The core curriculum consists of five clusters, each of which addresses important elements of public administration knowledge and skills. The clusters are: foundations of public administration, analytics, management, finance, and capstone.
Core Curriculum Cluster One - Foundations
The foundations cluster consists of four courses providing the contexts of public administration decision making. This set of courses provides all students with the scope and impacts of public administration both intellectually and practically. Four courses are required.
20:834:501 Introduction to Public Administration (3)
20:834:515 Administrative Morality (3)
20:834:521 Technology and Public Administration (3)
20:834:541 Political Economy and Public Administration (3)
Core Curriculum Cluster Two - Analysis
The analysis cluster provides students with the tools to be effective consumers of research, including the knowledge to understand and evaluate research presented to them in classes and in their careers. Students take two courses.
20:834:561 Analytical Methods (3) (all students)
20:834:562 Research Design (3)
Core Curriculum Cluster Three - Management
The management cluster addresses two fundamental aspects of management: the organizations in which goal-directed actions occur and the human capital by which goals are achieved. All students take Public Organizations and students select the human resources course relevant to their focus (public, nonprofit, or health). Students take two courses.
20:834:522 Public Organizations (3) (all students)
and (select one):
20:834:523 Human Resources Administration (3) (all M.P.A. students except as noted in option below)
20:834:577 Human Resource Management for Nonprofits (3) (Nonprofit certificate or M.P.A. nonprofit students)
Core Curriculum Cluster Four - Budgeting and Finance
The finance cluster gives all M.P.A. students a foundation in the role of money in organizations, particularly budgeting. The assumption is that effective management requires understanding of financial management. One course is required.
Select one:
20:834:542 Public Budgeting Systems (3)
20:834:571 Nonprofit Budgeting (3)
Core Curriculum Cluster Five - Capstone
The applied concepts cluster provides students with the opportunity to apply concepts they have learned in the program. In the capstone, students complete a project under the guidance of a faculty member. The project examines a real-world issue or problem using knowledge gained in core courses. The 3-credit capstone course involves project design, data collection and analysis, report preparation, and presentation.
20:834:563 Capstone (3)
