Upon completion of the Master of Public Administration Degree program, students should be able to:
• Demonstrate thorough understanding of the political, social, institutional, and organizational setting in which practitioners in public administrators function.
• Comprehend and apply the concepts, principles, and methods of research in public administration to enhancing administrative functions and decision-making.
• Demonstrate thorough understanding of non-profit and government accounting requirements and ability to develop a comprehensive operating budget with multiple funding streams and varied contract periods and terms.
• Develop research design using scientific investigation and systematic inquiry in an area of public administration or public policy College of Business development or implementation.
• Gain comprehensive understanding of all aspects of strategic human resource management.
In addition to the above objectives, students completing the Non-profit Administration specialization should be able to:
• Gain a thorough understanding of the status of non-profit organizations in the United States, their legal and governance framework, and their general role in the area of public services.
• Demonstrate an understanding of the roles of volunteers, their recruitment, training, and retention.
• Articulate the key challenges facing non-profit organizations in the areas of fundraising, marketing and public relations and the trends in private non-profit and private for-profit collaborations.
• Demonstrate an understanding of the grants process including locating potential funding sources (from foundations, corporations, and through government grants and contracts), evaluating Requests for Proposals (RFPs), developing all components of a grant application and of subsequent administrative, financial, and programmatic contract management.
• Demonstrate ability to conduct administrative, financial, and programmatic evaluations of non-profit organizations and government programs.
In addition to the above objectives, students completing the Public Policy specialization should be able to:
• Demonstrate ability to conduct administrative, financial, and programmatic evaluations of non-profit and government programs.
• Understand concepts of economics and its role in public policy making and demonstrate ability to use fundamentals in assessing policy options.
• Articulate the legislative and judicial processes involved in public policy making at the local, state, and federal levels.
• Demonstrate understanding of theories and ability to apply techniques of policy analysis to public policy making and to public sector and non-profit services and programs.