PA 601 Proseminar in Public Administration—3 credits.

An analytical overview of public administration as a field of study and as a profession in the United States and other countries.

Delivery: Internet

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PA 602 Statistical Analysis for Public Administrators—3 credits.

Applications of statistical methods in preparing and evaluating research reports and other documents. Topics covered will include descriptive statistics, survey sampling, hypothesis testing, and inferential statistics.

Delivery: Internet and Web-based conferencing

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PA 605 Organizational Behavior in Public Agencies—3 credits.

Conceptual and empirical analysis of organizational and personal relationships in public agencies. Professional socialization, interpersonal relationships, conflict management, and informal influence will be emphasized.

Delivery: Internet

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PA 606 Public Personnel Administration—3 credits.

Analysis of managerial philosophies and techniques utilized in public and non-profit agencies. Topics covered will include manpower analysis, recruitment, affirmative action, and job analysis.

Delivery: Internet

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PA 607 Budgeting in Governmental Agencies—3 credits.

Financial administration in public agencies, emphasizing budgetary techniques and political aspects of financial decision making. Budget preparation for state and local agencies will be emphasized.

Delivery: Internet

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PSCI 621A Seminar in American Government—3 credits.

A comprehensive survey of major perspectives on American government in literature and research. Voting behavior, presidential-congressional relationships, the decision-making process, and the public interest.

Delivery: Internet and Web-based conferencing

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PSCI 655 Scope and Methods of Political Science—3 credits.

Introduction to the graduate study of political science and its subfields, with attention to methodology, research design, and research methods.

Delivery: Internet and Web-based conferencing

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Option 1:  General Public Administration Electives (12 credits)

Students register for 12 credit hours of elective courses after consultation with their advisors. The public administration program offers a number of elective courses that include, but are not limited to the following:

• PA 608 Legal Environment of Public Administration—3 credits
• PA 609 Ethical Concerns in Current American Public Administration—3 credits
• PA 631 Seminar in Public Policy Analysis—3 credits
• PA 640 Seminar in Personnel Law—3 credits
• PA 690 Special Topics in Public Administration—3 credits
• PA 698 Directed Research in Public Administration—3 credits

Option 2:  Elective Concentration (12 credits)

Students desiring a more specialized program may choose one of the following concentrations in place of the General Public Administration Electives listed above. All courses in each of these concentrations are offered online.

Criminology / Criminal Justice Concentration (12 credits):

• CRIM 540 Ethics in Criminal Justice
• CRIM 601 Seminar: Criminological Theories
• One of the following courses:
  - CRIM 604 Police Problems and Practices
  - CRIM 607 Seminar: Law and Society
  - CRIM 630 Seminar in Corrections
• One addition Public Administration Elective (listed above)

Human Resource Development Concentration (12 credits):

• HRD 605 Developing Performance Based Occupational Curriculum
• HRD 670 Systematic Design of Human Resource Development Programs
• HRD 675 Leadership in Human Resource Development
• HRD 695 Rationale and Evaluation of HRD Programs

Public Health Concentration (12 credits):

• AHS 602 Introduction to Public Health
• Choose two of the following:
  - AHS 609 Applied Communications in Health Professions
  - AHS 612 Epidemiology
  - AHS 614 Principles of Environmental Health
  - AHS 617 Health Behavior Theories
  - AHS 619 Seminar: Advanced Health Program Planning and Coordination
  - AHS 628 Seminar: Advanced Program Evaluation in Health Professions
  
• One additional Public Administration Elective (listed above).

Note: AHS 619 is taken prior to AHS 628. Students who take AHS 619 should also take AHS 628 to complete the Public Health Concentration.

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PA 697 Capstone Research Seminar in Public Administration—3 credits.

This is a directed research course that will be taken by each M.P.A. student during her or his final semester in the M.P.A. Program. Under the supervision of one or more members of the political science and public administration faculty, students will develop projects suitable for presentation at a public forum. Faculty will judge each project and presentation either as pass or fail. Judgments will be based on form, style, substance, and presentation of each project. Passage of this course is the final step toward the award of the M.P.A.

Delivery: Internet

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PA 695 Internship in Public Agency—3 credits.

Arranged internship with a public or a nonprofit organization. Only for students without substantial work experience in public or nonprofit management.

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