Department of Public Administration and Policy
Faculty
Distinguished Service Professor
David F. Andersen, Ph.D.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Distinguished Teaching Professors
Sue R. Faerman, Ph.D. (Collins Fellow)
University at Albany
David P. McCaffrey, Ph.D. (Collins Fellow)
State University of New York at Stony Brook
Professors Emeriti/a
James J. Heaphey, Ph.D.
University of California, Berkeley
Joseph M. Heikoff, Ph.D.
University of Chicago
Byron Hipple, M.A.
Syracuse University
Irene Lurie, Ph.D.
University of California, Berkeley
Jeryl L. Mumpower, Ph.D.
University of Colorado
Richard I. Nunez, Ph.D.
Syracuse University
George P. Richardson, Ph.D.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Frank Thompson, Ph.D.
University of California, Berkeley
Lewis Welch, Ph.D.
Syracuse University
Professor
John W. Rohrbaugh, Ph.D.
University of Colorado
Associate Professor Emerita
Helen Desfosses, Ph.D. (Collins Fellow)
Boston University
Associate Professors
Mitchel Abolafia, Ph.D.
State University of New York at Stony Brook
Sharon Dawes, Ph.D.
University at Albany
James W. Fossett, Ph.D.
University of Michigan
Gerald R. Marschke, Ph.D.
University of Chicago
R. Karl Rethemeyer, Ph.D. (Chair)
Harvard University
Judith Saidel, Ph.D.
University at Albany
Holly Sims, Ph.D.
University of California, Berkeley
Patricia Strach, Ph.D.
University of Wisconsin
Assistant Professors
Kathleen Deloughery, Ph.D.
Ohio State University
Jennifer Dodge, Ph.D.
New York University
Bryan Early, Ph.D.
University of Georgia
Erzsebet Fazekas, Ph.D.
Columbia University
Erika Martin, Ph.D., M.P.H.
Yale University
Robert Purtell, Ph.D.
New York University
Ellen Rubin, Ph.D.
University of Georgia
Stephen Weinberg, Ph.D.
Harvard University
Research Professors
Terrence A. Maxwell, Ph.D.
University at Albany
Theresa Pardo, Ph.D.
University at Albany
Thomas Stewart, Ph.D.
University of Illinois
Lecturer
Sydney S. Gatto-Cresswell, M.A.
University at Albany
Public Service Professors
Kevin Bronner, Ph.D.
University at Albany
Patrick J. Bulgaro, M.A.
Siena College
Paul Castellani, Ph.D.
Syracuse University
Thomas Constantine, M.A.
University at Albany
Dall Forsythe, Ph.D.
Columbia University
David Liebschutz, M.A., J.D.
Duke University
Frank Mauro, M.P.A.
Syracuse University
Robert McEvoy, M.P.A.
Syracuse University
Steven G. Poskanzer, J.D.
Harvard University
Public administration and public policy are concerned with the formulation and implementation of governmental policies and programs. The approach of the Department of Public Administration and Policy is interdisciplinary, drawing on various social and behavioral sciences. The courses focus on such topics as the role of bureaucracy in society, management of finances in the public sector, organizational theory and development, the political and legal environment of administration, and public policy research and analysis.
B.A. in Public Policy and Management
The B.A. in Public Policy and Management is offered by the Department of Public Administration and Policy. The Public Policy and Management Program is a joint major/minor program designed to help intellectually mature and motivated students understand and respond to changes in government and society. The program helps students understand how public problems are defined, and how policies are made and implemented to address those problems.
Public policy and management affect everyone and involve questions of politics, economics, administration, and management. The B.A. in Public Policy and Management will help the student develop a broad interdisciplinary understanding of the forces that affect what government does, and why.
Combining a student-designed concentration with field experience, the combined major and minor in Public Policy and Management assists students through an interdisciplinary approach to develop analytic ability, research skills, and substantive competence in a specific public policy and management area. Student-selected technical and theoretical courses help develop skills and background desirable to future employers.
Concentrations
Typical policy concentrations include business-government relations, environmental policy, foreign policy and international relations, education policy, public administration and management, the study of society and social welfare policy, urban policy, and women and public policy and management. Students may work with their adviser to develop a concentration in other issue areas.
Careers
The Public Policy and Management curriculum combines a strong academic program with opportunities to develop expertise in a particular policy area and hone communications and analytical skills. The program is excellent preparation for graduate study, law school, or employment in the public, private or nonprofit sectors. Graduates of the Public Policy and Management Program are employed in the state legislature, the executive branch, and have gone on to graduate study and careers in business, law, and management.
Internships
The required internship is an integral part of the Public Policy and Management degree. The University's location in the state capital of Albany affords students with unique opportunities for internships directly related to their fields of interest. These internships can be in the legislature, state agencies, private firms, and nonprofit organizations. The internship can give students practical experience, useful recommendations, and substantial advantages in graduate admissions and job placement.
Degree Requirements for the Major in Public Policy and Management
General Program B.A.: The major in Public Policy and Management is a combined major and minor program requiring a minimum of 54 credits, as follows:
Required courses (30 credits): R PUB 140, A ECO 110, A ECO 111, R PAD 204, R PAD 303, R PUB 316, R PAD 329, R PUB 340, R PUB 498, R PUB 499 (or R POS 495Z).
Two elective courses (6 credits) from: R PAD 236, R PAD 302, R PUB 303 or R PAD 304, R PAD 307, R PUB 321, R PAD 324, R PUB 325 or R POS 325, R PUB 328 or R POS 328, R PUB 330, R PUB 399, R PAD 414 or R PUB 414, R PAD 424, R PAD 435, R PAD 436 (other courses may be used with permission of the Program Director).
Approved concentration (18 credits): in addition to the 36 credits of core courses, each public policy and management major shall take 18 credits (of which at least 9 credits must be at or above the 300 level) in one of the following nine concentrations. No course may count toward both the concentration and as an elective course. The student-defined concentration must be approved by the Director of the Public Policy and Management Program.
Approved Concentrations
Public Administration
18 credits chosen from: A COM 204, A ECO 355, A SOC 342 or B MGT 341 or R PAD 302 or R PUB 302, A SOC 345, A SOC 357, B LAW 220, R PAD 304 or R POS 303 or R PUB 303, R PAD 307, R PAD 324, R PAD 414 or R PUB 414, R PAD 424, R POS 325 or R PUB 325.
Study of Society
18 credits chosen from: A AAS 219, A AAS 435, A SOC 115 or R POS 101, A SOC 180, A SOC 200, A SOC 342 or B MGT 341 or R PAD 302 or R PUB 302, A SOC 344 or A WSS 344, A SOC 350, A WSS 360, R PAD 330 or R PUB 330, R POS 320, R POS 321 or R PUB 321, R POS 325 or R PUB 325, R POS 328 or R PUB 328, R POS 339, R POS 365, R POS 410Z or R PUB 410Z, R POS 438Z.
Local Government
18 credits chosen from: required courses RPOS 321 or R PUB 321 and R POS 325 or R PUB 325; 4 additional courses selected from A EAC 350 or A GOG 350, A ECO 341 or A SOC 341, A ECO 355, A ECO 475, A GLO 225 or A GOG 225, A GOG 125, A GOG 220, A GOG 430 or A PLN 430, A PLN 220, A PLN 320, A PLN 432, A PLN 443, A SOC 342, A SOC 373, B ACC 211, B ACC 222, R CRJ 411, R PAD 302 or R PUB 302.
Urban Issues
18 credits chosen from: A AAS 333, A EAS 321Y or A GOG 321Y or A LCS 321Y, A ECO 341 or A SOC 371, A ECO 355, A ECO 356, A GLO 225 or A GOG 225, A GOG 102, A GOG 125, A GOG 220, A HIS 317, A PLN 220, A SOC 115 or R POS 101, A SOC 180, A SOC 373, A SOC 375, R POS 321 or R PUB 321, R POS 323, R POS 424.
Economics
18 credits chosen from: A ECO 300, A ECO 301, A ECO 330, A ECO 341 or A SOC 341, A ECO 350, A ECO 355, A ECO 356, A ECO 360, A ECO 370, A ECO 455.
Women, Gender, & Policy
18 credits chosen from: A AAS 240 or A LCS 240 or A WSS 240, A AAS 440 or A HIS 440 or A WSS 440, A HIS 259 or A WSS 260, A SOC 115, A SOC 262 or A WSS 262, A SOC 344 or A WSS 344, A WSS 220, A WSS 333 or R POS 333, A WSS 360, A WSS 433 or R POS 433, A WSS 346 or R POS 346.
International
18 credits chosen from: A AAS 150, A EAC 373 or R POS 373, A ECO 360, A ECO 361 or A LCS 361, A HIS 140 or A LCS 100 or A LCS 102 or A LCS 150, A HIS 451 or A LCS 451 or A WSS 451, A JST 359 or R POS 359, A LCS 357 or R POS 357, A LCS 360, A WSS 330, R POS 102 or T POS 102, R POS 351, R POS 370, R POS 371, R POS 375, R POS 383, R POS 395 or R PUB 395, R POS 398 or R PUB 398, R POS 473Z.
Environment and Society
18 credits chosen from: A ANT 119, A ATM 100 or A ATM 101 or A ATM 102, A ATM 107, A ATM 300Z, A ATM 301, A ATM 304, A ATM 307 or A CHM 307, A ATM 414, A BIO 230, A BIO 311 or A GOG 310 or U UNI 310, A BIO 319, A BIO 320, A ENV 100 or A GEO 100, A ENV 250 or A GEO 250, A GOG 101, A PHY 202.
Education Policy
18 credits chosen from: A AAS 220, A AAS 240 or A LCS 240 or A WSS 240, A ECO 341 or A SOC 341, A ECO 380, A SOC 180, E APS 400, E APS 470, E EST 300, E EST 301, E PSY 441, R CRJ 308.
Student-Defined Concentration
With the agreement of the Director of the Undergraduate Public Policy and Management Program, a student may create a concentration that combines a set of existing policy-related subjects to establish a coherent program of study in a defined area of public policy to form a concentration composed of 18 credits.
Other courses, in addition to those specified in the approved lists, may be used in specific concentration areas with the permission of the Program Director.
Honors Program in Public Policy and Management
The Honors Program in Public Policy and Management combines recognition of general academic excellence with demonstrated achievement in a specific area of public policy.
Administration
The Director of the Undergraduate Public Policy and Management Program administers the Honors Program, advises students, and helps students in selecting thesis advisers. The thesis is discussed in a forum involving the adviser, the Honors Director, and other faculty members selected by the student and the adviser upon its completion in the senior year.
Selection and Evaluation
Student must have declared Public Policy and Management as a major and have completed at least 12 credits of course work in the major. Student must have an overall grade point average not lower than 3.25, and a grade point average of 3.50 in the core subjects in public policy and management for admission to the Honors Program. Student may apply to the Honors Program during their sophomore year or during the first semester of their junior year.
Upon satisfactory completion of the honors curriculum and of courses required of all majors, students will be recommended by the Director of Public Policy and Management to graduate with honors in Public Policy and Management. Students must maintain at least the same grade point average overall and the same average in the major as were required for admission to the Honors Program to graduate with honors.
Requirements
Thesis: each student must complete a 25 to 30 page honors thesis. This paper should involve original research on a topic related to public policy. It should have a clearly defined thesis statement, a review of the existing literature on the chosen topic, original evidence offered to support the thesis, consideration of alternative rival hypothesis, and a conclusion of the consequence for public policy research of these findings. The paper is to be created in conjunction with a faculty mentor approved by the Director of Public Policy (and the paper may be co-authored with the chosen faculty mentor). The paper is to be submitted to the Director of the Undergraduate Public Policy and Management Program.
Three 4-credit honors versions of existing 300 level courses: (R PAD 300-level + 1 credit R PUB 300-level or R PAD 300-level + 1 credit R PUB 300). In addition to attending classes and doing the same assignments as the other students in the course, they will earn the additional 4th credit through a tutorial with the faculty member teaching the course that will include extra reading and writing assignments.
R PUB 494 Honors Research: (at least 3 credits and taken in the fall of the senior year or the spring of the junior year) to engage in research with a faculty member designated by student and approved by the Director of Undergraduate Public Policy Program in order to generate the research necessary to complete their honors thesis.
R PUB 495 Honors Seminar: a 3-credit class that highlights the dominant intellectual arguments occurring currently in the area of public policy research.
R PUB 496 Honors Thesis: a 3-credit class designed to facilitate students in constructing their honors thesis into the appropriate format.
Honors Program B.A.: The Honors Program in Public Policy and Management is a combined major and minor program requiring a minimum of 63 credits as follows:
Required courses (39 credits): R PUB 140, A ECO 110, A ECO 111, R PAD 204, R PUB 300 Honors Credit (on 3 separate occasions), R PAD 303, R PUB 316, R PAD 329, R PUB 340, R PUB 397, R PUB 494, R PUB 495, R PUB 496.
Plus two elective courses (6 credits) must be selected from the following courses or other courses approved by the Program Director : R PAD 236, R PAD 302, R PUB 303/R PAD 304, R PAD 307, R PUB 321, R PAD 324, R PUB 325, R PUB 328, R PUB 330, R PUB 399, R PAD 414/R PUB 414, R PAD 424, R PAD 435, R PAD 436.
Approved Concentration (18 credits): In addition to the 36 credits of core courses, each public policy major shall take 18 credits (of which at least 9 credits must be at or above the 300 level) in one of the department's nine concentrations, as specified above. No course may count toward both the concentration and as an elective course. The student-defined concentration must be approved by the Director of the Public Policy and Management Program.
Combined B.A./M.P.A. Program
The combined B.A./M.P.A. program provides an opportunity for students of recognized academic ability and educational maturity to fulfill integrated requirements of the undergraduate Public Policy Program and the Master’s Degree in Public Administration from the beginning of the junior year. The program permits a student to earn the B.A. and the graduate degree within 11 semesters.
The combined program requires a minimum of 156 credits, of which at least 48 must be graduate credits. In qualifying for the B.A., students must meet all University and school requirements, including the requirements of the major described previously, the minimum 90 credit liberal arts and sciences requirement, general education requirements, and residency requirements. In qualifying for the M.P.A., students must meet all University and school requirements as outlined in the Graduate Bulletin, including completion of approximately 48 graduate credits and any other conditions such as a professional experience requirement. Up to 12 graduate credits may be applied simultaneously to both the B.A. and M.P.A. programs.
Students may apply to the combined degree program at the beginning of their junior year or after the successful completion of 56 credits, but no later than the accumulation of 100 credits. A cumulative grade point average of 3.20 or higher and three letters of recommendation from faculty are required for consideration. Evidence of ability in quantitative coursework, particularly in statistics and economics, is required for admission to the B.A./M.P.A program.
