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Core Courses | Electives | Internship

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Core Courses

HA 602 Organizational Change & Strategic Planning
This course is designed to focus on the future needs of the health care organization as contrasted to day-to-day operational management. Strategies for the design and implementation of organizational change including techniques of quality and process improvement will be addressed. The strategic planning components of needs assessment, demands analysis, generation of alternative, priority setting and evaluation form the basis of the course. Several health care trends such as restructuring, innovation in health care delivery and financing, and performance measurements will be illustrated through case analysis in a variety of provider settings.
Prerequisite: PA 621

PA 604 Ethics in Public Administration (1 credit)
Case studies are used to examine ethical dilemmas and advance ethical decision making. The philosophical foundations of ethical decision making are covered.

PA 621 Quantitative Methods of Research
This class is a survey of behavioral science research methods for the public administrator. Emphasis is placed on problem selection and identification, research design, and data analytic techniques. (Same as HA 621.)

PA 622 Public Program Evaluation
This course is designed to provide students with the conceptual and analytical tools to evaluate the effectiveness of public programs and policies. The focus will be on program monitoring and evaluation. Of particular concern will be program process and outcome measurement; quasi-experimental design; multiple regression analysis; and analysis of variance models.
Prerequisite: PA 621

PA 623 Decision Analysis and Decision Support Systems
This class is an introduction to organizational decision-making under conditions of certainty, uncertainty, risk, and multiple objectives. Concepts of analysis from the areas of economics, mathematics, probability, and statistics will be utilized in terms of administrative decision making in public administration. Course work includes use of various management information systems with a focus on how such systems can be used to support and inform decision making. (Same as HA 623.)
Prerequisite: PA/HA 621

PA 624 Government Information Systems (2 credits)
Provides an overview of information strategies and management approaches to government functions and public policy programs and illustrates the interaction between information technology and information systems with management and policy decision in the public and non-profit sectors.
Prerequisite: MPA program status

PA 631 Public Financial Management
This class teaches an analysis of budget structure and process, revenue structure and administration, and public capital acquisition and debt management. This course emphasizes an applied focus and comparative analysis of alternative budget, revenue, and debt management structures and strategies.
Prerequisite: MPA program status

PA 632 Public Funds Management
This class is a study of the management of public funds including the accumulation, management, and investment of such funds and the accounting for those transactions. It will also include topics such as fund accounting, cash forecasting, cash management practices, and public funds investment strategies. (Same as HA 632.)

PA 642 Public Organization Theory and Behavior
The course examines the interaction of both external and internal resources and constraints on the administrative decision process in a number of public organizational settings. The objective is an understanding of the practice of administration in public organizations. (Same as HA 642.)

PA 651 The Policy Process
This is a broad-based course in public policy formulation and social planning. Emphasis is on the parameters of policy formulation as well as the social planning and impact variables. Both policy processes and relevant content areas will be stressed.

PA 652 Public Policy Economics
This course focuses on principles and practices of economical resource management in the governmental sector: tax and expenditure types, intergovernmental fiscal cooperation, debt financing, budgeting, and financial planning. (Same as ECO/HA 652.)

PA 681 Capstone in Public Administration
This course provides an opportunity for students to integrate their studies with professional practice. Case studies and special projects require students to integrate knowledge from the core curriculum in the analysis of public management and policy problems.
Prerequisites: MPA program status and completion of 33 credit hours.

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Electives

PA 628 Personnel Management in the Public Sector
The course will present an overview of career development, human resource planning, staffing, training and development in the public sector.
Prerequisites: MPA program status; consent of instructor.

PA 633 Municipal Securities
An analysis of the theoretical and operational issues associated with the municipal securities industry.
Prerequisites: PA 632 or the equivalent and Ph.D. or M.P.A. program status or consent of instructor.

PA 636 Health Economics
This course applies general theoretical principles of economics to the health care sector. The basic approach is to recognize the importance of scarcity and incentives, allowing for differences peculiar to health. The demand and supply of health and medical care are examined as they involve physicians, nurses and hospitals. The competitiveness of their markets, health insurance and the role of government are explored. Special topics include regulation and planning, benefit-cost analysis, and reform health plans. (Same as ECO 653/HA 636.)
Prerequisites: The economics prerequisite can be met in three ways: (a) an undergraduate principles course in microeconomics and HA/PA 652; (b) an undergraduate microeconomics principles course and a graduate course in managerial economics; or (c) an undergraduate microeconomics principles course and an intermediate microeconomics course.

PA 637 Health Finance
This course applies general principles of finance to the financial management of health care institutions. The major financial incentives which dictate how health care is delivered are studied and proposals to change these incentives are explored.
Prerequisites: MHA/MPA program status and HA 601, HA 621, PA 623, HA 635.

PA 653 Local Economic Development
The course develops the capacity to employ the theories, practices and philosophies of economic development as applied to local areas. The primary geographic focus of the course is the rural south-east of the United States, but examples will be drawn from rural areas in other developed countries. (Same as AEC 653.)
Prerequisite: Graduate status in agricultural economics, public administration, economics, or consent of instructor.

PA 656 Health Program Evaluation
A study of the tools necessary for planning and evaluating health programs: planning systems, needs assessment methodologies, data analysis skills, the epidemiologic method, effectiveness and efficiency evaluation. An overview of trends and requirements leading to increased emphasis on planning and program accountability. (Same as HA 656.)
Prerequisites: MHA/MPA program status, HA 601, HA 621, PA 623, and HA 635.

PA 671 Overview of the Health Care Delivery System
An introduction to the health care delivery system in the United States, including its composition, functioning, the interrelationships of organizations and professional groups within the system in various settings, health care terminology, and major problems and issues in the delivery of health services. (Same as HA/HSM 601/SPH 602.)
Prerequisite: MHA/MPA program status.

PA 673 Health Policy Development
An analysis of the development and implementation of health policy on a national, state, local and organizational level. The course will focus on issue and policy analysis, formal and informal processes of policy development and the issues, values and political and community factors affecting policy development and program implementation. (Same as HA 673.)
Prerequisite: HA 601 and one of the following courses: HA 611, 621, or 622 and MHA/MPA program status.

PA 680 Benefit-Cost Analysis
Principles, practices and applications of applied welfare analysis are the content of this course. The basic theory of benefit-cost analysis is presented and the relevance of implementation analysis in policy analysis is established. (Same as ECO 680.)
Prerequisite: PA 652.

PA 727 Environmental Economics, Regulation and Policy
This course takes a balanced practitioner approach to the problems of the environment and environmental regulation. Efficiency aspects will be developed carefully, so as to provide a background for an extensive coverage of various available alternative policies. (Same as ECO 721.)
Prereq: PA 652 and MPA or economics program status or consent of instructor.

PA 775 Special Topics in Health Administration
An analysis of selected issues with special significance for health administration. (Same as HA/HSM 775.)
Prerequisite: MPA/MHA program status.

PA 785 Independent Study in Health Administration
Supervised individual research on a topic related to health administration selected by the student. May be repeated to a maximum of six credits. (Same as HA/HSM 785.)
Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.

PA 795 Special Topics in Public Administration
Analysis of specialized topics in public administration of particular interest to practitioners. May be repeated to a maximum of six credits.
Prerequisite: MPA program status or consent of instructor.

PA 796 Independent Study in Public Administration
Tutorial course of directed readings, discussion, and analysis of special topics on public administration. May be repeated to a maximum of six credits.
Prerequisite: MPA program status and consent of instructor.

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Internship

PA 711 Internship in Public Administration
The internship offers practical field experience in an administrative setting under the direction of an academic and a workplace supervisor. The internship requires 10 weeks or the equivalent of part-time (20 hours per week) during either of the regular semesters. Internships are arranged by the MPA Internship Coordinator.
Prerequisite: MPA program status or consent of MPA Program Director.