Public Administration Courses at Global Campus

PPA 220 Public Service Leadership examines the concepts and principles found in public service leadership. Introduces public sector leadership theories and explains the impact on government and societal relationships. Examines the role of ethics in the public service realm and the importance of building trust with the organization and the citizenry. Explores innovations for new leadership models for the future.

An introductory examination of the characteristics of the public organization and its impact on society including analysis of the principles of public administration, personnel issues, budgetary activities, legal dynamics, as well as historical development of the field are included.

This course addresses the principles of state and local financing of government, sources of public revenue, objects of public expenditures, problems of fiscal administration, emerging policy issues involving land use and taxation, spending and budgeting, intergovernmental cooperation, debt financing, financing for economic development, and privatization. Prerequisite: ECO 203.

This is an introductory course in government budgeting dealing with public revenue, expenditure policies, and politics of the budgetary process while addressing current issues and challenges in this field.

The theory and practice of intergovernmental relations and the various issues that accompany the daily operations and affect the overall efficiency of our system. This course will address both the legal and political perspectives of the interactions, relationships and public policy considerations throughout the various components and levels of government. 

PPA 310 Public Organizational Theory and Behavior presents the theories of how people behave in organizations with the emphasis on public sector and non-profit organizations. This course addresses Organization Behavior, Organization Theory, and Public Management with emphasis on public accountability while providing a perspective for managing public and nonprofit sector organizations. The focus is on the primary foundational aspects of organizational structure, communication, and accountability directly to the citizen. Students will also apply theory to practice and understand how to respond to the public mood of cutback and reduction in addition to an overall distrust of government.

This course is an introduction to formal and informal elements of urban management systems addressing the exploration of alternative approaches to dealing with problems arising from rapid urban growth. 

A study of the nature and the law of the administrative procedure, of separation and delegation of powers, and of the scope of judicial review and other remedies against administrative actions.

An examination of the essential processes, policies, and laws pertaining to public personnel including an analysis of issues concerning public personnel administrators, employee protection, motivation, and effectiveness.

A study of how the dynamics of governmental decision making influence the content of public policy; course focuses upon how legislators, interest groups, chief executives, and the bureaucracy function to define alternatives and to shape policy agenda and content. Prerequisites: GEN 499. This course must be taken last in the program. 

This course examines the ethical constructs found in public leadership. Reviews the different fundamental and ideal theories associated with the public leader. The course especially evaluates the public and non-profit sectors as they relate to culture, society, and diversity, when making leadership decisions. The framework for public leadership is also examined to identify why foresight is needed in the public sphere.

This course examines the theory and practice of public administration, its legal and constitutional foundation and the role of the public administrator in public policy. The context of the course discussions are based on the current issues facing public agency administrators.

This course is an exploration of current governmental fiscal management techniques and issues. Other course topics include various types of financial and technical assistance as well as quasi-governmental and non-profit management organizations.

This is a comprehensive, straightforward examination of government budgeting. Topics include the advantages and disadvantages of various approaches to revenue projection, the collection and review of departmental proposals, the development of capital budgeting policy and other budgeting tasks. Also addressed are budget implementation, accounting and financial reporting. A variety of methods for maintaining budgetary balance, preventing overspending and dealing with contingencies are presented and discussed.

This course focuses upon the visioning and modeling of services and programs, both anticipatory and responsive, utilizing market-driven information. Students integrate theories from economics, information management, finance and leadership, culminating in the generation of a comprehensive business plan.

This course analyzes bargaining and negotiation principles and practices in the public sector. The course focuses on the financial issues of contract negotiations and labor relations and building negotiation skills of the administrator.


This course is an examination of influences affecting policy development and decision-making in the urban political arena. It also covers policy management, policy execution, establishing and measuring criteria for policy success, and effective communication throughout the public policy process. This course is cumulative in nature, integrating knowledge and information attained while completing the entire MPA curriculum. In addition, this course requires the generation and presentation of an analysis of a community development project.