Master of Public Administration

PP 500: PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND MANAGEMENT (5 Credits)

The course explores the theory and development of the field of public administration and the function of management. It will cover a wide range of topics further explored in the Master of Public Administration program. These topics may include federalism and intergovernmental relations, ethics and administrative leadership, personnel, and resource management. Students will study management processes in the context of a political environment and policy implementation.

PP 504: Research and Writing in Public Administration (5 Credits)

Strong research and writing skills are necessary in the field of public administration. This course is designed to prepare public administration students for the demands of academic and professional writing in their coursework, professional career, and for their final capstone project. Students will be introduced to applied research within the field of public administration; will create a problem definition; compose a background and legislative record; and will create a policy brief for a defined problem related to the field of public administration.

PP 510: LEADERSHIP IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR (5 Credits)

Students will study leadership within the public sector and the application of ethical and leadership principles to decision making, actions, and interactions within public administration. Topics covered may include: organizational behavior, interest-based negotiation, leading networks, mediation, and leadership style.

PP 520: FINANCE AND THE ADMINISTRATION OF PUBLIC FUNDS (5 Credits)

This course examines the methods, processes, and challenges in the administration and budget­ing of public funds. Students will examine the budgeting of public revenues, revenue generation, forecasting, cost control, and fiscal management. The importance of managing control issues and transparency will be addressed.

PP 530: HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR (5 Credits)

Students will examine the political and institu­tional environment of public human resource management. Topics will include the analyses of theories and practices in terms of organizational effectiveness, and ongoing operational issues and how they are shaped and constrained by political considerations. Outsourcing, NGOs, and private/public partnerships will also be explored in resource strategy.

PP 698: APPLIED RESEARCH (5 Credits)

Students experience the art and science of research while they develop the tools of reflective inquiry and collaborative practice. Students will engage in analysis of current issues and challenges to explore and practice research methods as a logical extension of professional practice. Integral to this process is the examination of both informal and systematic ways to ask and answer questions. Students will design a research plan for their own applied research project.

CJ 503: ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR (5 Credits)

This course presents an in-depth analysis of the various dynamics facing criminal justice organizations in the context of professional practice, including, but not limited to, the theoretical concepts underlying organizational behavior, management and leadership of human resources, and design and structural processes. The scope includes fiscal accountability; personnel deployment; implementation of change; motivation and retention of personnel; the hiring, assignment, and promotion of personnel; organizational communication; professional development; and fundamental legal issues as they pertain to agency operations.

CJ 511: EMPLOYMENT AND POLICY LAW (5 Credits)

This course involves the study of specialized topics in substantive and procedural criminal law with a special emphasis on employment law, and how these legal issues impact ethics and leadership in criminal justice organizations. This course is well suited for command-level personnel in response to a variety of potential agency and personal liability issues.

CJ 515: THEORETICAL APPLICATIONS OF JUSTICE MANAGEMENT (5 Credits)

This course provides students with a knowledge base for the practical application of social and psychological principles to the day-to-day administration of criminal justice agencies. It presents an overview of the scope and historical development of organizational psychology, including the virtual workplace and employee. Topics include psychological testing as it relates to employment selection; performance appraisal; training and development; leadership and motivation; job satisfaction and involvement; organizational structure; safety, violence, and health; and stress and occupational health psychology. Future issues in the field are also discussed.

500/600 LEVEL: LEGAL STUDIES ELECTIVE (5 Credits)

FS 500: PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICES OF FIRE AND EMERGENCY SERVICES (5 Credits)

Students will study the concepts and principles of management practices regarding the operation and delivery of public sector fire and emergency services. Topics explored include: organizing and logistics for response, crisis management and planning, risk assessment, agency coordination, and financial administration.

HM 502: RISK, VULNERABILITY, AND CAPABILITY ASSESSMENT METHODS (5 Credits)

The course examines the concepts of risk-based planning and risk management. The assessment and management of vulnerability and risk associated with terrorist and other disaster events are examined. Topics explored include: objectives of and methods for vulnerability and risk assessment for natural disasters, technological hazards, and terrorist threats; concepts of risk perception, risk communication, and risk mitigation; and the requirements and methods of critical infrastructure protection from terrorism, technological disasters, and natural disasters. Students will examine the question and make decisions regarding, "Who or what should be protected and how?"

HM 503: PLANNING AND OPERATIONS IN CRISIS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT (5 Credits)

This course examines comprehensive strategic planning for crisis and emergency management. The theory and value of strategic planning are explained and students learn how to develop a comprehensive strategic plan.

PP 600: ADMINISTRATIVE LAW (5 Credits)

This course examines the fundamental legal concepts regarding administrative law and the administrative process, and how administrative agencies exercise policy and actions. Students will examine the intergovernmental relations and the political and practical constraints that influence administrative policy.

PP 610: BALANCING THE BUDGET--BUDGETARY PROCESS (5 Credits)

Students will study the fundamental concepts and practices of budgeting and financial management. The budget process and preparation, cost analysis, and budget reform will be covered in detail. Crisis management and balancing the budget are also addressed.

PP 640: POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC FORCES (5 Credits)

Students will explore the interaction of political and economic forces that impact public administrators in governmental and nonprofit sectors. The course will cover fundamental concepts such as marginal analysis, optimization and suboptimization, and ceteris paribus reasoning. Students will use economic reasoning to better explain this interaction between political entities and economic forces including governments' behavioral effects on markets, the role of competition in the provision of public goods, resource allocation, and market failure and government failure.

PP 650: PUBLIC POLICY ANALYSIS (5 Credits)

The course focuses on the analysis of public policy and approaches to problem solving. Students will study the quantitative and qualitative methods of policy analysis that help public policy and program analysts systematically value decisions and inform the decision-making process. Students will also examine current policy issues from the perspectives of local, state, and federal governments.

500/600 LEVEL: LEGAL STUDIES ELECTIVE (5 Credits)

LS 605: ORGANIZATION AND FUNCTION OF STATE GOVERNMENT (5 Credits)

This course will explore the organization of state governments, the function of each primary area, and how they interact. Students will examine functional and dysfunctional government structures and analyze what works and why. In addition, they will examine innovative practices in large bureaucratic structures and best practices and the use of technology tools to improve functioning.

LS 606: LEGISLATIVE PROCESS (5 Credits)

This course examines American legislative institutions at the local, state, and federal levels and the processes that are used to enact new legislation. Legislative bodies pass, on an annual basis, laws that regulate or affect all of our lives. This course will familiarize students with legislative materials. Cases will be used to explore the judicial role in the legislative process.

LS 607: GUBERNATORIAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE PROCESS (5 Credits)

In this course, students will engage in the hands-on process of conceptualizing and developing a ruling from an administrative agency. The course will begin with an intensive study of the executive branch of government at the state level and the role of administrative agencies. The instructor and students will work together as if both were actually in roles in a state administrative agency. They will develop a policy issue, review it in light of the goals of the governor's agenda, the relationship to the legislature, and the existing state law, and at the end of the course produce an administrative ruling with supporting memoranda.

PP 650: PUBLIC POLICY ANALYSIS (5 Credits)

The course focuses on the analysis of public policy and approaches to problem solving. Students will study the quantitative and qualitative methods of policy analysis that help public policy and program analysts systematically value decisions and inform the decision-making process. Students will also examine current policy issues from the perspectives of local, state, and federal governments.

500/600 LEVEL: LEGAL STUDIES ELECTIVE (5 Credits)

LS 620: HEALTH CARE ORGANIZATIONS AND FINANCE (5 Credits)

The health care industry is one of the nation's fastest-growing and largest industries. Health care executives, managers, and professionals must possess basic financial competence to govern effectively. This course will introduce students to the foundations of financial literacy to enable them to fulfill their roles.

LS 621: FEDERALISM AND THE HEALTH CARE DELIVERY SYSTEM (5 Credits)

In this course, students will learn about the role of the federal government and the relationship between the federal and state governments in the delivery of health care services. Students will engage in an intensive study of federal statutes, such as Medicare, Medicaid, Stark, and HIPAA, and through that process will gain an understanding of the shared responsibilities in delivering health care. The instructor and students will select a health delivery issue and work through the legal, political, and health care issues involved in resolving that issue.

LS 622: PROFESSIONALS AND HEALTH CARE INSTITUTIONS (5 Credits)

In this course, students will study the history of the delivery of health care by physicians and health care institutions and the development of licensing and regulation of physicians and other health care professionals and health care facilities and institutions. Students will also study the relationships between physicians and health care facilities and institutions. Finally, students will study peer-review committees and organizations and medical malpractice litigation. 

PP 620: PUBLIC POLICY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION (5 Credits)

This course examines important and current health care policies facing health care administra­tion in the United States. Students will identify the strategic questions facing delivery and financing of health services including policy, funding, management, and delivery.

500/600 LEVEL: LEGAL STUDIES ELECTIVE (5 Credits)

PP 500: PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND MANAGEMENT (5 Credits)

The course explores the theory and development of the field of public administration and the function of management. It will cover a wide range of topics further explored in the Master of Public Administration program. These topics may include federalism and intergovernmental relations, ethics and administrative leadership, personnel, and resource management. Students will study management processes in the context of a political environment and policy implementation.

PP 504: Research and Writing in Public Administration (5 Credits)

Strong research and writing skills are necessary in the field of public administration. This course is designed to prepare public administration students for the demands of academic and professional writing in their coursework, professional career, and for their final capstone project. Students will be introduced to applied research within the field of public administration; will create a problem definition; compose a background and legislative record; and will create a policy brief for a defined problem related to the field of public administration.

PP 510: LEADERSHIP IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR (5 Credits)

Students will study leadership within the public sector and the application of ethical and leadership principles to decision making, actions, and interactions within public administration. Topics covered may include: organizational behavior, interest-based negotiation, leading networks, mediation, and leadership style.

PP 520: FINANCE AND THE ADMINISTRATION OF PUBLIC FUNDS (5 Credits)

This course examines the methods, processes, and challenges in the administration and budget­ing of public funds. Students will examine the budgeting of public revenues, revenue generation, forecasting, cost control, and fiscal management. The importance of managing control issues and transparency will be addressed.

PP 530: HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR (5 Credits)

Students will examine the political and institu­tional environment of public human resource management. Topics will include the analyses of theories and practices in terms of organizational effectiveness, and ongoing operational issues and how they are shaped and constrained by political considerations. Outsourcing, NGOs, and private/public partnerships will also be explored in resource strategy.

PP 602: COMPREHENSIVE EXAM CAPSTONE (5 Credits)

As a final step in the Master of Public Administration, students may choose the nonthesis option and successfully complete a comprehensive exam. This comprehensive exam incorporates the program outcomes of the program. This exam is designed to carefully assess a student’s overall learning in the program. Successful completion of the exam allows both student and faculty to measure and acknowledge a successful learning experience for the student.

CJ 503: ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR (5 Credits)

This course presents an in-depth analysis of the various dynamics facing criminal justice organizations in the context of professional practice, including, but not limited to, the theoretical concepts underlying organizational behavior, management and leadership of human resources, and design and structural processes. The scope includes fiscal accountability; personnel deployment; implementation of change; motivation and retention of personnel; the hiring, assignment, and promotion of personnel; organizational communication; professional development; and fundamental legal issues as they pertain to agency operations.

CJ 511: EMPLOYMENT AND POLICY LAW (5 Credits)

This course involves the study of specialized topics in substantive and procedural criminal law with a special emphasis on employment law, and how these legal issues impact ethics and leadership in criminal justice organizations. This course is well suited for command-level personnel in response to a variety of potential agency and personal liability issues.

CJ 515: THEORETICAL APPLICATIONS OF JUSTICE MANAGEMENT (5 Credits)

This course provides students with a knowledge base for the practical application of social and psychological principles to the day-to-day administration of criminal justice agencies. It presents an overview of the scope and historical development of organizational psychology, including the virtual workplace and employee. Topics include psychological testing as it relates to employment selection; performance appraisal; training and development; leadership and motivation; job satisfaction and involvement; organizational structure; safety, violence, and health; and stress and occupational health psychology. Future issues in the field are also discussed.

500/600 LEVEL: LEGAL STUDIES ELECTIVE (5 Credits)

FS 500: PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICES OF FIRE AND EMERGENCY SERVICES (5 Credits)

Students will study the concepts and principles of management practices regarding the operation and delivery of public sector fire and emergency services. Topics explored include: organizing and logistics for response, crisis management and planning, risk assessment, agency coordination, and financial administration.

HM 502: RISK, VULNERABILITY, AND CAPABILITY ASSESSMENT METHODS (5 Credits)

The course examines the concepts of risk-based planning and risk management. The assessment and management of vulnerability and risk associated with terrorist and other disaster events are examined. Topics explored include: objectives of and methods for vulnerability and risk assessment for natural disasters, technological hazards, and terrorist threats; concepts of risk perception, risk communication, and risk mitigation; and the requirements and methods of critical infrastructure protection from terrorism, technological disasters, and natural disasters. Students will examine the question and make decisions regarding, "Who or what should be protected and how?"

HM 503: PLANNING AND OPERATIONS IN CRISIS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT (5 Credits)

This course examines comprehensive strategic planning for crisis and emergency management. The theory and value of strategic planning are explained and students learn how to develop a comprehensive strategic plan.

PP 600: ADMINISTRATIVE LAW (5 Credits)

This course examines the fundamental legal concepts regarding administrative law and the administrative process, and how administrative agencies exercise policy and actions. Students will examine the intergovernmental relations and the political and practical constraints that influence administrative policy.

PP 610: BALANCING THE BUDGET--BUDGETARY PROCESS (5 Credits)

Students will study the fundamental concepts and practices of budgeting and financial management. The budget process and preparation, cost analysis, and budget reform will be covered in detail. Crisis management and balancing the budget are also addressed.

PP 640: POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC FORCES (5 Credits)

Students will explore the interaction of political and economic forces that impact public administrators in governmental and nonprofit sectors. The course will cover fundamental concepts such as marginal analysis, optimization and suboptimization, and ceteris paribus reasoning. Students will use economic reasoning to better explain this interaction between political entities and economic forces including governments' behavioral effects on markets, the role of competition in the provision of public goods, resource allocation, and market failure and government failure.

PP 650: PUBLIC POLICY ANALYSIS (5 Credits)

The course focuses on the analysis of public policy and approaches to problem solving. Students will study the quantitative and qualitative methods of policy analysis that help public policy and program analysts systematically value decisions and inform the decision-making process. Students will also examine current policy issues from the perspectives of local, state, and federal governments.

500/600 LEVEL: LEGAL STUDIES ELECTIVE (5 Credits)

LS 605: ORGANIZATION AND FUNCTION OF STATE GOVERNMENT (5 Credits)

This course will explore the organization of state governments, the function of each primary area, and how they interact. Students will examine functional and dysfunctional government structures and analyze what works and why. In addition, they will examine innovative practices in large bureaucratic structures and best practices and the use of technology tools to improve functioning.

LS 606: LEGISLATIVE PROCESS (5 Credits)

This course examines American legislative institutions at the local, state, and federal levels and the processes that are used to enact new legislation. Legislative bodies pass, on an annual basis, laws that regulate or affect all of our lives. This course will familiarize students with legislative materials. Cases will be used to explore the judicial role in the legislative process.

LS 607: GUBERNATORIAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE PROCESS (5 Credits)

In this course, students will engage in the hands-on process of conceptualizing and developing a ruling from an administrative agency. The course will begin with an intensive study of the executive branch of government at the state level and the role of administrative agencies. The instructor and students will work together as if both were actually in roles in a state administrative agency. They will develop a policy issue, review it in light of the goals of the governor's agenda, the relationship to the legislature, and the existing state law, and at the end of the course produce an administrative ruling with supporting memoranda.

PP 650: PUBLIC POLICY ANALYSIS (5 Credits)

The course focuses on the analysis of public policy and approaches to problem solving. Students will study the quantitative and qualitative methods of policy analysis that help public policy and program analysts systematically value decisions and inform the decision-making process. Students will also examine current policy issues from the perspectives of local, state, and federal governments.

500/600 LEVEL: LEGAL STUDIES ELECTIVE (5 Credits)

LS 620: HEALTH CARE ORGANIZATIONS AND FINANCE (5 Credits)

The health care industry is one of the nation's fastest-growing and largest industries. Health care executives, managers, and professionals must possess basic financial competence to govern effectively. This course will introduce students to the foundations of financial literacy to enable them to fulfill their roles.

LS 621: FEDERALISM AND THE HEALTH CARE DELIVERY SYSTEM (5 Credits)

In this course, students will learn about the role of the federal government and the relationship between the federal and state governments in the delivery of health care services. Students will engage in an intensive study of federal statutes, such as Medicare, Medicaid, Stark, and HIPAA, and through that process will gain an understanding of the shared responsibilities in delivering health care. The instructor and students will select a health delivery issue and work through the legal, political, and health care issues involved in resolving that issue.

LS 622: PROFESSIONALS AND HEALTH CARE INSTITUTIONS (5 Credits)

In this course, students will study the history of the delivery of health care by physicians and health care institutions and the development of licensing and regulation of physicians and other health care professionals and health care facilities and institutions. Students will also study the relationships between physicians and health care facilities and institutions. Finally, students will study peer-review committees and organizations and medical malpractice litigation. 

PP 620: PUBLIC POLICY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION (5 Credits)

This course examines important and current health care policies facing health care administra­tion in the United States. Students will identify the strategic questions facing delivery and financing of health services including policy, funding, management, and delivery.

500/600 LEVEL: LEGAL STUDIES ELECTIVE (5 Credits)