MASTER OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION (M.P.A.)

FACULTY

Program Coordinator: Philip Zampini, Ph.D.
Department Telephone: (413) 572-5480
Graduate Advisor: Philip Zampini, Ph.D. (572-5703)
Graduate Faculty: Tim Brennan, M.A.
Marijoan Bull, Ph.D.
Cornelia Daniel, Ph.D.
Tian-Jia Dong, Ph.D.
Tom Gardner, Ph.D.
Stephanie Kelly, Ed.D.
Judith McDonald, Ph.D.
Erika Pilver, Ph.D.
David Smailes, Ph.D.
Michelle Wolf, J.D.
Philip Zampini, Ph.D.

The Master of Public Administration program provides a quality graduate degree that is affordable, responsive to local workforce needs and is accessible to working part-time commuting students who seek to serve the public through employment in governmental and other non-profit institutions.

The Master of Public Administration (MPA) degree is an interdisciplinary program sponsored by the departments of Political Science, Criminal Justice, Geography and Regional Planning, and Economics and Business Management. Academic stewardship of this program will be the responsibility of a graduate committee consisting of one representative from each of these departments, selected by the recommendation from the graduate committee. Faculty teaching courses in the Public Administration program will serve as participating, but non-voting, members of the graduate committee.

ADMISSION
The Graduate Committee will evaluate applications for admission. Each application will include:
  1. Official transcripts indicating a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university, which includes at least 15 credits of coursework in a field appropriate for the program, such as management, political science, regional planning or criminal justice;
  2. A minimum 2.8 GPA overall or minimum 3.0 GPA for the last two years of undergraduate studies;
  3. A satisfactory GRE or MAT score;
  4. A narrative statement (of approximately 350 words) about your professional goals, academic experience, work experience and other factors that support your application.

The graduate committee will also consider, on an individual basis, applicants with significant professional experience or special qualifications who do not meet minimum admission standards.

Program Requirements: 36 credits
The M.P.A. program at Westfield State centers on a fixed set of seven required “core” courses and a 15 credit substantive specialization. Our core is informed by the NASPAA curriculum guidelines described in their “Standards for Professional Masters Degree Programs”. As such, our core courses cover the essential areas of knowledge or skill necessary for public sector management. Overall, the M.P.A. curriculum requires students to complete 36 credit hours, comparable to other programs nationally and in the state. Core Courses: 21 Credits Specialized Tracks: 15 Credits

Each student will complete a 15 credit specialization in one of the following three areas: (1) Criminal Justice Administration, (2) Public Management, or (3) Non-Profit Management.

Criminal Justice Administration Track: Fifteen credits selected from the following:

Public Management Track: Fifteen credits chosen from the following:

Non-Profit Management Track: Fifteen credits chosen from the following:

Because completion of the Capstone Experience validates and demonstrates mastery of curricular objectives, there will be no comprehensive examination requirement for students in the public administration program.

M.P.A. Program Summary: 36 Total Credits
Core Courses: 21 credits
Specialized Tracks: 15 credits

M.P.A Courses

PADM 0600 FOUNDATIONS OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION I 3 s.h. This course is the introduction to the M.P.A. program and examines the political as well as the administrative context of public service. The foundations of modern administrative theory, as well as the latest in leadership theory and methods, are examined, along with discussion of how these theories apply situationally. The similarities and distinctions of public service and for-profit management are emphasized, and the myths associated with each will be explored.

PADM 0608 ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR FOR NON-PROFIT AND PUBLIC ORGANIZATIONS 3 s.h. This course looks at human behavior within the context of the formal organization in order to gain a better understanding of the actual human organization and how best to organize, lead, motivate and make decisions in that unique organization. Other topics include effective communication, small group dynamics, and effective human resource management. Students will be asked to observe in a non-profit organization and to write an ethnographic analysis of the human behavior vs. required behavior in that organization.

PADM 0610 HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT SKILLS 3 s.h. This course is an advanced examination of skills necessary for managing personnel in the public sector. The course uses theory, case studies, and practical applications to examine the variety of skills needed for successful public administration. The course considers the significance of changes in the workforce, in the structure of the workplace, and in the nature of supervision, and examines changing styles of leadership, including more collaborative, facilitative styles.

PADM 0620 PUBLIC BUDGETING: POLITICS AND PRACTICES 3 s.h. This course provides an in-depth examination of federal, state and local budgets, how they are made, who influences the decisions, and the implications of those decisions. Students are expected to complete a project which demonstrates mastery of the disciplinary research, principles and theories related to budget-making. (In some cases, ECON 0515 Public Finance may be substituted for this core requirement.)

PADM 0625 ADMINISTRATIVE LAW 3 s.h. Prerequisite: PADM 0600 Foundations of Public Administration I Examination of the legal environment in which state and federal managers operate, with a focus on court rulings which define the powers and processes of administrative agencies and regulatory commissions. Topics include federal court rulings on the capacity of the political branches to control administrative actions, delegation of legislative power to agencies, agency rule-making, agency collection and use of information, the law of public employment, due process, governmental immunity and the liability of public administrators.

PADM 0630 FOUNDATIONS OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION II: PUBLIC POLICY ANALYSIS 3 s.h. Fundamental treatment of the policy-making process in the United States with an emphasis on theoretical explanations of why particular policies are proposed, adopted and implemented by federal, state and local governments. Political science theories of the policy process, methodological problems in the study of public policy, and modes of policy and program evaluation are featured.

PADM 0640 THE REGIONAL ECONOMY OF NEW ENGLAND 3 s.h. This course introduces students to the economy and geography of New England with a focus on the major historical shifts in economic and social structure. Attention is paid to the changing relation of New England’s economy to the national and global economy. The course emphasizes the problems and opportunities presented by current economic trends as they impact public sector management.

PADM 0650 RESEARCH METHODS FOR PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION 3 s.h. An examination of the fundamentals of social science research methods, data collection and analysis, and basic statistical techniques relevant to public administration and program evaluation. Attention is paid to the logic of scientific inquiry, the limits of social scientific methods, methodological techniques, survey research, sampling, interview techniques, issues of reliability and validity of measurements, library research, and use of data bases. Basic quantitative methods will be covered, including: Hypothesis testing, chi-square test of independence, measures of association, the logic of statistical significance, and multivariate procedures.

PADM 0660 ETHICS AND ACCOUNTABILITY 3 s.h. The focus of this course is on the obligations of the public administrator and on the unique ethical and moral dilemmas posed by public service. These range from the far from uncommon circumstances where there seem to be conflicting, ambiguous claims of good to the frequent need to choose among one’s responsibilities to elected officials, organizational superiors, professional standards, regime values, one’s organization, one’s loved ones and friends, and, not least, individual conscience. These issues will be addressed from a number of philosophical and situational perspectives, including the discussion of various ethical case dilemmas.

PADM 0680 SPECIAL TOPICS IN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION 3 s.h. This course will focus on a specialized topic or area of public administration, designated by course subtitle. Topics will vary according to the area of specialization of the instructor and the interests of the graduate students in the program. The course may be taken up to two times should course content differ. PADM 0680 may be substituted depending on the course content, for a required Core or Track course with the consent of the M.P.A. Program Advisor.

PADM 0690 CAPSTONE 3 s.h. This course is required for all students in the master of public administration program and designed as a capstone experience for the program. Under the supervision of a member of the graduate faculty and following approval of the public administration graduate committee, students will undertake a final graduate experience that integrates the principles of the program as exemplified by program standards and specialization with appropriate professional experience. The project consists of an experiential component as well as a research/writing component and is tailored to meet the career goals of the individual student. Students will meet periodically in a seminar to share the work in progress with other students and will present their final project in a public forum arranged by the public administration graduate committee.

ECON 0515 PUBLIC FINANCE 3 s.h. Prerequisite: ECON 0101 Macroeconomics and ECON 0102 Microeconomics. The role of government in attaining an efficient allocation of resources and an equitable distribution of income. Emphasis is placed on criteria for the evaluation and selection of public expenditure and tax programs including the problem of coordinating federal , state and local finance. Special attention is given to current policy issues.

MGMT 0620 OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT FOR NON-PROFIT AND PUBLIC ORGANIZATIONS 3 s.h. Provides a basic understanding of operations management for efficient functioning of non-profit and public organizations, mastery of selected theories and concepts of operations management particularly applicable to the management of services operations, and an examination of current issues. Topics will include internet strategies, new services development, service quality, capacity planning, project management, and performance evaluation.

MGMT 0539 SEMINAR IN NON-PROFIT MANAGEMENT 3 s.h. The course will give students and overview of the no-profit field both from the macro and micro perspectives. From the micro perspective, students will learn about non-profit corporate structures, mission statements, goals and objectives, human resource management, recruitment, training and motivation of staff and volunteers, risk management, and the relationships between the board, staff and volunteers. From the macro perspective, students will gain an understanding of the role of the non-profit in the community, including public relations, market segmentation and needs assessment, and how best to market a program. Guest speakers at each class will include experts form the non-profit community. The final project will involve picking one local non-profit organization and doing a thorough analysis of that organization.

MGMT 0560 RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT FOR THE NON-PROFIT SECTOR 3 s.h. An experiential course designed to 1) teach the fundamentals of development and fund raising, and 2) teach the fundamentals of grant writing. The course will include guest lecturers from the non-profit sector who have been successful in fundraising, field work with agencies who are in the process of fund raising, as well as hands-on experience writing a grant. The major final project of this course will be either writing a grant for a local non-profit organization or creating a fund-raising activity and following it though to the end.

MGMT 0599 INDEPENDENT STUDY IN NON-PROFIT MANAGEMENT 3 s.h. Designed to meet the needs of individual students. A plan of study including content and method of evaluation will be developed in consultation between the student and supervision graduate faculty member. This plan must be submitted in advance of registration to the student’s advisor for his/her approval and consent. Topics such as advanced theories and practices of non-profit management, and issues relating to specific non-profit organizations will be addressed.

GARP 0515 CITY PLANNING THEORIES AND PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS 3 s.h. Introduces the principles of city and regional planning, administrative organization, and budget and financing issues in city management. The course covers the formulation and administration of master plans, as well as the political problems and public relations involved in implementing the plans. The student will learn how to collect, analyze and synthesize data for urban revitalization plans, and conservation and preservation plans for rural areas. Map interpretation and graphic display skills are also integral to the course content.

GARP 0535 COMMUNITY PREPAREDNESS: ORGANIZATION AND DEVELOPMENT OF COMMUNITY MASTER PLANS 3 s.h. This course provides a theoretical framework of the principles of regional planning and administrative organization, and budget and financing issues in city management. The course covers the formulation and administration of master plans, as well as the political problems involved in carrying out the plans. The student learns to identify the role of each key player in the community planning process, and the technical skills needed to develop effective master plans. Topics include methods to locate facility centers for resource allocation, tools to design circulation plan, and techniques to develop network plans to coordinate transportation linkage.

GARP 0546 QUANTITATIVE METHODS 3 s.h. Introduces students to a variety of statistical methods used in public administration research. Coursework includes both lectures and PO-based computer analysis. Topics include measurement levels, frequency distributions, crosstabulations, chi-square, t-tests, regression, and correlation. Recommended: one under graduate level statistics math course.

GARP 0544 GIS: MAPPING COMMUNITY DATA 3 s.h. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are powerful forms of spatial information processing. Incorporating analytical geographic techniques to capture, maintain, analyze and display data, GIS generate unique spatial information widely used by both the public and private sectors. Specially, this course will introduce the details of analytical and technological skills necessary for business, environmental and social applications. The students will be expected to undertake a project in their particular field of interest for a final project.

GARP 0599 INDEPENDENT STUDY 3 s.h. Designed to meet the particular needs of individual students. Plans must be submitted in advance of registration to student’s advisor for his/her approval and consent. Topics may include a supervised real-life grant-writing experience (with coaching on how to search for the appropriate funding agency, technical grant-writing skills, analytical research skills, chart and table design skills, and statistical writing skills) or other supervised research on topics in advanced regional planning.

GARP 0600 SUSTAINABILITY AND GOVERNANCE IN THE 21ST CENTURY 3 s.h. Sustainability has emerged as a defining issue of the 21st century, and by necessity all levels of government are reviewing their roles in light of looming environmental challenges and new ways of operating. In this course students will explore sustainability in the areas of energy, waste, transportation, green-jobs, procurement practices, water and waste-water, and more. Tools for managing change, evaluating performance, and involving the public are also discussed.

CRJU 0606 CRIMINOLOGICAL THEORY I 3 s.h. An overview of sociological, psychological, economic, environmental, and biological theories about the etiology of crime. Theories will be examined in terms of the context in which they were presented and their implications for criminal justice practices. (Required)

CRJU 0611 COMMUNITY BASED CORRECTIONS 3 s.h. Examines the historical development, current status, and future direction of community-based corrections along with the theory and practice of the community based correctional treatment programs that now exist. Specific topics will include: probation, parole, halfway houses, experimental treatment projects, and drug treatment centers.

CRJU 0617 LAW ENFORCMENT POLICY DEVELOPMENTS 3 s.h. An examination of current policies and practices of police organizations. Attention will be given to modern organizational theories, a review of police discretion, and formal and informal channels of communication for the dissemination of policy statements and goals.

CRJU 0618 CORRECTIONS ADMINISTRATION 3 s.h. A critical review of the administration of correctional facilities in the United States. Problems such as crowding, prisoner rights, funding, drugs, children of inmates, and recidivism will be examined.

CRJU 0619 CRIMINAL JUSTICE PLANNING 3 s.h. Focuses on the research and design of new programs in criminal justice. In addition, the course will consider such issues as: consulting relevant agencies, enlisting community support, applying for funding, training staff, and evaluating new and existing programs.

CRJU 0624 ADMINISTRATIVE THEORY OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE 3 s.h. An examination of the management of organizations with a focus on theories of management, the individual in the organization (motivation, change, stress), groups (norms, influence, conflict), and the interaction of individuals and the organization (power, communication, leadership). (Required)

CRJU 0696 INDEPENDENT STUDY FOR M.P.A 3 s.h.Prerequisite: 24 hours completed in M.P.A. program The student engaged in independent study will select and develop topics and readings in the field of criminal justice in cooperation with a professor from the Criminal Justice Department, with the approval of the chairperson and M.P.A. Program Advisor. The independent study must be in accordance with the student’s approved program of study and may be used to prepare for the M.P.A. Capstone project requirement. Course syllabus is dependent upon the topic.