Applicants

MPA Program Course Offerings

The MPA Program offers a variety of courses, listed below. In addition, students may take selected courses from other departments, and even from other universities (e.g., Duke University and NC State University), when such courses best meet a student’s individual needs.

View a typical first and second year MPA course schedule.

Course Descriptions

PUBA 710 PUBLIC ORGANIZATION THEORY AND BEHAVIOR. Exposition, comparison, and case-based application(s) of basic models of organizations, with emphasis on public sector entities. Fall. Whitaker. Back to top.

PUBA 711 PUBLIC MANAGEMENT AND LEADERSHIP. Prerequisite, PADM 710. Development of administrators' skills in working with others to accomplish organization goals. Conceptual and experimental modes of learning used to examine a variety of administrative behaviors. Spring. Whitaker. Back to top.

PUBA 719 INTRODUCTORY POLICY EVALUATION METHODS. The application of statistical methods to problems of evaluation of public programs and problems facing public managers. Theory and basic techniques up to an introduction of linear regression analysis. Fall. Staff. Back to top.

PUBA 720 METHODS FOR POLICY ANALYSIS AND EVALUATION. Prerequisite, PUBA 212, PLAN 130, or equivalent. Introduction to selected techniques such as the following: multiple regression, decision theory, research design, social experiments and quasi-experiments, program evaluation, and policy-related models. Spring. Staff. Back to top.

PUBA 721 PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATIONS.Grounds students in fundamental techniques of writing and oral presentation in a range of formats suited to public service. Fall. Setzer. Back to top.

PUBA 722 POLITICS OF THE ADMINISTRATIVE PROCESS. The motivations of public agency officials, interactions between bureaucracies and other political actors, and alternative strategies to control bureaucratic power and discretion in making, implementing, and evaluating public policies. Fall. Hoyman. Back to top.

PUBA 723 HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT. Examination of political and institutional environment of public management, the evolution of the United States civil service system, competing values and principles shaping contemporary human resource management, and traditional human resource management functions. Spring. Jacobson. Back to top.

PUBA 730 GOVERNMENTAL AND NOT-FOR-PROFIT ACCOUNTING AND REPORTING. Teaches the principles of accounting and financial reporting in governmental and not-for-profit environment. Provides skills for analyzing the financial condition of governments and the efficiency and effectiveness of governmental programs. Spring. Allison. Back to top.

PUBA 731 GOVERNMENT BUDGETING AND FINANCE. An introduction to the revenue and expenditure structure of the public sector including revenue policy, expenditure policy, and budget structure and administration. Topics are examined from an applied perspective using analytic criteria from public sector economics, public administration, and political science. Spring. Rivenbark. Back to top.

PUBA 740 PUBLIC POLICY ANALYSIS. The roles of expertise in policy discourse; the place of values in policy analysis; summarizing preferences; benefits and costs; policy models; policy expertise and democratic political systems. Fall. Whisnant. Back to top.

PUBA 742 VALUES AND ETHICAL PERSPECTIVES ON PUBLIC POLICY. Understanding and clarifying the valuational base of administrative and policy choices. Ethical problems encountered in public officials' personal actions. Spring. Staff. Back to top.

PUBA 745/746MPA PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SEMINAR II. Integration of learnings from MPA students' professional field experience ("internship") through site visits, conferences, and seminars. Fall. Ammons. Back to top.

PUBA 749MANAGING PUBLIC POLICY. Prerequisites, POLI 210, 211, 212, 214, 226. The role(s), function(s), and strategy of public administrators in the formulation, adoption, and implementation of public policies. Policy from the perspective of the policy maker; cases exploring the relationship of theories to actual policy processes. Spring. Wright, Stenberg. Back to top.

PUBA 751 CITY AND COUNTY MANAGEMENT. Nature of city or county manager's job: expectations of elected body, staff, public and professional peers. Examines contemporary issues in departmental operations that have significant effect on how manager's performance is perceived. Fall. Horton Back to top.

PUBA 752 PRODUCTIVITY IMPROVEMENT IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT. This course will acquaint students with the concept of productivity, its importance in the public sector, principal techniques used to improve productivity in local government, and barriers to productivity improvement initiatives. Fall. Ammons Back to top.

PUBA 756 NONPROFIT MANAGEMENT. Examination of the managerial challenges posed by nonprofit organizations and of techniques and practices used by managers of nonprofit organizations. Fall. Henderson. Back to top.

PUBA 757 FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT OF NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS. This course provides basic financial skills for leaders of nonprofits, including bookkeeping fundamentals, interpreting financial statements, budgeting, cash management and investment, and legal compliance. Fall. Staff. Back to top.

PUBA 758 NAVIGATING NONPROFIT-LOCAL GOVERNMENT RELATIONSHIPSORGANIZATIONS. This course is designed for graduate students who are seeking professional positions in local government or nonprofits. The overall objectives are to exchange information about issues of mutual concern to both nonprofits and governments. Spring. Henderson. Back to top.

760 LAW FOR PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION. An introduction to law for students in public administration or related disciplines. Topics: sources of law and legal resources, personnel law, administrative law, and selected topics in constitutional law relevant to public administration. Fall. Bluestein. Back to top.

761 LOCAL GOVERNMENT LAW. Overview of key legal concepts affecting local government operations. Topics include relation to federal/state governments, legal structures, finance and regulatory powers, plus introduction to the legal system and analysis. Spring. Bluestein. Back to top.

762 ADMINISTRATIVE LAW DEVELOPMENT AND APPLICATIONS. Addresses legal issues in the exercise of governmental power by federal, state, and local agencies in the United States. Topics include legislative and executive oversight, rule making, adjudication, and judicial review. Fall. Owens. Back to top.

765 BUDGET PLANNING AND FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT. Addresses legal issues in the exercise of governmental power by federal, statePrerequisite, PADM 214. Analysis of alternative approaches to planning and administering the budgets and financial operations of public agencies. Extensive use of case materials. Fall. Vogt. Back to top.

768 PUBLIC AFFAIRS DISPUTE RESOLUTION AND CONSENSUS BUILDING. Theory and practice of dispute resolution and consensus building processes for public policy and program implementation. Utilizes exercises to develop skills in multi-party conflict analysis, negotiation, and intervention for inter-governmental, nonprofit, and community disputes. Spring. Stephens. Back to top.

770 POLITICS OF COMMUNITY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT: STRATEGIES AND CHOICES. This course covers economic development from the communityâs perspective. The class develops criteria that a community should use in making economic development choices. The course presents a wide range of strategies. Fall. Hoyman. Back to top.

771 MANAGING ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. Emphasizes the practical application and implementation of various approaches to economic development. Students will apply tools/strategies by doing case studies and small group projects based on real-world scenarios faced by local practitioners. Fall. Morgan. Back to top.

775 ELECTRONIC GOVERNMENT: PRACTICES AND METHODOLOGIES. This course focuses on the issues involved in administering and managing e-government activities. Special emphasis is placed on the particular challenges endemic to public performance. Fall. Staff. Back to top.

776 MANAGING INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND NONPROFITS. The course explores information technology policies, development, training, assessment, and organizational behavior. Spring. Staff. Back to top.

778 INTERGOVERNMENTAL RELATIONS. Examines conflict and cooperation among governmental officials representing national, state, and local government in the United States; changing roles of governments; and new mechanisms for intergovernmental collaboration. Fall. Wright. Back to top.

780 SPECIAL TOPICS IN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION. Prerequisite, permission of the instructor. Seminar in selected areas of public administration. Topics will vary from year to year. May be repeated for credit. Fall and spring. Staff. Back to top.

781 SPECIAL TOPICS IN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION. Prerequisite, permission of the instructor. Seminar in selected areas of public administration. Topics will vary from year to year. May be repeated for credit. Fall and spring. Staff. Back to top.

900 RESEARCH IN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION. Fall, spring, and summer. Staff. Back to top.