Graduate Public Administration Courses

Graduate Courses

PAD 512 Poverty Alleviation Initiatives (B)

Poverty has vexed political, social, academic, and religious leaders the world over for centuries. Global and comprehensive, regional-level initiatives that can serve as a model for poverty alleviation will be examined. Students will explore whether or not it is realistic to ameliorate poverty without the resources and policy might of the federal government. Finally, local partnerships with New York State will be examined to understand regional strategies that attempt to combat poverty. 3 Cr. Fall.

PAD 513 Health Care in America (B)

Provides an overview of the health care system in the United States; the political, economic, and social environment of the American health care system; how health care services are organized, financed, and delivered; cost, access, and quality of problems facing the American health care system; and identification and analysis of proposals to reform the health care system. 3 Cr.

PAD 541 Foundations of Public Administration (B)

Provides MPA students with the intellectual foundation they will need for subsequent study in subfields of public administration. Emphasis is placed on the study of the ideas, value systems, theoretical frameworks, and historical events that have merged to form the field of public administration. 3 Cr.

PAD 546 Foundations of the Nonprofit Sector (B)

Defines the various meanings of "nonprofit;" differentiate and categorize the role of the nonprofit sector in the US economy vis a vis the for profit and governmental sectors; understand the environment calling for increased accountability and transparency in the nonprofit sector; and analyze and critique various proposals for reforming the nonprofit sector and making it more accountable and transparent. 3 Cr.

PAD 601 Leading Organizational Change for Public Administrators (A)

Teaches the prospective public administrator how to effectively lead an organization through a significant change effort from start to finish. Addresses important theories, concepts and tools for leading and managing change with a focus on practical application in the workplace. Uses a mixture of experimental activities, lecture and class assignments. 3 Cr. Fall.

PAD 602 Economics for Public Managers (B)

Application of basic microeconomic analysis to public policy problems. Primary goal is to learn the basic principles of economic reasoning to untangle complex policy problems encountered by policy makers, policy analysts, and administrators. Differs from traditional microeconomic courses in its emphasis on public policy applications. Designed for students with little or no background in economics. Minimum of mathematics, namely graphs and simple algebra. 3 Cr. Fall.

PAD 603 Social Policy (B)

Describes the recent trends in poverty throughout the United States, and presents social science frameworks for analyzing and evaluating the public programs available to poor and low-income American families. This includes discussion and coverage of current issues in social policy and poverty, as well as a historical context for program policy and design. We will consider the behavioral implications of transfer programs and also discuss issues in social policy implementation as it relates to bureaucracy and program administration. 3 Cr. Spring.

PAD 605 Local Government Management (B)

Introduction to local government organization and administration. Overview of local governments as organizations and the local government system, with special emphasis on New York State. Nature of local government organizations and management, working with elected governing boards, citizens, community organizations, other regional and local governments and professional peers. Overview of administrative-departmental operations and the manager's role. Introduction to services change strategies and innovation. (required course) 3 Cr. Fall.

PAD 608 Branding for Nonprofit and Public Organizations (A)

Provides students with the opportunity to learn concepts and develop skills crucial to brand development and management in a nonprofit or public organization. Students will gain an appreciation for the power of a brand to align all members of the organization in achieving its mission and provide a consistent experience for stakeholders, including customers or clients. The course will also give students practical experience working with a community organization. 3 Cr.

PAD 611 Professional Writing for Public Administrators (B)

Examines the relationship of writing, critical thinking, and managing effectively. Describes significant trends and challenges of written communication in today’s networked, digital world. Introduces tools for gaining mastery of grammar, mechanics, and style. Provides strategies for tailoring the message to the target audience, writing informational, persuasive, good news, and bad news communications. 3 Cr. Fall.

PAD 612 Negotiation & Conflict Management for Public Administrators (A)

Examines a variety of workplace and social dilemmas facing today's public manager. Objectives include helping managers learn how to effectively prepare for negotiation and conflict; enhance their power for troublesome situations; and develop appropriate negations and conflict management styles to deal with multiple parties, navigate social dilemmas, and negotiate across cultures. 3 Cr. Spring.

PAD 613 Health Care in America (B)

Provides an overview of the health care system in the United States; the political, economic, and social environment of the American health care system; how health care services are organized, financed, and delivered; cost, access, and quality of problems facing the American health care system; and identification and analysis of proposals to reform the health care system. 3 Cr. Spring.

PAD 614 Higher Education Policy (B)

Provides an overview of current topics in higher education in both public and private institutions for students considering careers in higher education. Examines the interrelated and complex relationships between the various functional areas in higher ed environments as well as shifting external pressures faced by colleges and universitites. Explores emerging and accepted best practices in creating environments conducive to student success. 3 Cr. Spring.

PAD 615 Strategic Management for Health Care Organizations (B)

Covers current challenges faced by the US Health care delivery system and how health policy, both historically and today, has sought to address these challenges. This system is compared with those of other nations to highlight its relative strengths and weaknesses. Students will examine health care concerns associated with population and public health, risk factors associated with vulnerable populations, logistics of the health care system, and the future of health care delivery in the U.S. and of health care policy. 3 Cr. Every Semester.

PAD 617 Disaster Recovery for Public Administrators (B)

Frequently, when disasters occur, the recovery phase may last weeks, months, or years following the event. Understanding recovery theory and practice at the federal, state, and local levels is essential. Students will develop an understanding of topics related to mitigation and planning, continuity of operations planning, and examine disasters that have occurred and the recovery processes related to them. 3 Cr. Fall.

PAD 619 Financial Management of Health Care Organizations (B)

Helps prospective administrators in healthcare settings understand and use financial information in the decision-making process. Assists students/prospective administrators in developing an understanding of accounting principles and develops basic skills in financial statement analysis, managing working capital, budgeting, cost finding and pricing. 3 Cr.

PAD 622 Legal Aspects of Public Administration (A)

Provides students with exposure to legal issues frequently encountered by managers of public and non-profit agencies. Provides students with insight into principles of legal analysis, and conducts an in-depth review of employment issues. Covers discrimination, informed consent issues and the regulatory powers of government agencies. 3 Cr.

PAD 623 Organizational Capacity Building Practicum (B)

Students will work in small student-led teams with a client, most likely a non-profit or government organization, working on a community impact initiative or core organizational challenge, under the supervision of the professor. Students will receive cultural competence training to enhance their understanding of diverse communities and learn effective engagement strategies for public service organizations. During the clinical practicum, students will study articles, case studies, and other texts that support the client project. Students must be available to meet with clients during regular business hours to support onsite meetings and execution of capacity building efforts, which would be estimated at 2-3 hours per week. *elective 3 Cr. Every Semester.

PAD 626 Managing Public Services (B)

Prepare students for managing local government service delivery, addressing public service problems, and leading service change or innovation. Includes an overview of local government service delivery, service cost analysis, assessing services and investigating options for change and innovation. Case examples and practitioner insights will help in understanding service delivery challenges, service innovation and solutions. *required 3 Cr. Every Semester.

PAD 629 Fundraising and Development (B)

Designed for individuals who are currently preparing for leadership roles in this area. Explores the ethics and values in professional fund raising. Also explores various forms of exchange that take place in fund raising, from individuals through corporations. Develops skills, including prospect identification, cultivation and research. 3 Cr.

PAD 637 Marketing for Public Service Organizations (A)

Presents a comprehensive overview of the theory behind nonprofit marketing and analysis of key nonprofit sectors including fundraising, the arts, education, healthcare and social ideas. Explores how marketing can be used to enhance fundraising, get the word out about a new service and increase a nonprofit's visibility in the community. Includes a review of marketing concepts and demonstrates how to ethically apply them to situations facing all types of nonprofit organizations. 3 Cr. Fall.

PAD 638 Environmental Issues in Emergency Management (A)

Students will develop a deeper understanding of environmental topics and issues that impact emergency management. Topics include environmental quality topics, roles of various Federal, State, and Local agencies in regulation and management, implications of environmental issues during emergencies, decision-making and problem-solving for environmental disasters, and relationships between government, non-government agencies, and not-for-profit organizations. 3 Cr.

PAD 639 Cyber Security for Public Administrators (B)

Today’s leaders are entrusted to protect sensitive, proprietary and personal data leveraged by their respective institutions. As such, leaders must possess a modicum of cybersecurity acumen. This course will provide leaders with an overview of cybersecurity policy and implementation of cybersecurity controls. This course is intended to serve a diverse group of individuals and organizations primarily in the public sector but also in the private sector. 3 Cr. Every Semester.

PAD 640 Financial Management for Public Administrators (A)

Must have taken prior to PAD 619. Geared to enable non-financial managers to understand financial management in government, health and not-for profit organizations. Examines financial management and how to make use of the financial information such as budgets, forecasts, strategic plans and financial statements. 3 Cr. Fall.

PAD 641 Foundations of Public Administration (B)

Provides MPA students with the intellectual foundation they will need for subsequent study in subfields of public administration. Emphasis is placed on the study of the ideas, value systems, theoretical frameworks, and historical events that have merged to form the field of public administration. 3 Cr. Summer.

PAD 643 Information Management in Public Administration (B)

Provides current and future managers with knowledge of key information technology issues faced within modern public and nonprofit organizations. Students will achieve the capability to plan, implement, and evaluate IT projects. An emphasis also is placed on the organizational and social impacts of information technology initiatives. 3 Cr. Summer.

PAD 644 Supervision Skills for Public Administrators (B)

For those now in (or preparing for) informal or formal leadership positions. Teaches supervisory skills through discussion, exercises, role plays, and the design/presentation of a training module on topics such as coaching and counseling, leading staff meetings, handling employee complaints, delegating responsibility, performance problem solving, performance appraisal interviewing, disciplinary action and the job interview. 3 Cr.

PAD 646 Foundations of the Nonprofit Sector (B)

Defines the various meanings of "nonprofit;" differentiate and categorize the role of the nonprofit sector in the US economy vis a vis the for profit and governmental sectors; understand the environment calling for increased accountability and transparency in the nonprofit sector; and analyze and critique various proposals for reforming the nonprofit sector and making it more accountable and transparent. 3 Cr. Fall.

PAD 652 Emergency Management (B)

This course is concerned with the principles of emergency management. It focuses on the practices and policies of the emergency management profession. In addition to exploring the history and evolution of the profession, the course will focus on the concepts of mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery. The student will learn about the relationships between federal, state, and local agencies in a disaster, as well as explore the social, political, and economic implications of disasters. 3 Cr.

PAD 653 Ethics in Public Administration (A)

Enables students to gain a conceptual and practical understanding of ethics and of the principal ethical theories. Teaches students to appreciate how ethics are applied to decisions and behavior in professional life, whether in the public or nonprofit sectors. Examines the relationship between being ethical and leadership and excellence in management. 3 Cr.

PAD 655 Medicare and Medicaid Policy Issues (A)

Provides a thorough overview of both the Medicare and Medicaid programs: their background and history; eligibility; covered benefits; provider reimbursement methods; program administration; financing; cost and spending patterns; their respective roles and importance in the American health-care system; and how Medicare and Medicaid both affect and are affected by current healthcare reform proposals. 3 Cr.

PAD 661 Creating an Empowered Public Organization (A)

Covers the many issues surrounding the development of empowered teams from both the leader's and team member's perspective. Includes a mix of current theories and experiential activities, with the latter to be used as the primary instruction method. Since there is no generic step-by-step plan for building an empowered organization, challenges students with applying the general theories and methodologies to their own workplace. Focuses throughout the course on the role of manager in developing empowered teams. 3 Cr.

PAD 663 The Leadership Roundtable for Public Administrators (B)

Seminar course that focuses on leadership theory and practice. Explores theories of leadership, critique examples and strategies of leadership, and examine local leadership. Students in this course will be provided with the opportunity to critique leadership styles of both themselves and others 3 Cr. Every Semester.

PAD 664 Non-Profit Advocacy and Government Relations (A)

Designed to prepare current and future nonprofit leaders with the skills and knowledge to pursue effective relationships with government and to influence public policy decision-making on behalf of mission-related goals. Course stresses advocacy, lobbying, and voter education as key strategies for educating policymakers, the media and the public. 3 Cr.

PAD 666 Computer Applications for Public Administrators (B)

An intermediate-level course designed to enhance students' skills in the computer applications used in Public Administration core courses. Applications include the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), MS Excel, PowerPoint, and the use of on-line courseware. This will be done in conjunction with readings and exercises that develop some understanding of the information technology challenges and opportunities in public service organizations. 3 Cr.

PAD 677 Topics in Health Care (B)

Students will study special topics in health care organization management, focusing on the managerial process, organizational theory, resource utilization and control, leadership theory, and human resource management. They will gain insight into how they can effectively manage their organizations, collaboratively working with external and internal actors toward better organizational performance. 1-3 Cr. Every Semester.

PAD 678 Nonprofit Management for Public Administrators (B)

Provides an understanding of nonprofit organizations: their characteristics, purpose, structure, role and the management challenges confronting them. Examines practical methods and strategies for strengthening governance and board issues; planning; fund raising; marketing; public relations; financial management; and working with volunteers. 3 Cr. Fall.

PAD 679 Grant Writing and Management (B)

Provides students with a "hands-on" experience of developing and writing competitive grant proposals for nonprofit and governmental agencies in order to increase their effectiveness in planning for, submitting, obtaining and managing grants. Enables students to: create a competitive grant proposal, identify the strengths and shortcomings of grant funding for program and agency purposes, identify sources of grant funding, and analyze the strengths and shortcomings of agency support for grant writing. 3 Cr.

PAD 680 Public Policy (A)

Introduces students to the study of public policy and the practice of policy analysis. Examines the various methods of identifying and structuring public policy problems and issues, formulating and analyzing alternative responses, recommending policy actions for decision making, and designing and evaluating implementation plans and the means to monitor and evaluate the resulting policy outcomes. Focuses attention on understanding public policy and conducting analysis in a political/administrative environment in order to develop an understanding and capacity to use systematic analytic tools and concepts to improve the quality of decision making in the public sector. 3 Cr.

PAD 681 Strategic Management for Public Organizations (A)

Presents new theories of management, strategic thinking, and the goal-oriented planning and control techniques essential for survival. Explores the dilemmas and challenges of today's managers in a dynamic economy. Provides students with concepts in four areas crucial to modern managers in the present and future such as industry analysis, competitive positioning, management of change, development of strategic thinking, visioning, leadership, long- and short-range planning and control systems. Explores management of diversity and the question of ethics in today's restructured economy. Uses interactive lecture-discussion format and case studies designed to enable students to develop team-building and communication skills. 3 Cr.

PAD 682 Organizational Behavior for Public Administrators (A)

Focuses on the interpersonal and social characteristics of organizations and the skills required to manage them. Covers topics from a behavioral perspective, including motivation, communication, leadership, group and intergroup behavior, conflict management, problem solving, ethics, diversity and other special topics. Features role plays, field interviews, films and the application of measurement instruments to complement the lecture-discussion format. Draws examples from governmental, nonprofit and business organizations. 3 Cr.

PAD 683 Intergovernmental Relations (A)

Explores tensions between national goals and state and local priorities, and the implications for subnational units of shifts in priorities and grant-in-aid instruments at the national level. 3 Cr.

PAD 684 Budget-State and Local Government (B)

Examines budgeting as a crucial management function in public and nonprofit organizations. Gives special concern to the politics, practice and analysis which surround the budgetary process. 3 Cr. Every Semester.

PAD 685 Human Resource Management for Public Administrators (A)

Covers human resource management (HRM) principles and skills useful for both the supervisor and the personnel specialist in the public, nonprofit and private sectors. Includes the role of the human resource manager, job analysis and position descriptions, selection, EEO and affirmative action, civil service, employee rights, quality of work life, compensation and benefits, performance appraisal, training and career development, labor relations and occupational safety/health. Uses team projects, class exercises, role plays, student presentations, lecture-discussion and a Human Resource Information System demonstration to assure that both the knowledge and skills of human resource management are learned. 3 Cr.

PAD 687 Statistics for Public Administrators (B)

Allows students to learn to use SPSS by reading chapters in a text specifically designed to help them gain proficiency in using the software and understanding statistical methods. Also allows students to learn to describe data, develop and test hypotheses, and examine the relationships that exist among variables. Evaluates students on short exercises from the text, a midterm and a final project. 3 Cr.

PAD 688 Research and Program Evaluation (A)

Covers methods of measuring the efficiency, effectiveness and impact of programs and services. Teaches students to design research projects, interpret research results and evaluate programs. Places subject matter in a context that the practicing administrator can apply to programmatic needs. 3 Cr.

PAD 694 Public Administration Internship Experience (B)

Provides students an opportunity to learn the practical application of theories, concepts and techniques taught in Public Administration program. Through employment in a public sector, health care, nonprofit or public safety organization, teaches students practical administrative or policy practices and how to integrate theoretical issues with those found in the workplace. 3-6 Cr. 3-6 Cr. Every Semester.

PAD 696 Portfolio Seminar (B)

For the portfolio paper, students assess 5 course competencies (below) as prescribed by the National Association of Schools of Public Administration and Affairs (NASPAA), using what they have learned in their Public Administration courses: 1. To lead and manage in public governance, 2. to participate in and contribute to the public policy process, 3. to analyze, synthesize, think critically, solve problems and make decisions, 4. to articulate and apply a public service perspective, and 5. to communicate and interact productively with a diverse and changing workforce and citizenry. 3 Cr. Every Semester.

PAD 699 Independent Study (B)

Allows students to work individually with faculty on an area of special interest. Requires students to develop the objectives and methodologies, subject to review and approval of the faculty. 1-3 Cr.