Of the 30 credits required for the Master of Public Administration, students take 18 credits of core courses, complete 9 credits of elective or concentration courses, and take a 3-credit capstone course.

Core Public Administration Courses: 18 Credits

Ethical Leadership

This interdisciplinary course will develop highly effective transformational leaders in their respective professions who formulate sustainable, ethically sound solutions to practical management problems encountered in a complex global environment. You will learn how to set direction and work with multiple constituencies with divergent needs through an ethical lens that includes social responsibility and the intersections of diversity, culture, and environment, and how these differences affect best practices in management in your discipline.

Strategic Talent Management

This interdisciplinary course will enable you to acquire the skills necessary to strategically lead decisively across all functions in organizations, including recruitment and selection of employees, training and development, performance appraisals, health and safety, labor relations, and change management. You will be introduced to leadership and talent management within and across disciplines and apply strategies to the private, public and not-for-profit sectors. This course will integrate legal, management, and social science research with an action learning-based approach to executive-level leadership education. You will have the opportunity to apply these skills through your own disciplinary lens, and will gain an in-depth understanding of how these skills are applied in other disciplines.

Data Driven Decision Making

This course is an interdisciplinary approach to research methods and is designed to provide you with an introduction to statistical theory and practice. Learn how to research a current issue and interpret statistics for the fields of criminal justice, business, health sciences, and public administration, assuming leadership roles in your discipline.

Introduction to Public Administration Theory and Practice

This course is an introduction to the study and practice of public administration. It provides an overview of the field of public administration, focusing on the function roles of public administration in the political process. It introduces students to concepts and practices in public administration, focusing on accountability and performance. Additionally, this course explores practical application of concepts to current issues to the field of public administration.

Public Management in a Political Environment

Develop your public management and leadership skills by studying the concepts, methods, and procedures involved in managing public organizations. Learn how to diagnose organizational problems and recommend feasible solutions, and increase your understanding of individual, group, and agency politics in the public sector. Course assignments cover: strategic planning; teamwork and group management; stakeholder communication; implementation of leadership initiatives; accountability; employee values; ethical practices in diverse organizations; information technology management; and public administration reforms and privatization.

Public Budgeting and Financial Management

Students examine the key aspects of a public sector budget, from identifying and securing key stakeholder support to identifying state and local funding sources to be allocated based on the needs of an organization. Students also study the theory of budgeting from the public sector perspective, with an emphasis on understanding and applying the principles of financial management.

Concentration: 9 Credits

General Concentration

Students must complete 9 credits from among the following courses:

• Mediation
• Business Communications
• Labor Relations and Conflict Resolution
• Communication Strategy For The Health Care Leader
• Leadership
• Change Management
• Grant Writing
• Overview Of Homeland Security and Emergency Management
• Contemporary Issues in Nonprofit Management
• Critical Issues in Public Health

Cannabis Control

The growing cannabis industry is going to impact all aspects of our current societal process. The regulation of cannabis spans from growing, transportation, public health, and city services to new businesses, financing, and supply chains that cross jurisdictional lines. The concentration in Cannabis Control will give you a solid foundation in compliance, risk assessment and cannabis as commerce. Completing all three of these courses will also get you a graduate certificate in Cannabis Control on your way to completing your Master’s Degree.

• Policy and Compliance
• Commerce
• Risk Assessment

Capstone in Public Administration: 3 Credits

In this eight-week master’s culmination course, you integrate your academic knowledge and practical skills by solving real problems for public and nonprofit organizations and developing recommendations for a specific project design, implementation, and evaluation. You will build toward a final project and presentation showcasing your evaluation and decision-making skills applied to a real-world issue, and leave the program with a complete professional portfolio.