Public Administration (PADM)
This course introduces concepts of effective leadership for public service programs in the governmental and public sectors. Students will have the opportunity to become acquainted with public administration and policy as fields of study, such as the nature of bureaucracy, public policy, allocation of resources and public budgeting, leadership, supervision, and organization of civil servants.
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- Develop foundational skills in public administration and policy concepts for advanced learning.
- Recognize, explain, and contrast foundational concepts in public administration.
- Explain and effectively communicate the range of issues that can occur in public administration.
- Diagnose obstacles and devise solutions for practical problems in public administration.
This course is an overview of policy formulation and administration in the context of U.S. federal, state, and local governments. The relationship between politics and administration is explored with reference to the classical policy/administration dichotomy. The content of this course aims to familiarize students with the public policy process, equipping students with analytical frameworks and practical tools to improve their engagement with the process through their work. By the conclusion of this course, students will have the opportunity to develop their knowledge and skills to effectively apply these tools as future elected public officials, public agency managers, policy analysts, and public service providers.
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- Apply various frameworks and theories to the policy process and its component parts.
- Apply policy structure(s) and interactions that are situated at each level of the policy system (policy field, organization, and frontlines).
- Illustrate how diverse sources of formal and informal authority in a policy system are derived from cultural and public values.
- Propose how public policy implementation can be improved according to specified metrics.
- Plan utilizing the public policy process to advance an initiative in the public interest.
This course examines public budgeting in the context of its institutional, procedural, and political dimensions. Students will have the opportunity to learn about budgeting, accounting, and financial management concepts and techniques necessary for planning, analysis, and decision making in government and public sector organizations. This course also presents an overview of budgetary reforms, budget theories and techniques, and comparative perspectives of federal, state, and local budgeting methods. Further topics include types of budgets and budget reports; the budgeting process at the local, state, and federal levels; basic expenditure and revenue forecasting and analysis; and communication strategies for financial and budgetary matters.
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- Develop a budget for a public sector project that employs best practices and various methodologies.
- Examine financial documents used by governments and the information communicated by each.
- Analyze financial information, including budgetary calculations, cost allocation techniques, and capital planning, according to operational needs.
- Analyze a government’s financial strengths and weaknesses through financial documents, such as balance sheets and profit/loss statements.
- Present financial information for strategic planning and economic development opportunities in a way that is factual, credible and understandable to the intended decision makers and stakeholders.
This course will focus on human resources in public sector practices. The history and changing role of public sector human resource strategies will be explored by students to develop an understanding of how individuals from diverse backgrounds, interests, and skill sets can work together and contribute towards an organization’s mission. Students will have the opportunity to build capacity to influence people both inside and outside of an organization, optimize the structure and culture of their organization, make effective decisions, resolve conflicts, and drive change for higher organizational performance. Further, students will be given the opportunity to develop and enhance their supervisory and leadership skills so they can manage and lead high-performing, successful organizations.
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- Examine historical practices of human resource management in the public sector.
- Use current human resource function models as a framework for analyzing organizational culture and management structures.
- Appraise how a public policy issue and its subsequent legal decisions impact the practice of human resources management in the public sector.
- Illustrate how tools and techniques that HR professionals use are employed to develop strategic and operational goals for public sector organizations.
- Propose the use of appropriate tools, techniques, and problem-solving methods to address a selected practical Human Resource Management problem.