Bring your passion to life with an online master's in public administration degree

Students examine fundamental public service values that differentiate the mission and purpose of government and nonprofit organizations from those of private, for-profit, organizations. The course focuses on applying public administration and organizational theories to analyze administrative problems faced by leaders and managers implementing government and nonprofit programs. Students learn to think systematically about selecting alternative options for delivering programs and improving organizational performance. Finally, students develop fundamental information literacy, computing, writing, and presentation skills required for effective academic and professional communication.

Students learn fundamental concepts and tools for managing the two most important organizational resources - people and information. The course emphasizes application of human resources concepts and tools for attracting, retaining, and developing employees and improving organizational performance in government and nonprofit organizations. Information technology concepts and tools for managing government and nonprofit organizations are also examined. Fundamental legal, ethical, and political obligations for managing human resources and information technology are also evaluated.

Students learn to apply fundamental methodological concepts and analytical tools necessary for contributing to administrative and policy discussions, critically assessing causal claims, and making informed administrative and policy decisions. The goal is to have students become critical consumers of academic research and professional reports and confidently apply statistical concepts and techniques for professional decision-making. Finally, students develop skills for effectively communicating analysis methods and conclusions with colleagues, elected officials, the media, and the public.

Students learn fundamental concepts and tools for systematically analyzing administrative problems and making decisions that improve organizational performance. Specific techniques for analyzing common administrative problems are learned and the relevance of accounting for public values in such analyses is examined. Students also learn to use project management tools for effectively managing administrative projects. Finally, students develop skills for effectively communicating management analysis methods and conclusions with colleagues, elected officials, the media, and the public.

Students learn to use fundamental budgeting, accounting, and financial management concepts and tools necessary for leading and managing government and nonprofit organizations. Students learn to use analytical techniques for making administrative and policy decisions with significant financial implications. Students also examine the competing values and politics that underlie and impact financial decisions in the government and nonprofit organizations. Finally, students develop skills for effectively communicating financial analysis methods and conclusions with colleagues, elected officials, the media, and the public.

Students learn to think strategically about leading organizations operating in a competitive political environment where collaboration is required to advance the organizational mission. The course focuses on using strategic and network management concepts and tools to improve organizational performance. The importance of strategically managing organizational communication is also examined. Finally, students develop skills for effectively communicating strategic planning methods, approaches, and decisions with colleagues, elected officials, the media, and the public.

Students learn to think and act as ethical leaders within a public service context. The course focuses on putting administrative decisions and organizational plans into action. Students learn to use leadership concepts and tools and interpersonal skills for working with individuals and groups to effectively execute administrative plans and make decisions. Students also develop knowledge and skills for communicating and collaborating with internal and external stakeholders; particularly elected officials, the media, interest groups, and the public.

Students use the public administration concepts and tools learned in prior courses to analyze an important administrative or policy implementation problem and propose a course of action for effectively addressing it. The course emphasizes applying relevant concepts and tools to analyze the problem and then synthesizing the conclusions to create a written analysis and proposal for addressing the problem.

Students will evaluate contemporary criminology theories and apply them to formulate prevention, treatment, and crime control models, within a framework of cultural diversity. Crime data relationships and patterns will also be integrated with biological, psychological, and sociological theories of criminal behavior in a critical evaluation of contemporary criminological theories. Policy formation and implementation will also be addressed.

Students evaluate contemporary prison and punishment models and theories of punishment. Students compare and contrast prison systems and develop solutions to penology challenges, such as overcrowding and the detrimental impacts of prison life. Finally, students analyze penal administration and accountability.

Students will learn how policing strategies are developed, tested, implemented and evaluated in a democratic society. Evidence-based practice will be explored against innovative policing tactics and the evolving policy and political dynamic at play. Students will learn how policy issues are framed, identify participants in the policy process, and discover how policy is created. Students will examine the usefulness and strategic implications of COMPSTAT, community policing, intelligence led policing, and transnational cybercrime.

The course provides an extensive overview of leadership in the U.S. health services system. The focus of the course will be on the role health services leadership plays in the delivery of healthcare services, to include managing with professionals, financial management, services utilization, and other aspects of the U.S. healthcare system. The student will explore the key theoretical and practical elements of leadership as well as current issues clarifying how the U.S. health services system is organized, managed, and financed.

In this course the student will develop a strong foundation of health law, enabling them to deal with common legal and practical moral and ethical issues facing the healthcare organization on a daily basis. Topics will include statutory laws, rules and regulations, review of tort laws, criminal law, contract law, civil procedures and trial practice. The student will examine numerous legal, moral, and ethical issues.

This course will explore the essential conceptual and analytical understanding of health policymaking and politics, including their impact on health administration and leadership. Selected policy issues will be explored through the application of political concepts and behavioral models, including a system model of policymaking. The emphasis will be on understanding the health leaders approach to the policymaking system, become involved in it, and work through it to attain their objectives and those of their organization.

This course provides a framework for an in-depth understanding of day-to-day, practical approaches/aspects of problems/challenges that impact the human resource management field. Topics include recruiting, hiring, training, retaining, rewarding, and promoting employees; compensation and benefits; employment planning, performance management systems, and succession planning; labor relations; and managing organizational relationships.

The primary purpose of this course is to introduce the principle theories and practices in the area of employment and workplace law. Topics include the federal and state laws associated with hiring, firing and discipline, medical leave (including FMLA, ADA and worker's compensation), discrimination, harassment, immigration, labor law, unemployment compensation, workplace privacy. Additional topics may include workplace investigations, workplace violence and employment-related legal processes, including EEOC Charges and lawsuits.

This course examines employment relations from a historical perspective including the creation and rise of unionism, the evolution of collective bargaining, recent civil rights acts affecting the workplace, and concludes by envisioning what the future may hold regarding employee, employer relations. Topics include the role and responsibilities of the HR manager with regard to employment relations, the legal framework of contract negotiations and administration through the lens of the National Labor Relations act and strategies and tactics used for union avoidance.