impact will be studied. The course will examine the environment in which planning and evaluation take place, as well as the tools, designs, and techniques required. Required of all students in the planning and evaluation specialization.

This course explores the historical and conceptual background of private foundation grants in the United States. The student will learn to identify appropriate sources of funding and to write grant proposals. Intersections of the grant writing process with the project development, program and strategic planning, and external partnerships and collaborative enterprises will be stressed. Emphasis will be placed on grants measurement in the government, health care and nonprofit sectors.

This course is designed to acquaint students with the process and consequences of aging from both the individual and societal perspectives. Physical, social, and psychological aspects of aging are presented. The demographics of aging are presented. Attendant policy issues, including economic considerations, are explored.

The organization and management of long-term care services are explore, looking at both institutional and community-based alternatives. Physical, social and psychological aspects of aging are presented. Special emphasis is given to the continuum of care and the financing of non-acute services. The roles of government and private agencies in the provision of services are presented. Approaches to the organization of services in other countries are used to inform the discussion of service models. Required for all students with a specialization in gerontological services administration.

This course is for the graduate student interested in advanced study of financial management. Topics are chosen from contemporary issues in the government, health care and nonprofit sectors. Generic topics to be covered include bond and credit analysis, revenue and expenditure forecasting, fiscal impact analysis, measuring and evaluating financial condition, investment analysis and lease financing, debt policy and management, risk analysis and management, tax status and planning and managing endowments, gifts and grants. Computer applications of these concepts and a paper focusing on a financial analysis of a case example will be required. Specialists in the field may participate as guest lecturers.

This course is for the graduate student interested in advanced study in economic analysis. Topics are chosen from contemporary issues in the government, health care and nonprofit sectors. Generic topics to be covered include demand analysis, production and cost analysis, structure of industry and efficiency, advanced econometric techniques and forecasting, benefit-cost analysis, pricing of government goods, manpower and productivity problems, taxation analysis and fiscal federalism. Computer applications of these concepts and a paper focusing on an economic analysis of a case example will be required.

This course presents a critical and comprehensive overview of the components of the American criminal justice system. Discussion of the dynamic interactions of each segment includes its functional and dysfunctional aspects. The changing role of the criminal justice system throughout history and the role envisioned for the future are a key feature of this course.

This course presents an overview of human acts of violence and current perspectives on their causes. This course focuses on family violence and child abuse. Current research on aspects of family violence will be presented, including legal and historical perspectives. The emergence of a non-ethnocentric, non-criminal justice preventative response to and perspectives on violence such as the Center for Disease Control view that family violence is a preventable injury is discussed. The role community policing as a means of addressing family violence is included.

This course presents an indepth view of laws that have an impact on today's criminal justice managers.The first is staff compliance with provisions of the United States Constitution. Of concomitant importance to all governmental employees and managers is civil liability and its impact on the survival of agency. Discussions also include local laws and ordinances and the need for agency policies, procedures and training.

The history of environmental policy development is covered. The methods for environmental policy development and implementation on the local level are explored. Scientific, policy, and regulatory contexts for risk assessment are explored. The student learns how to identify and assess risks, to integrate technical information into decision-making, to communicate risk, and to develop solutions. Mock debates are held, in which students represent different sides of an argument in the area of environmental risk assessment and management.

This course examines strategies for planning, designing, and conducting surveys for government, nonprofit, and health organizations. Topics covered in the course that are given particular attention include survey data collection modes (such as face-to-face, mail, telephone, and Internet} as well as survey questionnaire design and implementation.

The course aims to equip students with practical qualitative analytical skills essential for conducting research, ranging from conceptualization, design and data collection processes through data analysis. The intent of this course is to familiarize students with a variety of approaches to qualitative data collection and analysis such as ethnography and grounded theory, postmodern, phenomenological approaches, design thinking, case studies, interviews, participant observation, document and archival data analysis. This course will also help students become proficient in the use of qualitative data analysis statistical software package.

This course studies the relationships among the several levels and forms of government (federal, state, local, regional, interstate and intrastate districts, branches, agencies and quasi-public structures). The course describes the possession or sharing of responsibility for initiation and execution of public policy, fiscal provision, program design and implementation in terms of the administrative problems that are seen in a federal structure. Case studies are discussed, illustrating examples of attempts at intergovernmental coordination and planning. Required of all students in the government track.

This course surveys the development of "quasi-legislative" and "quasi-legal" powers and responsibilities of administrators. Cases that involve the court and legislative actions are studied in terms of the creation of administrative rule-making powers and the exercise of discretion and judgment by administrators in the implementation of laws. The Constitutional basis of these practices and the explicit statutes governing their practices are studied. Required of all students in the government track.

This course will examine the theories and concepts used in the study of public policy. It describes the development and use of models for policy formulation, analysis and evaluation. Policies of special, professional interest to the student are examined in detail with emphasis on the development of analytic skills. Faculty guidance is provided in the assignment of special readings as the student develops policy research papers. Required of all students in the government track.

This course explains the structure and operation of local governments within a federal system. The forms of local government, the sources and limits of their powers under state and federal law, and the impact of federal and state policies on local activities are closely examined. Key legal issues pertaining to personnel, public contracts and finances and tort liability of public officials and municipal corporations are analyzed. Emphasis is placed on the judiciary's role in defining the scope and limits of local governance and the attorney's role, as both counsellor and advocate, in the development of governmental policy and practice. Required of all students with a specialization in local government.

s:This course focuses on examining the various forms of municipal government such as the council-manager, mayor-council and commission forms of local government. It explores the history of the plans, their evolution and growth, and procedures for adoption. In particular, the course examines the respective roles and responsibilities of the manager and those of elected officials and how the two interact with respect to municipal functions and the delivery of services. Also discussed are critical issues relating to the organization and management of municipal line agencies and support systems. Required of all government track students.

This course examines the political and institutional environment in which regional planning takes place. The relationship of planning to political and market processes and the structure of urban, suburban and regional political systems are explored. Alternative strategies for planning on a regional basis are presented using theoretical approaches and case analyses. Techniques of making regional forecasts of employment, population, income and housing demand are presented. Required of all government track students with a specialization in planning and evaluation.

This seminar focuses on events that impact on the capacity of the public administrator to implement public policy. Examples include changes in civil service law, mandated services, changes in intergovernmental financing, etc.

This course explores the past, present and future of the health care delivery system in the United States. It is designed to familiarize students with the development of the various subsystems of care and the ways in which various public, private, and social forces influence the politics of health care and mold the structure and functions of the entire system of care. Issues discussed will include managed care and its potential as a health care delivery system, the continuum of long term and mental health care, and United States Health System reform initiatives stimulated by the private sector and at various levels of government.

Concepts relevant to understanding patterns of health and illness in the community are explored. Factors which influence the use of health services are discussed. Materials are drawn from various disciplines including epidemiology, vital statistics, demography, sociology, psychology and anthropology. Required of all students in the health administration track.

This course is designed to familiarize students with current health policy issues and to provide them with an understanding of the basic concepts of health policy, the process of health policy, and the politics of health policy development and implementation. Special attention will be given to the review and analysis of health policy issues, particularly in regard to the reform process in the United States health care system. The course explores health policy within historical, political, social and economic contexts; examines both the public and private sector initiative for health care delivery; and probes more deeply lingering health policy issues such as cost, access, quality and appropriateness of care.

This course examines the basic elements of formation and the extent of the United States health care system including: the basic elements of governance and operation in the private and public sectors; the interaction of Boards of Trustees, Medical Staff and Management; issues in hospital services, out-patient services, emergency services, and home care; internal and external factors affecting operation of facilities; methods of evaluation, basic financial factors affecting revenue production and expense control; elements of long range planning as strategy for management and leadership; and role of the manager, and creating a focus for blending program operations, financing and planning.

Concepts needed to assess and assure the delivery of quality health care services are presented. The function and role of both government and private agencies in quality assurance are examined. Tools used to assess quality and improve the delivery of care in a variety of health services organizations are discussed. Risk management concepts are described. The relationship between quality assurance and risk management is delineated.

This seminar focuses on topics of special interest to health management students. Example include hospital organization and management, ambulatory care administration, public health services administration, mental health services administration, etc.

This course examines the economic impact of various sectors of health care market, reviews shifts and trends in the financing of health care on a fee basis, capitation DRG and contractual basis, regulated and unregulated markets, federal and state controls and their effect, organization of the financial arm of health care organizations, impact of managed care review of relation between managed care organizations and traditional providers.

This course examines the history of nonprofit organizations in the United States to develop a social perspective and a sense of the magnitude, scope and functions of the nonprofit sector. The course also looks at the relationship of the nonprofit sector to government and business. The course explores the theoretical basis on which social scientists have sought to understand the nonprofit sector in our economic, political and social environment. Issues shaping the future role of the nonprofit sector will be discussed. Required of all students in the nonprofit management track.

This course provides the student with a basic grounding in the laws and regulations governing nonprofit organizations. Content will include: overview of statutory scheme governing the formation, operation and dissolution of nonprofit corporations; examination of the powers, duties, and liabilities of directors, offices, and members of the nonprofit entity; legal framework governing the operation of unincorporated associations; and qualifying for and maintaining federal tax exempt status under Section 501(c) of the Internal Revenue Code and the rights and obligations attendant thereto. Required of all students in the nonprofit management track.

This new course will provide a thorough examination the history, theory, and practice surrounding the variety of means by which not-for-profits generate funds solicitations of gifts, planned giving, capital campaigns, earned income, fees for service, sale of products, memberships, grants, contracts, investments, special events. The growing impact of social entrepreneurship on not-for-profit revenue models will also be examined. Special attention will be given to understanding philanthropy as distinctive to the not-for-profit sector, strategic choices and consequences among the various fundraising means, and impact upon organizational mission.

This seminar focuses on advanced management topics of special interest to students in the nonprofit management track. Examples include board development, communication and public relations, and organization development strategies.

This course will allow students to learn the principles, techniques and dynamics of mission-based marketing, the strategies and functions of communications, the intersection of communication, fund-raising and marketing, and the importance of advocacy strategies, such as research, education, lobbying, and litigation.

This course will provide an in-depth exploration of the emerging field of "social entrepreneurship" which has been succinctly described as using the tools present in a market-based economy to solve problems and create social value, as opposed to distributing profit to owners or shareholders. Students will examine the various forms and models of entrepreneurship, identify salient elements leading to success and failure, and study the vast implications of this new form of social innovation. Students will be required to perform a detailed case study of an entrepreneurial organization.

This course explores the myriad uses of Web 2.0 technologies and social media in the public sector and combines existing practices with theories of public administration, networked governance and information management. The course will focus on best practices, the strategic, managerial, administrative and procedural aspects of using Web 2.0 technologies and social media and will explore how social behavior affects the adoption of social media technologies. Students will also have a chance to explore Web 2.0 and social media tools and will learn how to implement them based on mission, goals and strategy. This course will provide a solid introduction to Web 2.0 technologies and social media for those who wish to put Web 2.0 technologies and social media to work in their organizations.

This practicum integrates academic theory and the actual practice of public administration. The practicum can take the form of an internship, i.e., an educational work experience within an area related to a student's field of interest and supervised by a professional who has expertise in that field, or a field study project or research paper, which explores a pertinent problem or issue, carried out under the supervision of a faculty member. For the internship, learning objectives are designed by the on-site supervisor, the faculty advisor and the student to ensure coherence between work experience and academic study.

Designed as an educational work experience within an area of public sector management or policy related to a student's field or interest and supervised by a professional who has expertise in that field. Permission of the Department Chair required for registration.

The Capstone Project Seminar provides the student with the opportunity to carry out an analysis of an organization with which she/he is familiar. It may be one in which the student is currently employed, or the site of an administrative placement during the program. The specific focus of the analysis will be determined by the interests of the student and approved by the project advisor. Seminar discussions will assist the student to relate concepts to the functioning of ongoing organizations, thus tying the curriculum to the world of work. A formal presentation of the analysis will be required. Restrictions/Requirements: A 3.0 GPA is required for a student to register for the Capstone.Required of all students in the MPA program. This course is taken during the last year of graduate study. Department approval required.