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MPA : Core Classes
The public administration core is taken by all students as the first part of their course of study. It consists of 18 units of coursework dealing with public organizations, public policy, economics, budgeting and financial management, research, evaluation, and statistics. The seven required core courses provide a foundation of functional skills in conjunction with a broader understanding of public sector issues and constituencies.
First Year, Fall
PA 501
Public Organization Theory
This course focuses primarily on the organization and management of public and not-for-profit (NFP) organizations and systems. Most of the material is drawn from the general literature in organizational theory, strategic management, and organizational behavior, and applied to public and NFP settings. The course will involve lectures, readings, case studies, and discussion of ideas and concepts that are critical for effectively organizing and managing a broad range of types of public and NFP organizations and systems. |
PA 503
Politics and Public Management
This class focuses on politics and public policy from the perspective of the public manager. Public manager is used as a generic term that includes both managers who work directly for government and those in the nonprofit and for profit sectors who work under government contract. Politics and public policy are the sea the public manager swims in and is the source of both managerial opportunities and contraints. The nature of the institutions of the government of the United Stats and the public policy process will be examined and discussed in relation to democratic values and policy outcomes. While it is important to understand the public policy making process, every MPA class has a skills component. In this class; cases, projects, movies, articles, and outside speakers are used to help students build the skills to become a successful public manager. |
ECON 500
Managerial Economics
As an introduction to the use of economic reasoning in managerial situations, this course emphasizes microeconomic theory and its applications, optimization, consumer demand, production, investment decisions, market structure, and information problems. |
MAP 552
Statistical Decision Making
This course is designed to develop competence in the methodology of specific quantitative techniques and appropriate application of these techniques in the public sector. The class acquaints students with statistical analysis and inference, random variables, sampling distributions, hypothesis testing and statistical investigation. |
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First Year, Spring
PA 508 Public and Nonprofit Financial Management
This class introduces students to the theories and practice of financial management and budgeting in the public and nonprofit sectors. Emphasis is on thinking creatively about the appropriate uses of financial and quantitative information as management tools. Topics include accounting and internal control, financial performance, cost analysis, debt management, capital planning and organizational issues. |
PA 505 Methods for Program Evaluation
This course provides the techniques for evaluating processes and outcomes of public sector and nonprofit programs. The topics include theory development and research design, development of appropriate measures, data collection techniques and analysis, survey design, and ethical considerations. |
The student also selects one practicum class and one elective during the Spring semester.
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Second Year, Fall
Three Area of Concentration courses.
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Second Year, Spring
Two practicum courses, one Area of Concentration course, and one elective.
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