Public Administration (CSPP)
https://carsey.unh.edu/master-public-administration
Degree offered: M.P.A.
The Carsey School of Public Policy’s public service graduate degrees offer a unique combination of academic rigor and real-life expertise to prepare you for a career with impact.
The online Public Administration master's degree (MPA) will provide you with a practical set of skills and the theoretical foundation needed to be a successful, publicly minded professional. The encompassing MPA curriculum includes courses that bring together concepts from public policy, management, politics and law, providing you with a well-rounded understanding of what it means to run an organization in the public and nonprofit sectors. Public administration is where we see public policy affecting citizens on a personal level, and where public officials fulfill the promise of democracy.
Ideal for working professionals and new graduates, our online MPA program will enable you to achieve your full potential, effect change within your organization, and prepare for the next step in your career. You'll engage in hands-on opportunities during which you'll apply knowledge and skills developed in the program to real issues within your community. Professionals with five or more years of relevant work experience can complete the online Executive MPA option in one year. Grow your network of public service professionals throughout the program and after graduation. Core academic courses for the MPA program are offered entirely online with choices for taking optional elective courses in person on the UNH campuses.
Public Administration (PA)
PA 800 - Foundations and Theories of Public Administration
Credits: 3
Introduction to essential aspects of public and non-profit administration. Critical concepts and theoretical bases; operational nature of public and non-profit administration; contributions of key scholars and practitioners to the study and understanding of public and non-profit administration.
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
PA #801 - Courts and Public Policy
Credits: 3
Impact of judicial decisions on public policy and influences on judicial decision making at the federal, state, and local levels. Also listed as POLT 801.
Equivalent(s): POLT 801
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
PA 802 - Grant-writing for Public and Non-profit Sectors
Credits: 3
This class provides students with a comprehensive overview of the process for writing proposals for grant funding. Students will learn to research funding opportunities and write the various sections of a funding proposal. Students will learn the differences in seeking grants from foundation, corporate, and government funders will be explored. In addition to individual projects, the class will work as a group to research, write, and submit a funding proposal for a nonprofit or municipal government program.
Equivalent(s): POLT 802
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
PA #803 - Performance Management in Public and Non-Profit Organizations
Credits: 3
This course will explore a major aspect of public management, an advanced management tool that can help managers gain efficiencies and increase accountability. Theoretical foundations and practical applications of performance measurement and management techniques will examine how managers, government and non-profit, might utilize performance measurement to make budgetary decisions and improve organizational performance.
Equivalent(s): POLT 803
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
PA 804 - Policy and Program Evaluation
Credits: 3
Policy and program evaluation of federal, state, and local governmental enterprise; focuses on the politics, practices, and methods of evaluative investigation. Evaluation as a technique for providing rational information for budgetary and policy-making decisions.
Equivalent(s): POLT 804
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
PA 805 - Introduction to Statistical Analysis
Credits: 3
Quantitative research, design and analysis methodology, and techniques for political science and public policy and administration.
Equivalent(s): PA 905
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
PA #806 - State and Local Government
Credits: 3
Advanced study of powers, politics, political cultures, and constitutional settings of American state and local government. Also listed as POLT 806.
Equivalent(s): POLT 806
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
PA #807 - Federalism and Intergovernmental Relations
Credits: 3
This course will familiarize students with federalism and intergovernmental relations including conceptual/historical foundations, theoretical approaches, policy networks, and contemporary issues and challenges. Historic and current issues in federalism, political and policy challenges facing the three levels of government, and government's efforts to be responsive to citizens' needs and demands will be examined. By the end of the course, students will have developed solid comprehension of how intergovernmental relations impact policy decision making and delivery in the public and non-profit sectors. Also listed as POLT 807.
Equivalent(s): POLT 807
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
PA 808 - Administrative Law
Credits: 3
Examines the legal rules governing regulatory agencies, in the US. Topics include regulatory adjudication and rulemaking, legislative and executive control over administrative agencies, judicial review and public participation. Course examines federal and state levels of government.
Equivalent(s): POLT 808
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
PA 809 - Organization and Management in Public and Non-profit Sectors
Credits: 3
Introduction to key actors, theories, and concepts in the fields of organizational theory and behavior.
Equivalent(s): PA 909
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
PA 812 - Leadership Theory and Practice
Credits: 3
Exploration of the major theoretical approaches to leadership, including students' and others' leadership skills, styles, roles, and practices. Students will refine their own conceptual and practical approaches to leadership in a variety of settings.
Equivalent(s): POLT 812
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
PA 813 - Human Resource Management in Public and Non-profit Sectors
Credits: 3
Examination of the administration, politics, and strategies of effective public human resource management.
Equivalent(s): PA 912
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
PA 814 - Financial Management and Budgeting in the Public Sector
Credits: 3
Analysis, goal setting, and strategic planning in a governmental setting, with particular emphasis on budgetary processes as a means for controlling policy effectiveness.
Equivalent(s): PA 914
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
PA #815 - Art of Negotiation
Credits: 3
Identification, analysis, evaluation and application of effective communication and negotiation skills. Course will include case studies and simulation/role-playing exercises.
Equivalent(s): POLT 815
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
PA 816 - Public Management Techniques
Credits: 3
Introduction to analytic decision-making and planning techniques applicable to public sector management.
Equivalent(s): PA 911
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
PA #817 - Legal and Policy-Making Environment on Public and Non-Profit Sectors
Credits: 3
Through the use of case studies, analysis and assessment of legal, institutional, social, political and economic settings within public and non-profit sectors.
Equivalent(s): PA 907
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
PA 818 - Non-Profit Management
Credits: 3
Introduction to governance and management in the non-profit sector: finance, development, personnel management, strategic planning, and risk management.
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
PA 819 - Managing Conflict and Change in Nonprofit and Public Organizations
Credits: 3
Change and conflict are inherent in any organization or community and affect personal and group dynamics and effectiveness. This course will explore the sources of conflict through the lenses of the individual, organizations/teams, and communities. We’ll look at the influences of power and cultural shifts; changes in resources, organizational structure and leadership, and changes in demographics and group composition, and stakeholder expectations.
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
PA 820 - Strategic Communications for Public and Non-profit Sectors
Credits: 3
Effective communication reflects the organization’s vision, mission, and values and advances organizational objectives. Effective communication reflects a clear understanding of internal and external stakeholders’ needs, motivators and interests. The course will explore the elements of communication and effective strategies and tools used in the public and nonprofit sectors to engage, educate, and inform constituents and stakeholders. The result is improved constituent relations, strengthened collaborative relationships, and improved organizational and crisis management.
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
PA 821 - Effective Change Management in Nonprofit and Public Organizations
Credits: 3
This course explores the growing complexity within nonprofit and public sector organizations and the need for today's leaders to successfully lead their organization in meeting changing demands. Theory and practice related to change and change management are pursued from a scholar practitioner perspective. Leadership practice as well as the phenomenon of organizational culture provide a lens for pursing efficacy in change management. Students are provided with an opportunity to apply course material to their professional practice as well as explore skills that will assist them in their future endeavors.
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
PA 897F - Seminar in Public Administration
Credits: 3
Advanced analysis and individual research, including opportunities for direct observation of governmental administration.
Equivalent(s): PA 898F, POLT 897F
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
PA 898F - Seminar in Public Administration
Credits: 3
Advanced analysis and individual research, including opportunities for direct observation of governmental administration.
Equivalent(s): PA 897F, POLT #898F
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
PA 908A - Capstone in Public Administration
Credits: 3
Capstone in Public Administration; In-Service.
Equivalent(s): POLT 908A
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
PA #908B - Capstone in Public Administration
Credits: 6
Capstone in Public Administration; Pre-Service.
Equivalent(s): POLT 908B
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
PA #995 - Independent Study
Credits: 1-3
A) American Politics; B) Comparative Politics; C) International Politics; D) Political Thought; E) Public Administration; F) Public Policy. The graduate student engages in independent study under the direction of one of the faculty members of the department.
Equivalent(s): POLT 995
Grade Mode: Letter Grading