NEW PUA course listings:

Public Administration Courses:

PUA 241
Survey of Public Administration

(Satisfies U.S. Constitution requirement.) Survey of the role
of executive agencies in governmental processes. Focuses
on bureaucratic procedures for planning, budgeting, utilizing
personnel, communicating, and decision making. 3 credits.

PUA 250
Local Government Administration

American local governments have changed tremendously over the years. Constantly evolving and always colorful, they provide an opportune research setting. This course provides an in-depth study of the political processes and administrative procedures used in local governments. Comparative analysis of relevant actors and strategies across communities is incorporated. 3 credits.

PUA 404
Risk Assessment and Risk Management

General approaches to solving environmental
risk problems. Students develop a “toolbox” of basic risk analysis
and management methods, as well as the appropriate role of
these methods in effective public and private decision making.
Introduces risk analysis methods and explores policy implications
of those methods. 3 credits.

PUA 405
Public Organizations

Public sector organization and performance. Attention given to
internal characteristics and dynamics and external public sector
relations. Prerequisite: PUA 241. 3 credits.

PUA 410
Research Methods for Public Administration

Emphasizes research tools for monitoring public sector
administrative programs and program impacts. Gives attention
to the special applications of data collection and analysis when
data is collected from public sector agencies and governmental
sources or consists of program measurements in order to monitor
agency activity and program impacts. Prerequisite: Junior
standing. 3 credits.

PUA 420
Public Personnel Administration

Examines the personnel function in government. Unique aspects
of labor practices and labor relations in the public sector treated,
along with state and federal regulations guiding the public
employer. Impact of the political context upon civil service and
merit system considered. Prerequisite: PUA 241. 3 credits.

PUA 421
Computer Technology in Government

Introduces computer-based information systems from the
perspective of public sector applications in a non-technical
manner. Presents the history of computing and studies the
advent of applications for the public sector including financial
reporting, public safety, knowledge-support systems, and
geographic information systems. Web-based applications
explored. Prerequisite: PUA 241. 3 credits.

PUA 422
Leadership of Public Bureaucracies

This course provides an overview of different perspectives and theories of leadership and discusses a new model of leadership for the public sector. Focus is given to leadership functions in response to the current challenges facing bureaucracies. 3 credits.

PUA 423
Ethics in Public Administration

An exploration of ethical issues facing publ;ic administrators.  The course examines philosophical foundations of ethics as well as contemporary case studies of ethical problems such as gift giving, nepotism, privacy and secrecy, whistleblowing activity and protections. Attention is given to codes of ethics and training for administrators.3 credits

PUA 425
Public Budgeting and Finance

Study of the budgeting process and politics of budgeting in
executive agencies, with special attention to the policy-making
phase of the budget cycle. Agency interactions with the legislative
branch and the chief executive also considered. Analysis of
alternative revenue sources and the role of government in the
economy. Prerequisite: PUA 241. 3 credits.

PUA 440
Intergovernmental Relations

Intergovernmental Relations offers an overview of the American federal system-the complex system of thousands of governments through which public policy is developed and implemented-as well as the implications of that system for the perennial and pressing issues of the present and the future.3 credits

PUA 450
Policy for Public Administrators

This course examines the policy making process in terms of its governmental structure and formal and informal actors.  Different theoretical perspectives concerning policy making are explored.3 credits.

PUA 480
Emergency Management

PUA 490
Seminar in Public Administration

Synthesis of administrative concepts through an examination
of selected topics and case studies. Students prepare research
projects for analysis by the seminar group. Prerequisite: Junior
or senior standing. 3 credits.

PUA 498
Independent Study

Students work with a member of the public administration faculty
on an area of concern to public administration and prepare a
research paper. Prerequisite: Six credits in PUA. 3 credits.