Public Administration

The Bachelor of Arts in Public Administration (BAPA) prepares students for supervisory and management roles in the public sector. Students will receive a solid foundation in public sector practices and processes complemented by coursework in the social sciences. All BAPA students will receive a fundamental understanding of, and appreciation for, public sector management practices and administrative procedures. With the BAPA, students will have the preparation to pursue graduate degrees in varied programs, such as Public Administration, Criminal Justice, Urban and Regional Planning, Management Science, and others.

Students who choose to study General Public Administration will be prepared for government service at the local, state, and national levels. For those already working in the field, this program will provide the opportunity to more fully develop management, legal, and behavioral skills for more effective job performance and greater career mobility.

Those who choose to pursue the Justice Administration concentration will have the educational foundation to pursue career paths in justice-related fields. Those already employed in the field may upgrade their knowledge and professional skills.

The concentration in Health Care Administration provides students with a broad range of administrative skills and knowledge needed in the dynamic and growing health care field. For those already employed in this field, this program provides the opportunity to more fully develop management, legal, and behavioral skills for more effective job performance and greater career mobility.

PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION MAJOR REQUIREMENTS

Students pursuing a degree in Public Administration must complete the following:

1. Twenty-four credits of core courses:
    PUBA 306   Principles of Public Administration
    PUBA 310   Research Methods in the Public Sector
    PUBA 313   Communication Skills for Administrators
    PUBA 340    Administrative Decision-Making
    PUBA 341   Statistics for Decision-Making in Public Administration or SSCI 310 Applied Statistics I, or
    BUSA 320   Statistics for Decision-Making
    PUBA 351   Human Resources Administration
    PUBA 414   Public Communication Campaigns
    PUBA 475   Administrative Law

2. Capstone Requirement: At least three credits in one of the following, to be taken in the senior year:
   PUBA 486   Senior Project, or
   PUBA 490   Administrative Practicum

3. Twelve credits in the area of concentration

4. HUM 310 riting Skills

5. Three credits from the following approved list of social science electives:
    ANTH 459    Forensic Investigations
    ANTH 460   Advanced Techniques in Forensic Anthropolgy
    ECON any course at the upper-division level)
    POLS 316   Constitutional Law
    POLS 330   American Politics
    PSY 353       Conflict Resolution
    PSY 371       Abnormal Psychology
    PSY 373       Counseling Skills
    PSY 474       Culture and Mental Illness
    PSY 475       Psychology of Healing
    PSY 480       Organizational Behavior
    SOC 329      Organizations, Individuals, and Society
    SOC 334      Deviant Behavior
    SOC 411      Aging in Mass Society
    SOC 431      Juvenile Delinquency
    SOC 434      Criminology