Public Administration & Policy Certificate Program in Public Sector Management
A certificate program in Public Sector Management offers a specialized alternative for those with degrees in other fields who seek graduate training in public administration and policy. The five course program was designed to serve the needs of professionals who hold or desire management positions and have no formal administrative training. Specializations are available in such areas as Public Management, Public Economics and Finance, Local Government Management, Public Policy, Legislative Administration, Information Strategy and Management, and Homeland Security. Coursework in each specialization includes topics related to general management principles, and the administrative environment and special concerns of the field.
Public Management
This specialization provides a foundation in management for persons engaged in or planning careers in management or supervision in the public service. Public management courses focus on techniques of organizational analysis, budgeting, planning, and decision-making.
Required Courses:
•PAD 500 – Introduction to Foundations of Public Administration
•PAD 501 – Public and Nonprofit Financial Management
•PAD 506 – Foundations of Public Management
Elective Courses:
Students in the Public Management specialization choose a subspecialization in either Non-Profit Management or Management and Strategy
Non-Profit Management
One Required:
•PAD 612 – Nonprofits and Public Policy OR
•PAD 613 – Issues in Not-For-Profit Management
Select One:
•PAD 512 – Nonprofit Fundraising and Development Fundamentals
•PAD 515 (POS 506) – Implementation and Impact
•PAD 522 – Politics and Policy
•PAD 532 – Performance Measurement and Contracting in Government
•PAD 561 (POS 523, PLN 523) – Urban Community Development
•PAD 607 – Non-Profit Governance
•PAD 610 – Organizational Theory and Behavior
•PAD 615 – Strategic Planning and Management
•PAD 633 – Organizational Analysis and Development
•PAD 640 – Nonprofit Financial Management
Management and Strategy
Select Two:
•PAD 504 – Data, Models & Decisions I
•PAD 600 – Fundamentals of Administrative Law
•PAD 610 – Organizational Theory and Behavior
•PAD 611 – Decision Making in Government and Administration
•PAD 614 – Managerial Leadership in the Public Sector
•PAD 615 – Strategic Planning and Management
•PAD 618 – Public Personnel Administration
•PAD 626 – Evaluation of Public Sector Programs
•PAD 637 – Social and Organizational Networks in Public Policy, Management,
and Service Delivery: Theory, Methods, and Analysis
Public Economics and Finance
This specialization provides a foundation in public economics and finance for working in budgeting, financial and analytical aspects of state and local government. It is also beneficial for those who cross the public and private sector financial boundaries.
Required Courses:
•PAD 501 – Public and Nonprofit Financial Management
•PAD 503 – Principles of Public Economics
Elective Courses:
Select Three:
•PAD 532 – Performance Measurement and Contracting in Government
•PAD 540 – Public Policy Analysis
•PAD 631 – Cost Management for Government and Nonprofit Organizations
•PAD 640 – Financial Management for Nonprofits
•PAD 641 – Basic Governmental Accounting
•PAD 642 – Public Budgeting
•PAD 643 – Economics of Government Programs
•PAD 648 – Economics of Government Revenues
•PAD 659 – Managing Public Service Organization Finances
Local Government Management
The Local Government Management specialization provides a professional development opportunity for government employees interested in local government executive and senior administrative positions. It is also an opportunity for those returning to school and beginning graduate work with a longer range goal of obtaining the MPA with a Local Government Management Specialization.
Required Courses:
•PAD 500 – Introduction to Foundations of Public Administration
•PAD 683 – Program Seminar in Managing Local Government
•PAD 684 – Seminar in Urban Policy Analysis
Elective Courses:
Select Two:
•PAD 504 – Data, Models, and Decisions I
•PAD 561 (POS 523, PLN 523) – Urban Community Development
•PAD 618 – Public Personnel Administration
•PAD 631 – Cost Management for Government and Nonprofit Organizations
•PAD 641 – Basic Government Accounting
•PAD 651 – Labor Relations in the Public Sector
•PAD 685 – Culture and Public Policy: Developing Creative Communities
Public Policy
This program area provides an intensive introduction to policy analysis skills and approaches useful to the public sector administrator or advocate.
Required Courses:
•PAD 503 – Principles of Public Economics
•PAD 504 – Data, Models, and Decisions I
•PAD 505 (POS 505) – Data, Models, and Decisions II
•PAD 540 – Policy Analysis
Elective Courses:
Select One:
•PAD 515 – Implementation and Impact
•PAD 522 – Politics and Policy
•PAD 529 (POS 529) – Law and Policy
•PAD 603 (POS 509) – Citizen Participation in Public Policy
•PAD 604 (POS 604, WSS 604) – Inequality and Public Policy
•PAD 626 – Evaluation of Public Sector Programs
Or other courses dealing with public policy and policy analysis issues within specific substantive areas, such as education, finance, welfare, health care, or environmental policy, chosen in consultation with your academic advisor.
Legislative Administration
This area of study focuses upon special problems of working in the legislature or working as a legislative liaison. Classes will examine legislative structures, comparing strengths and weaknesses, and offers extensive contact with practitioners, scholars, and associations involved in legislative administration.
Required Courses:
•PAD 500 – Introduction to Foundations of Public Administration
•PAD 510 – Introduction to Legislative Administration
Elective Courses:
Select Three:
•PAD 503 – Principles of Public Economics
•PAD 504 – Data, Models, and Decisions I
•PAD 515 (POS 506) – Implementation and Impact
•PAD 526 (POS 513) – Field Seminar in Public Policy
•PAD 623 – Management Information Systems
•POS 531 – The Legislative Process
•POS 535 – Congress and the Presidency
•POS 632 – Topics in Legislative Research
Information Strategy and Management
The Information Strategy and Management specialization prepares public managers to understand, apply, and leverage information and technology in designing public services and solving public problems. It focuses on the interaction of policy, management, and technology domains in single organizations, and in multi- organizational and intergovernmental settings.
Required Courses:
•PAD 504 – Data, Models, and Decisions I
•PAD 550 – Foundations of Government Information Strategy and Management
Select One:
•PAD 500 – Introduction to Foundations of Public Administration OR
•PAD 506 – Foundations of Public Management
Elective Courses:
Select Two:
•PAD 650 – Building a Case for Government IT Investments in the Public Sector
•PAD 557 (POS 577) – Information Technology, Globalization and Global Governance
•IST 523 – Fundamentals of Information Technology
•IST 560 – Information and Public Policy
•IST 636 – Systems Analysis in the Information Environment
•ITM 522 – Managing Information Technology
•ITM 603 – Management of IT Projects
•COM 659 – Topics in Organizational Communication
•GOG 596 (PLN 556) – Geographic Information Systems
Homeland Security
Required Courses:
•PAD 504 – Data, Models and Decisions 1 (PAD 505, PAD 557, CRJ 504 or CRJ 505
can be substituted.)
•PAD 554 (POS 554) – Political Violence, Insurgency and Terrorism
Three Additional Courses: Theory and Practice Course List
1) One from the method course list
2) One from the theory and practice course list
3) One additional course from either list
Method Course List
•PAD 505 (POS 505) – Data, Models, and Decisions II (CRJ 504 or SSW 504
can be substituted.)
•PAD 517 (POS 517) – Empirical Data Analysis
•PAD 518 (POS 518) – Regression Analysis
•PAD 550 – Foundations of Government Information Strategy and Management
•PAD 556 – Homeland Security Intelligence
•PAD 557 – Intelligence Analysis for Homeland Security
•PAD 585 (POS 585, INF 585) – Information Technology and Homeland Security
•PAD 624 – Simulating Dynamic Systems
•PAD 625 (POS 626) – Bargaining and Negotiation
•PAD 634 – Judgment and Decision-Making Behavior
•PAD 636 – Cultural Analysis of Organizations
•PAD 637 – Social and Organizational Networks in Public Policy, Management,
and Service Delivery: Theory, Methods and Analysis
•PAD 705 – Research Methods II
•PAD 551 (CRJ 648) – Terrorism, Public Security and Law Enforcement
•PAD 553 – Topics in Homeland Security and Terrorism
•PAD 555 (POS 555) – Disaster, Crisis, Emergency Management and Policy
•PAD 556 – Homeland Security Intelligence
•PAD 558 – Intelligence & US National Security Policymaking
•PAD 559 – Homeland Security:Building Preparedness Capabilities
•PAD 583 (POS 583) – Global Governance
•PAD 610 – Organizational Theory and Behavior
•POS 567 – Contentious Politics: Theory and Research
•POS 550 – Field Seminar in Comparative Political Systems
•POS 566 – Ethnic Conflict
•POS 570 – Field Seminar in International Political Systems
•POS 576 – Globalization, International Cooperation, and Violent Global Movements
•POS 582 – Global Security
•IST 532 – Terrorism, Public Security and Information Analysis
