Curriculum

The MPA requires the completion of 54 credits. The degree includes 11 required three-credit courses: 8 courses in the core, and 3 courses in a student selected specialization—Government or Nonprofit. The remaining 21 credits are electives designed to enrich understanding of particular aspects of public service, and may include graduate courses taken in other departments. Electives deal with such topics as the nonprofit sector, legislative process, local government, mediation and negotiation, labor law, strategic management, social justice and collective bargaining.

Click here to download a sample syllabus (MS Word)

Required Courses (click on the course to view a complete description)

PUBM-501

Foundations of Public Administration  
PUBM-511

Understanding Organizations  
PUBM-512

Policy Formation and Implementation  
PUBM-521

Management and Human Relations Skills  
PUBM-530

Management Analysis and Control  
PUBM-540

Policy and Program Research  
PUBM-570

Economic Analysis  
PUBM-590

Prospectives in the Public Service  

Specializations: Government

PUBM-541

Policy Analysis  

PUBM-572

Administrative Law                                                                                                                                                                                                       

PUBM-584

Information Management for Government 

 

Specializations: Nonprofit 

PUBM-561

Information Management                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          for Nonprofit Organizations  
PUBM-582 Nonprofit Law  
PUBM-588

Nonprofit Governance 

 

Electives

PUBM-522

Human Resource Management                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      
PUBM-531

Public Budgeting  
PUBM-562

Oral Communication for Administrators  
PUBM-563

Communication and Advocacy  
PUBM-565

Computer Applications for Public Administration  
PUBM-567

Strategic Planning  
PUBM-568

Social Marketing  
PUBM-569

Community and Economic Development  
PUBM-571

Government Finance  
PUBM-573

Administration of Justice  
PUBM-574

Social Justice and Social Policy  
PUBM-575

Introduction to City Management  
PUBM-577

Comparative Public Administration  
PUBM-578

Creating and Sustaining the Livable City  
PUBM-579

Comparative Social Policy  
PUBM-580

Legislative Policy Making  
PUBM-581

Labor law and Collective Bargaining  
PUBM-583

Mediation and Negotiation Skills  
PUBM-585

Leadership, Learning and Change Management  
PUBM-586

Fundamentals of the Nonprofit Sector  
PUBM-587

Nonprofit Resource Development  
PUBM-589

Policy Reform  
PUBM-591

Special Topic
(Topics will vary each quarter)