Graduate Courses

26:834:601 Study of Public Organizations (3) Topics include organization theory; organizational behavior; decision-making; organizational structure and culture; work attitudes and motivation; networking and collaboration.

26:834:603 Governance and Politics (3) Topics include bureaucratic politics, democratic theory, federalism, and public sector governance.

26:834:604 Performance Measurement and Management (3) Assessment and improvement of organizational performance in the public and nonprofit sectors. Topics include the specification of goals and objectives; the identification of outputs and outcomes; and impact analysis, including unintended consequences of public programs. Emphasis placed on the role of performance information in governance and democratic accountability.

26:834:605 Public Budgeting and Finance (3) Focuses on theoretical issues in public budgeting and public finance. Covers the central issues and questions in the areas of public budgeting and public finance and the place of this field of study within the larger context of public administration. Thus enabling the student to incorporate public budgeting and finance concepts into their research agenda. Addresses the macro and micro aspects of budgeting and finance from both the normative and descriptive views in the fields of public management, political science, and economics.

26:834:607 Quantitative Methods I (3) Covers the design, production, and analysis of quantitative data for research in public affairs and administration. Reviews quantitative theory and models, measurement, sampling, and the logic of causal inference. The course will focus attention in particular on multiple regression as a tool for data analysis as well as a framework for answering substantive, causal questions. It will also introduce students to some additional multivariate methods, such as reliability analysis, factor analysis, path analysis, and the basics of structural equation modeling. Emphasis will be on the use of statistical software and the interpretation of results, with applications to substantive research questions.

26:834:608 Quantitative Methods II (3) Covers various advanced, multivariate statistical techniques used in public administration and policy research. Begins with regression models for limited dependent variables, i.e., models for nominal outcomes, ordered outcomes, and count outcomes, using maximum likelihood estimation techniques. The course then covers the basics of panel data analyses and multi-level data analyses. Throughout, students will be given hands-on training in the use of statistical software, the interpretation of results from real data, and the translation of results into useful summaries through tables and figures. Students are encouraged to apply the methods learned to their own datasets, including data from their ongoing projects or dissertation research. Prerequisite: 26:834:607.

26:834:609 Qualitative Methods I (3) Introduces doctoral students to the philosophy and methods of qualitative research. Examine the similarities and differences between qualitative and quantitative research design, different approaches to qualitative research, including grounded theory, analytic induction, and ethnomethodology, and how these relate to mixed methods design. Students will be introduced to qualitative methods of data collection and analysis, including interviews, observation and participant observation, ethnography, case studies, content analysis, historical and archival methods, action research, and video methods. The course will enable students to interpret, evaluate, and present qualitative data, and to design their own qualitative research proposal.

26:834:612 Experimental and Behavioral Public Administration (3) Examines the application of behavioral science theory and experimental methods to a range of substantive issues in public administration. Students will design their own experiments to probe research questions of interest.

26:834:613 Citizen Participation (3) Analyzes various approaches to understanding the role of citizen participation in public administration. Explores factors influencing citizen involvement. Examines potential benefits and dysfunctions of an active citizenry. An important focus is on the role of public administrators in creating structures and networks to encourage citizens to work with officials in policy development and implementation.

26:834:617 Intellectual History of Public Administration (3) This course examines the field of public administration through historical lenses, focusing on the periods of development from "the Orthodoxy" to New Public Management and beyond. It emphasizes the challenges that the field has faced and continues to face with respect to its paradigmatic base, scope, and methods. Each student will be required to formulate a synthesis or "paradigm" for the field of public administration.c Management and beyond. 

26:834:618 Leadership, Equity, and Diversity (3) Addresses governance from a human resources perspective, focusing on such topics as leadership and diversity in the public sector.

26:834:619 Mixed Methods (3) Examines philosophical assumptions that underlie mixed-methods research and reviews research designs that use both qualitative and quantitative data. Students will learn how to competently implement mixed-methods research designs through application-oriented exercises. 26:834:609

26:834:620 Nonprofit Organizations and Philanthropy (3) Examines the role of nonprofit organizations and philanthropy in society. Exposes students to the major issues and multidisciplinary research literature in the field of nonprofit and philanthropic studies.

26:834:665 Selected Topics in Public Administration (3) Examines selected issues and problems in public sector administration and management. Students should check with the department to determine the precise curriculum to be offered in a given semester.

26:834:690 Globalization, International Migration, and Contemporary Cities (3) Addresses the complex relationship between globalization, immigration, and urbanization. Also examines new forms of community and urban governance that have emerged in response.

26:834:698 Independent Study in Public Administration (3) Independent research on a topic related to public administration under the guidance of an adviser.

26:834:701 Dissertation Research in Public Administration (3)

26:834:811 Graduate Fellowship (BA)

26:834:877 Teaching Assistantship (BA)

26:834:899 Full Time Matriculation Continued (1)