This course provides students with an overview of public administration and examines the political, social, institutional, and organizational setting in which practitioners in public administrators function.

Prerequisite(s): None
Credits: 4

This course addresses the issues of motivation, leadership, and communication within public and non-profit organizations. Included are negotiation, conflict resolution, and team-building. Special attention will be paid to the unique character of public and non-profit organizations operating with a mission of public service and within the context of the political leadership and public constituencies.

Prerequisite(s): MPA5001
Credits: 4

This course examines the management of public funds and the preparation and administration of their related budgets. Basic accounting and financial management functions most relevant to public administration are examined, including the roles of treasury, comptroller, and auditing. Topics may include revenue projections, expenditure controls, fiscal management, the relevance of public policy in establishing budgetary priorities, and the utilization of information and accounting systems. Course will also include accounting and auditing requirements particular to non-profit organizations.

Prerequisite(s): MPA5001
Credits: 4

This course explores human resources from a strategic perspective to help an organization achieve its goals. Topics may include investments in human resources, workforce demographic trends, theories of human resource management, workforce training and development, workforce utilization and assessment, and performance management systems.

Prerequisite(s): Completion of the Core Courses
Credits: 4

This course explores the concepts, principles, and methods of research in public administration, with application to administrative functions and decision making. Topics may include literature reviews, research design, definition and measurement of variables, analysis and interpretation of data, and communication of research results. Emphasis is placed on the role and importance of scientific investigations and systematic inquiries in the development and planning of public policy related to public administration and its functions.

Prerequisite(s): MPA5001

Credits: 4

This course explores the goals, processes, and activities associated with fundraising and resource development including the resources provided by volunteers in the non-profit sector. Topics may include annual and capital campaign development, special events, planned giving, communication strategies, stakeholder relationships, automation techniques, and volunteer procedures (including recruitment, training, and recognition). Course will also address legal reporting requirements pertaining to contributions.

Prerequisite(s): MPA5001

Credits: 4

This course examines the strategies and execution of grant and proposal writing as well as contract administration in the non-profit and governmental sectors. Topics may include research into funding sources, use of prospectus documents, preparation competitive proposals for grants and contracts, and peer review. Students will engage in all aspects of grant and proposal writing, including how to efficiently and effectively describe research and program design, outcomes, objectives and methodology, data management, evaluation, and budget development applied to the preparation of an actual proposal. Students will also examine the contract administrative responsibilities resulting from successful grants and contracts, including monitoring and reporting program and fiscal data.

Prerequisite(s): MPA5001

Credits: 4

This course explores the history, growth, and evolution of the non-profit organizations and examines the critical management and leadership challenges facing the professional manager in the non-profit sector. Topics may include the role of the executive team, board of directors, full-time staff, and volunteers in identifying and realizing the mission of a non-profit organization. In addition, students will study the legal framework and requirements for non-profit organizations including those pertaining to lobbying and electoral politics.

Prerequisite(s): MPA5001

Credits: 4

This course examines the goals, methods, and techniques of program evaluation in governmental and non-profit organizations. Special emphasis is placed on how program evaluation relates to legislative and executive budgeting, program planning, and program implementation.

Prerequisite(s): MPA5001

Credits: 4

This course examines the goals, methods, and techniques of program evaluation in governmental and non-profit organizations. Special emphasis is placed on how program evaluation relates to legislative and executive budgeting, program planning, and program implementation.

Prerequisite(s): MPA5001

Credits: 4

This course examines the process of enacting laws and performing other legislative/administrative/judicial functions in the U.S. Congress and state legislatures. Special attention is paid to the relationship between public administrators and the legislative and judicial processes.

Prerequisite(s): MPA5001

Credits: 4

The course introduces students to the basic concepts in economics including the role it plays in developing public policy. Topics may include market failures, supply and demand, public service fees, cost-benefit analysis, and unemployment, opportunity costs, Pareto efficiency, and social welfare.

Prerequisite(s): MPA5001

Credits: 4

The course provides an overview of the concepts and processes of policy research, including the relationship between policy analysis and programmatic planning. Topics may include the role of policy analysis in improving government decision making and assessing the effectiveness of public programs.

Prerequisite(s): MPA5001

Credits: 4

A critical examination of theories, concepts, and principles concerned with organizational behavior and functions of personnel administration with special attention paid to criminal justice applications. More specifically, how these concepts may be practically applied to administrative and managerial practices in criminal justice organizations.

Prerequisite(s): None

Credits: 4

This course discusses the application of planning theory and techniques to the criminal justice system as well as to agency-specific problems. The class emphasizes problem identification, goal setting, forecasting, and the selection of alternative courses of action. Students become familiar with computerized data analysis and case study simulation in order to illustrate suitable planning techniques as well as pitfalls that can be avoided by implementing such techniques.

Prerequisite(s): None

Credits: 4

This course focuses upon contemporary critical and controversial issues confronting law enforcement organizations. Discussions may include such topics as police functions; discovery of crime; gender, sexual orientation and/or race-ethnicity issues; the changing role of the police; police training and abuse of authority; local, State and Federal interagency relations; domestic terrorism; police/media relations; police/community relations; civil liability; hazards of policing; and, progressive changes in law enforcement.

Prerequisite(s): None

Credits: 4

This course presents an incisive discussion of diverse issues in corrections today by examining contemporary challenges facing corrections, such as the realities of prison life, the courts and corrections, the rehabilitation debate, and corrections in the community. Discussions will also include a critical overview of problems and issues confronting contemporary correctional institutions such as AIDS in prison, prison gangs, aging populations, physical and mental disabilities, women in prison, privatization, professionalism among correctional officers, and the use of technology and community rehabilitative options.

Prerequisite(s): None

Credits: 4

Concepts, systems development and effective use of up-to-date tools and application software, focusing on IT infrastructure, systematic approach to management, processes involved in managing IT infrastructures, best practices to IT service support and service delivery, the place of IT infrastructure and IT service in an organization, IT management frameworks, and concepts of the work processes used to manage an IT infrastructure.

Prerequisite(s): Admission to the program

Credits: 4

Real-world projects dealing with issues related to development, management and maintenance of medium-size and large-scaled information systems with emphasis on business information systems for a distributed environment. The identification of vulnerabilities and risks inherent in the operation of information systems are also explored.

Prerequisite(s): Admission to the program

Credits: 4

System development and design and software engineering methodologies, with emphasis on object-oriented analysis, design and implementation of information systems, distributed information systems, information systems life cycle models, and platforms with discussions of requirements definition and management, modeling quality assurance and development environments.

Prerequisite(s): Program core courses

Credits: 4

The course is an overview and case studies of contemporary information systems management in a digital enterprise. It focuses on the relevant issues of effective management of information services activities and highlights the areas of greatest potential application of the technology. The course emphasizes the skills and knowledge to identify and communicate business system needs, select the right information systems and integrate these systems into organizations to improve business performance.

Prerequisite(s): Foundation courses

Credits: 4

This course analyzes the structure, principles, and operation of state and local government in the United States. It examines the governmental interrelationships contained in the American Federal system. Topics may include the analysis of the executive, legislative, and judicial functions of state and local governments, with special attention paid to the similarities and differences among the levels and branches of government as well as the complementary and conflictual relationships between the state and federal government levels.

Prerequisite(s): None

Credits: 4

This course focuses on the relationship between public administration and the law. Topics may include the role of public administrators in formulating law and policy through the rule-making process and administrative law, how case law is relevant to public organizations, managers, and the administration of governmental programs, and the liability of government in selected settings.

Prerequisite(s): None

Credits: 4

Computer and network forensics, computer security incident response process, computer criminal evidence collection, analysis and handling, email investigation, malicious code investigation, network traffic analysis and router investigation, hacker tools analysis, and computer/network forensic report writing. The course identifies and examines information security threats, information security methods, and current implementation approaches.

Prerequisite(s): None

Credits: 4

This course compares and contrasts the disciplines of leadership and management, with an emphasis on fostering organization and personal innovation. Topics may include historical and contemporary leadership and management theories, current leadership research, the practice of leadership and management across a wide variety of organizational contexts.

Prerequisite(s): None

Credits: 4

This course presents an overview of the characteristics and causes of terrorism emerging in the 21st century. Students are exposed to the emergence of modern terrorism from several different areas of the world as well as an analysis from a criminal justice perspective of terror movements affecting the United States. Relevant issues include domestic terrorism undertaken for political purposes in liberal states, state-sponsored international and domestic terrorism, and the dilemmas of counterterrorism in a democracy.

Prerequisite(s): None

Credits: 4

This course integrates knowledge, skills, and abilities from a wide variety of content areas to better meet the challenges faced by public administrators. Topics may include developing organizational strategy, executing decision making, shaping the planning process, and managing of organizational change. Use of the case method will draw significantly on students’ prior public administration study and experience.

Prerequisite(s): Completion of all other courses in the program

Credits: 4