{"id":42,"date":"2020-09-21T22:57:24","date_gmt":"2020-09-21T22:57:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nau.edu\/mpa\/?page_id=42"},"modified":"2024-06-27T16:23:53","modified_gmt":"2024-06-27T16:23:53","slug":"core-courses","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/mpa\/core-courses\/","title":{"rendered":"Core Courses"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1>Master of Public Administration Core Courses<\/h1>\n<h2>Providing tools for success<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Through the comprehensive curriculum of Northern Arizona University\u2019s MPA program, you will receive a deep understanding of public service values and what it takes to be a successful public leader. Our core courses cover topics from the ethics of public policy to organizational behavior to policy analysis and equip you with the necessary tools to succeed as you move forward in your career. Our dedicated NAU faculty have research and applied experience.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>The culmination of our program is the portfolio project and exit interview, POS 596, where you demonstrate your mastery of course materials.<\/p>\n<!-- shortcode-accordion -->\n<div class=\"shortcode-accordion shortcode-accordion--closed\" style=\"position: relative;\" >\n        <h4 class=\"shortcode-accordion__header\">\n        <button type=\"button\" class=\"shortcode-accordion__trigger\" data-header=\"POS 501 Research Methods_0\" id=\"shortcode-accordion-1-trigger\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"shortcode-accordion-1-panel\">\n            POS 501 Research Methods\n            <span class=\"shortcode-accordion__header__arrow\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span>\n        <\/button>\n    <\/h4>\n    <div class=\"shortcode-accordion__body\" id=\"shortcode-accordion-1-panel\" role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"shortcode-accordion-1-trigger\" inert>\n        <!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\">\n<html><body>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/catalog.nau.edu\/Courses\/course?courseId=010039&amp;term=1214\">POS 501<\/a>&nbsp;Research Methods<\/p>\n<p>This course is designed to introduce you to scientific thinking and the main components of research design and analysis. The course is intended to prepare you for public and private sector work related to both qualitative and quantitative data analysis, and provide a foundation before you begin work on capstone projects.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<!-- shortcode-accordion -->\n<div class=\"shortcode-accordion shortcode-accordion--closed\" style=\"position: relative;\" >\n        <h4 class=\"shortcode-accordion__header\">\n        <button type=\"button\" class=\"shortcode-accordion__trigger\" data-header=\"POS 527 Ethics of Public Administration and Management_0\" id=\"shortcode-accordion-2-trigger\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"shortcode-accordion-2-panel\">\n            POS 527 Ethics of Public Administration and Management\n            <span class=\"shortcode-accordion__header__arrow\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span>\n        <\/button>\n    <\/h4>\n    <div class=\"shortcode-accordion__body\" id=\"shortcode-accordion-2-panel\" role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"shortcode-accordion-2-trigger\" inert>\n        <!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\">\n<html><body>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/catalog.nau.edu\/Courses\/course?courseId=010042&amp;term=1214\">POS 527<\/a> Ethics of Public Administration and Management<br>\nDuring this course, you will examine alternative approaches to ethics in the context of public administration and management, and at the level of individuals, organizations, society, culture, and politics. In addition to examining the theory and history of public service ethics and values, you will also use case studies and other class assignments to apply theory to practical situations.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<!-- shortcode-accordion -->\n<div class=\"shortcode-accordion shortcode-accordion--closed\" style=\"position: relative;\" >\n        <h4 class=\"shortcode-accordion__header\">\n        <button type=\"button\" class=\"shortcode-accordion__trigger\" data-header=\"POS 541 Public Administration_0\" id=\"shortcode-accordion-3-trigger\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"shortcode-accordion-3-panel\">\n            POS 541 Public Administration\n            <span class=\"shortcode-accordion__header__arrow\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span>\n        <\/button>\n    <\/h4>\n    <div class=\"shortcode-accordion__body\" id=\"shortcode-accordion-3-panel\" role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"shortcode-accordion-3-trigger\" inert>\n        <!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\">\n<html><body>\n<p>Public Management (<a href=\"https:\/\/catalog.nau.edu\/Courses\/course?courseId=006900&amp;term=1214\">POS 541<\/a>) is a graduate-level introduction to, and overview of, the theory and practice of public administration.&nbsp; As such, the class has two primary aims.&nbsp;The first is to provide you with an understanding of the historical and theoretical development of the field of public administration in the United States.&nbsp;In the pursuit of this aim, we will examine the major ideas, controversies, and historical events that have shaped the field.&nbsp;Secondly, you will be introduced to the important areas of specialization within public administration, including human resources, budgeting, public policy, and administrative ethics.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<!-- shortcode-accordion -->\n<div class=\"shortcode-accordion shortcode-accordion--closed\" style=\"position: relative;\" >\n        <h4 class=\"shortcode-accordion__header\">\n        <button type=\"button\" class=\"shortcode-accordion__trigger\" data-header=\"POS 543 Organizational Management_0\" id=\"shortcode-accordion-4-trigger\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"shortcode-accordion-4-panel\">\n            POS 543 Organizational Management\n            <span class=\"shortcode-accordion__header__arrow\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span>\n        <\/button>\n    <\/h4>\n    <div class=\"shortcode-accordion__body\" id=\"shortcode-accordion-4-panel\" role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"shortcode-accordion-4-trigger\" inert>\n        <!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\">\n<html><body>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/catalog.nau.edu\/Courses\/course?courseId=006901&amp;term=1214\">POS 543<\/a> provides you with an in-depth study of organizations and organizational management processes. You will become familiar with alternative frameworks for understanding organizations and notice that organizations have been studied from the perspective of several social science disciplines, including economics, psychology, and sociology.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<!-- shortcode-accordion -->\n<div class=\"shortcode-accordion shortcode-accordion--closed\" style=\"position: relative;\" >\n        <h4 class=\"shortcode-accordion__header\">\n        <button type=\"button\" class=\"shortcode-accordion__trigger\" data-header=\"POS 571 Policy Analysis_0\" id=\"shortcode-accordion-5-trigger\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"shortcode-accordion-5-panel\">\n            POS 571 Policy Analysis\n            <span class=\"shortcode-accordion__header__arrow\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span>\n        <\/button>\n    <\/h4>\n    <div class=\"shortcode-accordion__body\" id=\"shortcode-accordion-5-panel\" role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"shortcode-accordion-5-trigger\" inert>\n        <!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\">\n<html><body>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/catalog.nau.edu\/Courses\/course?courseId=012306&amp;term=1214\">POS 571<\/a>: How do elected officials and public administrators choose between policy options? Once a policy option has been selected and implemented, how do we know whether it has &ldquo;worked&rdquo; or not? These two big questions are crucial for the considerable democratic task of holding leaders accountable to the polity and promoting effective policy change.<\/p>\n<p>No one wants to make uninformed decisions or to find out later that a choice they made had dramatic unintended consequences. Your skill as a policy analyst will make you a valuable employee to decision-makers, and, now or in the future, a better policy decision-maker yourself.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<!-- shortcode-accordion -->\n<div class=\"shortcode-accordion shortcode-accordion--closed\" style=\"position: relative;\" >\n        <h4 class=\"shortcode-accordion__header\">\n        <button type=\"button\" class=\"shortcode-accordion__trigger\" data-header=\"POS 542 Human Resource Administration_0\" id=\"shortcode-accordion-6-trigger\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"shortcode-accordion-6-panel\">\n            POS 542 Human Resource Administration\n            <span class=\"shortcode-accordion__header__arrow\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span>\n        <\/button>\n    <\/h4>\n    <div class=\"shortcode-accordion__body\" id=\"shortcode-accordion-6-panel\" role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"shortcode-accordion-6-trigger\" inert>\n        <!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\">\n<html><body>\n<p>POS 542 provides you an in-depth analysis of the administration of human resources in public and not-for-profit organizations. You will also study personnel processes from recruitment to retirement and administration of human resources for increased efficiency and effectiveness in public sector output. The primary purpose is to understand the current context and practice of human resource administration (HRA) in the public sector.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<!-- shortcode-accordion -->\n<div class=\"shortcode-accordion shortcode-accordion--closed\" style=\"position: relative;\" >\n        <h4 class=\"shortcode-accordion__header\">\n        <button type=\"button\" class=\"shortcode-accordion__trigger\" data-header=\"POS 544 Government Budgeting_0\" id=\"shortcode-accordion-7-trigger\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"shortcode-accordion-7-panel\">\n            POS 544 Government Budgeting\n            <span class=\"shortcode-accordion__header__arrow\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span>\n        <\/button>\n    <\/h4>\n    <div class=\"shortcode-accordion__body\" id=\"shortcode-accordion-7-panel\" role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"shortcode-accordion-7-trigger\" inert>\n        <!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\">\n<html><body>\n<p>POS 544 is a course on governmental budgeting. During this course you will explore topics relevant to the budgeting process in the United States including theories of management and organization demonstrated through budgeting principles as they apply to public and the non-profit sector, legal requirements that confront public managers in the context of budgeting, ethical dilemmas that can confront those making and reviewing budgets, and constitutional and other legal issues involved in budgeting. You will examine how governments collect and spend revenues, and the important policy considerations involved in financing state, local and federal governments.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<!-- shortcode-accordion -->\n<div class=\"shortcode-accordion shortcode-accordion--closed\" style=\"position: relative;\" >\n        <h4 class=\"shortcode-accordion__header\">\n        <button type=\"button\" class=\"shortcode-accordion__trigger\" data-header=\"POS 596 Portfolio and Exit Interview_0\" id=\"shortcode-accordion-8-trigger\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"shortcode-accordion-8-panel\">\n            POS 596 Portfolio and Exit Interview\n            <span class=\"shortcode-accordion__header__arrow\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span>\n        <\/button>\n    <\/h4>\n    <div class=\"shortcode-accordion__body\" id=\"shortcode-accordion-8-panel\" role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"shortcode-accordion-8-trigger\" inert>\n        <!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\">\n<html><body>\n<p>POS 596: The semester you graduate, you enroll in POS 596. This course is designed for students to write a portfolio and complete an exit conversation. Students meet a few times throughout the semester (remotely), as a group to complete work on time. Work with the MPA Director on registration and details.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<!-- shortcode-accordion -->\n<div class=\"shortcode-accordion shortcode-accordion--closed\" style=\"position: relative;\" >\n        <h4 class=\"shortcode-accordion__header\">\n        <button type=\"button\" class=\"shortcode-accordion__trigger\" data-header=\"MPA Elective Offerings_0\" id=\"shortcode-accordion-9-trigger\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"shortcode-accordion-9-panel\">\n            MPA Elective Offerings\n            <span class=\"shortcode-accordion__header__arrow\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span>\n        <\/button>\n    <\/h4>\n    <div class=\"shortcode-accordion__body\" id=\"shortcode-accordion-9-panel\" role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"shortcode-accordion-9-trigger\" inert>\n        <!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\">\n<html><body>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">POS 528, Democracy &amp; Public Administration&nbsp;<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">POS 530, Managing State &amp; Local Government<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">POS 531, Intro to Nonprofit Orgs<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">POS 532, Data Visualization&nbsp;<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">POS 534, Performance Measurement<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">POS 535, Regulatory Process<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">POS 536, Women, Policy, and PA<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">POS 537, Public Policy Ethics<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">POS 538, Comparative Public Administration<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">POS 539, Homeland Security<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">POS 585, Public Service Leadership<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/body><\/html>\n\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<!-- shortcode-right-column -->\n<div class=\"shortcode-right-column\" >\n    <div class=\"shortcode-right-column__container\">\n<!-- shortcode-contact -->\n<div class=\"shortcode-contact\">\n    <div class=\"contact-header\">\n        <h3>Advising<\/h3>\n    <\/div>\n    <div class=\"contact-body\">\n                <a href=\"mailto:Sara Rinfret\" aria-label=\"Advising: Email Address\" title=\"Email Address\">\n            <div class=\"contact-icon-container\">\n                <i class=\"fas fa-envelope\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>\n                <span class=\"sr-only\">Email:<\/span>\n            <\/div>\n            <div class=\"contact-email\">Sara Rinfret<\/div>\n        <\/a>\n                    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a class=\"shortcode-button\" href=\"https:\/\/legacy.nau.edu\/request-information\/\">Request information<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a class=\"shortcode-button\" href=\"https:\/\/legacy.nau.edu\/apply-now\/\">Apply now<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Master of Public Administration Core Courses Providing tools for success Through the comprehensive curriculum of Northern Arizona University\u2019s MPA program, you will receive a deep understanding of public service values and what it takes to be a successful public leader. Our core courses cover topics from the ethics of public policy to organizational behavior to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"ring_central_script_selection":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-42","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/mpa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/42","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/mpa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/mpa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/mpa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/84"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/mpa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/mpa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/42\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":724,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/mpa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/42\/revisions\/724"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/mpa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}