PSAA - Public Service & Admin

PSAA 205 Data and Decision‐Making in Public Service

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Examination of how data and information can improve understanding and decision-making; introduction to basic tools of decision-making and how public managers confront complex problems; opportunities to practice applying principles to real life issues and explores related ethical questions. Prerequisites: PSAA major or approval of department head.

PSAA 210 Integrated Solutions to Public Service Problems

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Introduction to public service concepts in the context of a public service problems; identification of stakeholders and constituencies; examination of key policy challenges including civil discourse, intergovernmental relations, and cybersecurity.

PSAA 272 Introduction to National Defense and Homeland Security

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Exploration of national defense and homeland security law and organizations that protect the country; examination of the public safety and emergency management roles and responsibilities at all levels of government; understanding the roles of non-governmental agencies and private sector entities as they interact with government to maintain public safety and critical infrastructure.

PSAA 301 Research Methods for Public Service

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Research methods and their application in public service; exposure to qualitative and quantitative research approaches, sampling, measurement, analysis, ethics in research, and research communication. Prerequisites: Grade of C or better in PSAA 210, and STAT 201 or equivalent; PSAA major or approval of department head; junior or senior classification.

PSAA 302 International Perspectives in Public Service

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Exploration of challenges and constraints faced in public organizations and public managers worldwide; examination of the management of nongovernmental organizations (NGO) in international settings; exploration of factors behind variations in institutional and social contexts. Prerequisites: Grade of C or better in PSAA 210; PSAA major or approval of department head; junior or senior classification.

PSAA 303 Leadership in Public Service

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. This course provides abstract theoretical and real-world practical approaches to leadership, the study of leadership and its application in the public service sector and/or other settings where leadership is required. This course studies leadership models, styles and practices highlighting the paradigm shift from the industrial age to the information age. This course focuses on the characteristics of leaders important to effective leadership outcomes, cross-cultural skills essential for effective leadership in international and culturally diverse settings, self-assessment and the development of a personal leadership vision, and the strategic skills necessary for providing vision and strategic direction of the organization. This course challenges students to reflect on personal experiences, seek out information on how to become more effective leaders and construct a leadership journey map for ongoing growth and development beyond the classroom. This course is broken into four blocks of instruction: leadership traits and principles, applied leadership, leadership ethics and leadership development. Prerequisites: Grade of C or better in PSAA 210; PSAA major or approval of department head; junior or senior classification.

PSAA 340/POLS 340 Public Administration

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. American public administration; development of public service; the political and constitutional context; organization theory; leadership and decision-making; personnel and resource staff functions; administrative law and regulation; ethics and administrative accountability. Prerequisites: Grade of C or better in POLS 206; junior or senior classification. Cross Listing: POLS 340/PSAA 340.

PSAA 344 Public Communication and Stakeholder Engagement

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Examination of the impact of communication networks, style, and technologies in public and nonprofit organizations; focus on key concepts and tools of stakeholder identification, mapping, analysis and engagement strategies. Prerequisites: Junior or senior classification.

PSAA 350 Economics of Public Policy

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Microeconomic analysis of consumers, firms and markets; framework for economic analysis of public sector spending and taxation and their applications to public policy. Prerequisites: Grade of C or better in ECON 202; junior or senior classification.

PSAA 352 Immigration Policy

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Major issues in U.S. immigration policy from an economic perspective; the forces driving migration; cross-country comparisons of key institutional features of migration law; labor market impacts; implications for education and welfare systems. Prerequisites: Grade of C or better in ECON 202; junior or senior classification.

PSAA 354 Education Policy

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Major issues in education policy from an economic perspective; the role of government in education; educational equity, adequacy and accountability. Prerequisites: Grade of C or better in ECON 202; junior or senior classification.

PSAA 360 The Nonprofit Sector

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Overview of the origins, size, scope and composition of the nonprofit and voluntary sector in American society today; introduction to the historical, political and religious foundations of the nonprofit sector. Prerequisites: Grade of C or better in PSAA 210; junior or senior classification.

PSAA 364 Fundraising and Philanthropy

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Practice of fundraising including fundraising operations with a focus on practices needed to receive donations from individuals; topics include fundraising cycle, information management, prospect research, motivations for giving, donor relations, case statements, annual giving, and ethical issues. Prerequisites: Junior or senior classification.

PSAA 372 Emergency Management Enterprise - Local, State and Federal

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Examination of Emergency Management operations; Survey the National Response Framework, National Incident Management System, and other governing documents that guide inter-jurisdictional governments and private sector in planning, response, mitigation, and recovery operations; understanding community lifeline structure and emergency support functions that enable government and private sector to prepare for disasters. Prerequisites: Junior or senior classification.

PSAA 403 Public and Nonprofit Budgeting

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. This course provides an in-depth examination of the theories and practices of budgeting for public and nonprofit organizations, emphasizing the role of budget as a planning and management tool for the strategic allocation of scarce resources. In this course, students will have the opportunity to gain a comprehensive understanding of budget formats and budget processes, encompassing preparation, approval and execution, as well as revenue structures, capital budgeting, debt management across federal, state and local governments and the nonprofit sector. Through the analysis of real-world case studies and hands-on exercises utilizing Excel and practitioner-oriented workbooks, students will develop the technical skills necessary to manage organizational resources effectively. The course emphasizes technical proficiency in revenue forecasting, calculating budget variance and interpreting complex budgeting information to ensure the responsible stewardship of public resources. By the end of the semester, students will be equipped to navigate budgetary challenges, communicate findings through concise reporting and make informed decisions that advance organizational goals and public interests. Prerequisites: Grade of C or better in PSAA 210 and PSAA 340/POLS 340; PSAA major or approval of department head; junior or senior classification.

PSAA 404 Ethics in Public Service

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Survey of theory and application of ethics in government; how public values motivate policy actors to justify policy preferences; focus on ethical dilemmas related to the exercise of administrative discretion; review of systems of professional ethics for public administrative professions. Prerequisites: Grade of C or better in PSAA 210; PSAA major or approval of department head; junior or senior classification.

PSAA 405 Cultural Competency in Public Service

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Examination of how public policy issues are contested and shaped by the major cleavages in American society, such as race and ethnicity, economic and social class, and gender; strategies for building consensus across these divisions. Prerequisites: Grade of C or better in PSAA 210; PSAA major or approval of department head; junior or senior classification.

PSAA 430 Leading and Managing Public Service Organizations

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. The course provides an in-depth exploration of the core principles and the fundamentals of effectively leading people, teams and organizations by applying essential organizational behavior and leadership theories. The course provides a broad foundation in organizational analysis, including organizational culture, group behavior, communication and change management while specifically examining their practical applications in public and nonprofit organizations. In this course, students will explore different leadership styles and management approaches to decision-making processes that align with public service values, integrity and ethics. Skill development is a central focus, covering competencies such as motivation, coaching, teamwork, empowerment and conflict resolution. To bridge the gap between theory and practice, the course’s case studies and classroom discussions focus specifically on the public and nonprofit organizations, requiring students to propose administrative and policy solutions for complex management problems. Prerequisites: Grade of C or better in PSAA 210 and PSAA 340/POLS 340; junior or senior classification.

PSAA 440 Public Policies and Policymaking

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Socio-economic, political, and institutional factors as they affect the development, implementation and impact of public policies; strategies of choice by political regimes in the formation of public policies. Prerequisites: Grade of C or better in POLS 206; junior or senior classification.

PSAA 441 Program Assessment and Evaluation

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Evaluation tools most commonly used in public and nonprofit programs; includes developing program theory through needs assessments, implementation and process assessment, methods of impact evaluation, and efficiency analysis (cost-benefit and cost-effectiveness analysis); focus on critical analysis and understanding of both the underlying programs and their evaluations. Prerequisites: Grade of C or better in PSAA 210 and PSAA 301; junior or senior classification.

PSAA 442 Cross‐Sector Collaboration

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Understanding existing frameworks of collaboration between public, private, and nonprofit entities, and policy foundations that establish and promote such partnerships; exploration of purpose, opportunities, and challenges associated with advancing economic, social, and environmental cross-sector collaboration and partnership endeavors. Prerequisites: Junior or senior classification.

PSAA 443 Managing Workplace Diversity in Public and Nonprofit Organizations

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Research and best practices in diversity, equity & inclusion (DEI) to gain insights and practice essential leadership skills and behaviors that help foster diverse, equitable, and inclusive teams and organizations; designed to encourage critical thinking about workplace experiences and interactions based on personal history and identity as well as think about how the broader workplace context may perpetuate bias, discrimination, and inequality. Prerequisites: Junior or senior classification.

PSAA 450 Using Data to Make a Difference

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Knowledge and skills to explore and apply basic concepts supporting data-driven decision-making and performance accountability; overview of the various types of data, the fundamentals for information management, techniques of data visualization, skills to communicate data and information, and how to utilize data to inform and guide decisions. Prerequisites: Grade of C or better in STAT 201 or equivalent; junior or senior classification.

PSAA 452 Energy Policy

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Externalities and optimal policy response to externalities; fossil fuels and alternative fuels; electricity and transportation markets; energy efficiency; energy innovation; and international environmental negotiations. Prerequisites: Grade of C or better in PSAA 350, and STAT 201 or equivalent; junior or senior classification.

PSAA 453 Environmental Policy

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Examination of key sectors and themes that drive environmental policies; foundational concepts in environmental management; analysis of the environmental policy using real world cases. Prerequisites: Junior or senior classification.

PSAA 465 Social Entrepreneurship

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Applying business principles and practices to solve social, economic and environmental problems; social entrepreneurship concepts and issues in scaling social enterprise ventures including management tools, organization structures, funding sources, impact measurement; experience in opportunity recognition, designing, planning, pitching social mission ventures; build social capital with social enterprise founders. Prerequisites: Junior or senior classification. Cross Listing: SOCI 450 and MGMT 478.

PSAA 472 Terrorist Threat to the Nation

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. This course is a survey of historical and current terrorist threats posed to Americans abroad and in the United States homeland by non-government and state-sponsored organizations. This course discusses transnational and domestic terror groups, violent extremist organizations, as well as select cartels, gangs and transnational drug trafficking organizations that utilize terrorist tactics. Integral to the course is the historical context, motivations and practices of groups that participate in political violence (religious, racial, environmental or social). Prerequisites: Junior or senior classification.

PSAA 485 Directed Studies

Credits 0 to 6. 0 to 6 Other Hours. Directed study of selected problems in an area of public service and administration not covered in other courses. Prerequisites: Junior or senior classification or approval of department head.

PSAA 489 Special Topics in...

Credits 1 to 4. 1 to 4 Other Hours. Selected topics in an identified area of government and public service. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisites: Junior or senior classification.