Public Administration
Program Outline
The Graduate Certificate in Public Administration consists of 15 credit hours. The courses are:
Research Methods in Political Science (POLSC 700): Principles of scientific inquiry, research design, and the measurement and analysis of political phenomena are examined.
Public Personnel Administration (POLSC 708): Policy aspects of public personnel administration at all levels of government are examined. Specific attention is given to personnel issues unique to the public sector, such as rights of employees, civil service systems, and public service ethics in a democratic society.
Public Organization Theory (POLSC 735): Theories concerning the structure and mission of public organization and the role of administrative leadership in applying theory to solve organizational problems will be examined.
Public Budgeting (POLSC 737): Budgeting as a fiscal management tool is examined within the political decision making process. Several budgetary techniques such as line-item, performance budgeting, PPBS, and Z-B B will also be studied.
Elective Courses
Students are required to take one elective course (3 credit hours). The following two courses are currently offered by the department via distance learning technologies. Other electives will be accepted in consultation with the director of the MPA program.
Administrative Law (POLSC 607): Legal analysis of the rule making, adjudicatory, and enforcement functions of administrative agencies, with emphasis on constitutional framework, judicial review, requirements of procedural fairness, and rights of public employees.
Not-for-Profit Management (POLSC 650): Unique management issues in terms of policy setting, participation, administration, and accountability for non-profit organizations.
At the discretion of the MPA program director, up to 6 credit hours of equivalent graduate courses taken in other K-State graduate programs or at other universities may be accepted as core courses. To earn credit for an equivalent course, the student must produce the course syllabus and must have obtained a B or above grade in the course.
All courses are offered online using the K-State Online course management system or via videoconferencing at a TELENET 2 site in Kansas. K-State Online makes it easy for the student to study the information, participate in online discussions, and submit assignments.
