Executive MPA Curriculum
*Please note: Executive MPA instruction for the Fall 2021 semester is scheduled to be in-person*
The courses below are offered to Executive students from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on 35 Saturdays from September to June. Students complete the 42-credit curriculum in two years as a cohort.
Year One Fall (September-January)
3 hours; 3 credits
The course is an introduction to politics, government, and public policy in the U.S. It provides a rigorous, scholarly, yet practical view of governmental institutions, policy making, administration, and contemporary public policy. Attention is given to the role of governmental and nongovernmental actors, as well as the influence of history, culture, public opinion, and political economy. Students develop skills in thinking critically and writing clearly about issues of public importance.
Prerequisite: none
The course is an introduction to politics, government, and public policy in the U.S. It provides a rigorous, scholarly, yet practical view of governmental institutions, policy making, administration, and contemporary public policy. Attention is given to the role of governmental and nongovernmental actors, as well as the influence of history, culture, public opinion, and political economy. Students develop skills in thinking critically and writing clearly about issues of public importance.
Prerequisite: none
3 hours; 3 credits
Introduces students to communication in public settings and provides extensive opportunities for practice with basic written and oral forms. Interrelationships among communicative activities and organizational goals. Internal and external messages are given equal weight. Argumentative structures necessary for constructing sound policy and persuasive techniques relevant to funding, regulation, client, and public constituencies. Topics will vary somewhat from semester to semester depending on the instructor’s and students’ interests. The course follows a workshop/laboratory format with intensive attention to student work as a fulcrum for the application of theory and refinement of skills.
Prerequisite: none
Introduces students to communication in public settings and provides extensive opportunities for practice with basic written and oral forms. Interrelationships among communicative activities and organizational goals. Internal and external messages are given equal weight. Argumentative structures necessary for constructing sound policy and persuasive techniques relevant to funding, regulation, client, and public constituencies. Topics will vary somewhat from semester to semester depending on the instructor’s and students’ interests. The course follows a workshop/laboratory format with intensive attention to student work as a fulcrum for the application of theory and refinement of skills.
Prerequisite: none
3 hours; 3 credits
The first course in a two-course sequence (the second course is PAF 9172) that provides an introduction to research and analytical methods as applied to public policy and management. Students will develop expertise as consumers of research findings and learn methods for designing and conducting research. This first course provides an introduction to data analysis and statistical inference, with an emphasis on policy and management applications. Topics include graphing and numerical summaries, normal distributions, descriptive correlation and regression, basic probability and sampling distributions, confidence intervals, significance tests, chi-square tests, and inference for regression. Students learn these techniques through hands-on work with real data and statistical software.
Prerequisite: Not open to students who have completed PAF 9317
The first course in a two-course sequence (the second course is PAF 9172) that provides an introduction to research and analytical methods as applied to public policy and management. Students will develop expertise as consumers of research findings and learn methods for designing and conducting research. This first course provides an introduction to data analysis and statistical inference, with an emphasis on policy and management applications. Topics include graphing and numerical summaries, normal distributions, descriptive correlation and regression, basic probability and sampling distributions, confidence intervals, significance tests, chi-square tests, and inference for regression. Students learn these techniques through hands-on work with real data and statistical software.
Prerequisite: Not open to students who have completed PAF 9317
3 hours; 3 credits
The second course in a two-course sequence (the first course is PAF 9170) that provides an introduction to research and analytical methods as applied to public policy and management. Students will develop expertise as consumers of research findings and learn basic methods for designing and conducting research. Topics include the use of theory or models, identifying causes, experiments and quasi-experiments, the logic of control variables and the interpretation of multiple regression, measurement concepts and methods, qualitative methods, and complex sampling. The emphasis is on learning these ideas through practice with many different examples of real-world research and empirical evidence.
Prerequisite: PAF 9170 OR permission of instructor
The second course in a two-course sequence (the first course is PAF 9170) that provides an introduction to research and analytical methods as applied to public policy and management. Students will develop expertise as consumers of research findings and learn basic methods for designing and conducting research. Topics include the use of theory or models, identifying causes, experiments and quasi-experiments, the logic of control variables and the interpretation of multiple regression, measurement concepts and methods, qualitative methods, and complex sampling. The emphasis is on learning these ideas through practice with many different examples of real-world research and empirical evidence.
Prerequisite: PAF 9170 OR permission of instructor
Year One Spring (February-June)
3 hours; 3 credits
This course introduces the fundamental concepts and techniques for managing government and not-for-profit agencies, including schools. This course focuses on structural models; individual behavior, including group dynamics and leadership; effective use and management of human resources; and political and cultural frameworks. Questions of effectiveness, responsibility, and professional relations are considered.
Prerequisite: Not open to students who have completed PAF 9302, OR MGT 9300, OR PSY 9788
This course introduces the fundamental concepts and techniques for managing government and not-for-profit agencies, including schools. This course focuses on structural models; individual behavior, including group dynamics and leadership; effective use and management of human resources; and political and cultural frameworks. Questions of effectiveness, responsibility, and professional relations are considered.
Prerequisite: Not open to students who have completed PAF 9302, OR MGT 9300, OR PSY 9788
3 hours; 3 credits
In this class, students learn to design communication campaigns that will change or modify key behaviors; promote a cause, service, or program; or enhance the brand and fundraising capacity of an organization. Course topics will cover areas such as fear appeals, message fatigue, working with diverse audiences, and online and social media advocacy. Students will develop message strategies using techniques drawn from social marketing, persuasion, and political communication.
Prerequisite: PAF 9103
In this class, students learn to design communication campaigns that will change or modify key behaviors; promote a cause, service, or program; or enhance the brand and fundraising capacity of an organization. Course topics will cover areas such as fear appeals, message fatigue, working with diverse audiences, and online and social media advocacy. Students will develop message strategies using techniques drawn from social marketing, persuasion, and political communication.
Prerequisite: PAF 9103
3 hours; 3 credits
This course focuses on the budget cycle and budget decision-making. It includes tools for developing, implementing, and controlling a budget within a, typically, public organization. Topics include development of operating budgets, cash budgets, break-even analysis, cost behavior, the time value of money, capital budgeting, long-term financing, and variance analysis. Basic budget accounting concepts are studied. The course includes development of spreadsheet skills for budgeting.
Prerequisite: none
This course focuses on the budget cycle and budget decision-making. It includes tools for developing, implementing, and controlling a budget within a, typically, public organization. Topics include development of operating budgets, cash budgets, break-even analysis, cost behavior, the time value of money, capital budgeting, long-term financing, and variance analysis. Basic budget accounting concepts are studied. The course includes development of spreadsheet skills for budgeting.
Prerequisite: none
Year Two Fall (September-January)
3 hours; 3 credits
This course concerns the relationship of ethics and public service. Those in public service face a broad array of ethical problems and dilemmas ranging from simple matters of public trust through the application of ethical reasoning in policymaking. The course examines the limits of self-interest in public service, the differing ethical concerns of elective and appointive officials, the conflict between responsibility to hierarchical authority and personal conceptions of the right, bureaucratic responsibility for the ethical content of public policies, and the possibility of necessary evil. A significant portion of this course focuses on ethical theories that may help resolve these dilemmas.
Prerequisite: none
This course concerns the relationship of ethics and public service. Those in public service face a broad array of ethical problems and dilemmas ranging from simple matters of public trust through the application of ethical reasoning in policymaking. The course examines the limits of self-interest in public service, the differing ethical concerns of elective and appointive officials, the conflict between responsibility to hierarchical authority and personal conceptions of the right, bureaucratic responsibility for the ethical content of public policies, and the possibility of necessary evil. A significant portion of this course focuses on ethical theories that may help resolve these dilemmas.
Prerequisite: none
3 hours; 3 credits
Introduction to concepts and analytic tools necessary to economic examination of individual and firm behavior; analysis of causes and consequences of public sector intervention in the economy.
Prerequisite: Not open to students who have completed ECO 9705, PAF 9415 OR PAF 9760
Introduction to concepts and analytic tools necessary to economic examination of individual and firm behavior; analysis of causes and consequences of public sector intervention in the economy.
Prerequisite: Not open to students who have completed ECO 9705, PAF 9415 OR PAF 9760
3 hours; 3 credits
Examination of the structure and dynamics of New York City government, with special emphasis on the development and delivery of city services.
Prerequisite: none
Examination of the structure and dynamics of New York City government, with special emphasis on the development and delivery of city services.
Prerequisite: none
3 hours; 3 credits
Analysis of problems and issues dealing with public sector personnel. Topics covered include selection, training, employee evaluation, and promotion policies and practices. Managerial, legal, and political aspects of human resource management are also considered. Enrollment Requirements: Prerequisite: open to Marxe School students; others with Marxe School permission.
Prerequisite: none
Analysis of problems and issues dealing with public sector personnel. Topics covered include selection, training, employee evaluation, and promotion policies and practices. Managerial, legal, and political aspects of human resource management are also considered. Enrollment Requirements: Prerequisite: open to Marxe School students; others with Marxe School permission.
Prerequisite: none
Year Two Spring (February-June)
3 hours; 3 credits
Leadership and Strategy in Public Affairs examines the personal, institutional and strategic circumstances that public (and nonprofit and business) leaders confront as they conduct their work. The course focuses on the exercise of leadership, particularly the development and execution of strategy, particularly within the context of politics and government. Students will explore the strategic calculi employed by leaders as they attempt to mobilize support, achieve personal influence, and exercise institutional authority to accomplish objectives.
Prerequisite: none
Leadership and Strategy in Public Affairs examines the personal, institutional and strategic circumstances that public (and nonprofit and business) leaders confront as they conduct their work. The course focuses on the exercise of leadership, particularly the development and execution of strategy, particularly within the context of politics and government. Students will explore the strategic calculi employed by leaders as they attempt to mobilize support, achieve personal influence, and exercise institutional authority to accomplish objectives.
Prerequisite: none
3 hours; 3 credits
This course examines program evaluation in public and nonprofit contexts. Topics include: the nature, types, and purposes of evaluation; program theory and logic models; data collection, monitoring, and analysis; experimental and quasi-experimental evaluation designs; internal and external validity; politics of evaluation; stakeholder analysis; and ethics and standards.
Prerequisites: none
This course examines program evaluation in public and nonprofit contexts. Topics include: the nature, types, and purposes of evaluation; program theory and logic models; data collection, monitoring, and analysis; experimental and quasi-experimental evaluation designs; internal and external validity; politics of evaluation; stakeholder analysis; and ethics and standards.
Prerequisites: none
3 hours; 3 credits
This course is an advanced seminar in which students in their last semester before graduation produce a semester project drawing from the full course of study toward the Master of Public Administration (MPA). The project may involve policy research, intensive study of an organization, development of a rationale for new or changed service programs, or some combination of these. Special attention is placed on incorporating knowledge from the core MPA curriculum.
Prerequisites: PAF 9172
This course is an advanced seminar in which students in their last semester before graduation produce a semester project drawing from the full course of study toward the Master of Public Administration (MPA). The project may involve policy research, intensive study of an organization, development of a rationale for new or changed service programs, or some combination of these. Special attention is placed on incorporating knowledge from the core MPA curriculum.
Prerequisites: PAF 9172
