Course Descriptions

Political Science

PSCI 5980 Individual Study (1-4 units)
For postbaccalaureate students who seek advanced and specialized study. Prerequisites: Consent of instructor and approval of graduate adviser.

PSCI 5990 Thesis (1-6 units)
Thesis research. May be repeated for a total of 6 units. Prerequisites: Consent of instructor and approval of graduate adviser.

Public Administration

PADM 5000 Administration in Public Affairs (3 units)
A graduate introduction to the problems, principles, and theory encountered in the profession of public administration. Specific areas covered include the rela­tionship between bureaucratic and democratic theory, organizational structure, policymaking, personnel administration, fiscal and budgetary processes, and administrative regulation. Prerequisite: PSCI 1201 or equivalent.

PADM 5006 Public Finance (3 units)
Examines potential role of government fiscal policy in a market economy. Includes some review of economic theory. Topics may include, but are not limited to, benefit-cost analysis, revenues, expenditures, fiscal federalism, and the impact of implementing fiscal policy. Prerequisite: ECON 2500 or 2510 or consent of instructor.

PADM 5007 State and Local Public Finance (3 units)
Examines the potential role of state and local governments in the economy with particular emphasis on application of economic tools to issues of importance within California. Topics may include, but are not limited to, revenues and expenditures, intergovernmental financial relations, public choice, benefit-cost analysis, and in-depth program evaluation. Prerequisite: PADM 5006.

PADM 5010 Quantitative Analysis (3 units)
Study of the basis of empirical research, and the collection and analysis of quantitative data for the purpose of decision-making. Prerequisites: CS 1000, an introductory course in social science methodology or statistics (e.g., MATH 1600), or consent of instructor and classified standing in the MPA program.

PADM 5015 Public Policy Analysis (3 units)
Study of processes by which public policy is formulated, implemented, and evaluated. Emphasis will be placed on increasing understanding and developing skills of critical assessment and inquiry about policies with respect to (a) the development of courses of action for problem resolutions, (b) the environmental context of policy actions, (c) the application/administration of public policy, (d) methods for the assessment of resultant impacts and consequences of policy actions. Prerequisites: PADM 5000 and 5010.

PADM 5100 Organizational and Administrative Theory (3 units)
(Same as MGT 5100) Examines the development and current emphases in organization theory from scientific management to existentialism. Focus is on the use of theory in public management. Prerequisite: Classified standing in the MPA program. (Fall)

PADM 5106 Organizational Development/Group Dynamics (3 units)
Uses an experiential skill-building approach towards improved interpersonal and group relations in a public sector environment. Students learn how to diagnose and influence the decision-making behavior of small groups. Prerequisite: PADM 5100 or consent of instructor.

PADM 5110 Public Personnel Administration (3 units)
An intensive overview of the personnel functions of public management. Top­ics include staffing, training and development, merit systems, labor relations, equal employment opportunity and affirmative action, and job evaluation. Prereq­uisite: Classified standing in the MPA program.

PADM 5120 Collective Bargaining in the Public Sector (3 units)
General survey of employer-employee relations in the public sector. Particular attention paid to developments in public employee collective bargaining legislation and present state of the art of negotiations for conflict resolution in the public sec­tor. Prerequisite: Classified standing in the MPA program or consent of instructor.

PADM 5130 Public Service Ethics (3 units)
Addresses ethical dilemmas inherent in the tension between organizations and individuals. Concepts include: administrative discretion, organiza­tional roles and role conflicts, organizational norms, procedures and structures, and responsible behavior. Skill development in ethical decision-making is empha­sized. Case studies from the public sector are used. Prerequisite: Classified standing in the MPA program.

PADM 5140 Combating Political Corruption (3 units)
Explores the nature and dynamics of political corruption in terms of waste, fraud, and abuse especially as it relates to the public sector. Particular emphasis on systemic corruption and the role of the whistleblower is examined. Prerequisites: PADM 5000 and classified standing in the MPA program.

PADM 5200 Public Agency Budgeting (3 units)
Covers line-item, performance, and program budgets at various governmental levels. Capital budgets and fiscal techniques are explored. PADM 5006 recommended. Prerequisite: Classified standing in the MPA program.

PADM 5203 Local Government Budgeting Simulation (3 units)
A hands-on simulation of the formation, adoption, and implementation of a city budget. Prerequisites: Classified standing in the MPA program and PADM 5200.

PADM 5300 Urban/Regional Planning (3 units)
The structure and role of urban and regional planning; the planning process, policy tools, planning models, urban indicators, growth limits, and policy objectives. Prerequisite: Classified standing in the MPA program or consent of the instructor.

PADM 5310 Environmental Planning, Policy, and Law (3 units)
Course provides public administrators and environmental scientists with (1) an understanding of relevant public policies and laws (2) the roles, resources and constraints facing environmental public and non-profit managers, and (3) the basics of planning and policy analysis. Prerequisites: Graduate standing, consent of student’s graduate adviser, and consent of instructor.

PADM 5400 Computer Applications in Public Administration (3 units)
Develops the knowledge and skills in computing needed by public administrators, planners, and policy analysts. The focus is on the use of computer programs important to effective public management. Applications include database management, spreadsheet analysis, statistical analysis, presentation graphics, communications, word processing, bibliographic retrieval, and project management. Examples are drawn from government and not-for-profit organization settings. Prerequisites: CS 1000 or equivalent and classified standing in the MPA program.

PADM 5500 Administrative Law and Public Policy (3 units)
Examines the basic principles of constitutional and administrative law, leading cases, judicial decisions affecting powers, procedures and processes of governmental agencies, (e.g., decision-making processes in execution of adminis­trative legislation, adjudication and discretion duties, and the rights and liabilities of public officials.) Prerequisite: Classified standing in the MPA program.

PADM 5505 Intergovernmental Relations (3 units)
Examines the administrative, political, and fiscal dimensions of intergovernmental relations. Focuses on the development of the federal sys­tem, the character of interlevel contacts, and the main features of intergovernmen­tal transfers. Prerequisite: Classified standing in the MPA program.

PADM 5554 Seminar in Case Analysis (3 units)
Examines various issues in public administration at the national, state, and local levels via the case method. Prerequisite: Classified standing in the MPA program or consent of instructor.

PADM 5600 Political Theory in Public Management (3 units)
Focuses on the evolution of Western political ideals and values. Students read and discuss works by such philosophers as Plato, Aristotle, Machiavelli, Locke, Marx, and Rawls. Political values and concepts discussed are related to contemporary problems of public management. Prerequisite: Classi­fied standing in the MPA program.

PADM 5654 Bureaucracy in Novels and Plays (3 units)
Examines public administration principles and practices as portrayed in fiction. Prerequisite: Classified standing in the MPA program or consent of instructor.

PADM 5700 County Government Administration (3 units)
A seminar designed to orient students with the politics, structure, and func­tions of county government in the United States. Particular attention is paid to functional areas of county responsibility (e.g., budgeting, planning, personnel) and the range of current problems faced by counties. Prerequisite: Classified standing in the MPA program.

PADM 5715 Health Services Administration (3 units)
Addresses management processes and policy issues unique to health care delivery. Topics will include advanced study of finance, program evaluation, planning, regulation, and the political and social environment of health services. Prerequisite: PADM 5000 or consent of instructor.

PADM 5720 Research Design/Program Evaluation (3 units)
A graduate-level course in research design and program evaluation. Addresses public programs, policies, and environments. Required of MPA students conducting thesis research. Recommended for program evaluation competency. Prerequisite: Classified standing in the MPA program or consent of instructor.

PADM 5940 Public Administration Internship (3 units)
Study of the scholarly and field dimensions of employment in public sector. Designed for students who are serving as interns in public agencies. Prerequisite: Classified standing in the MPA program.

PADM 5950 Seminar in Special Topics in Public Administration (1-5 units)
(Formerly PADM 5800) Analysis of selected topics in public administration. Topics may vary each semester. Such topics may include professionalism, public policy, and politics; urban area administration and policy; social science implications in public policy. Prerequisite: Classified standing in the MPA program.

PADM 5980 Individual Study (1-4 units)
For postbaccalaureate students in public administration who seek advanced and specialized study. Prerequisites: Consent of instructor and approval of gradu­ate adviser.

PADM 5990 Thesis (1-3 units)
Thesis research. To be repeated for a minimum of 3 units. Prerequisites: Classified standing in MPA program, consent of instructor, and approval of graduate adviser.

PADM 7005 Continuing Thesis or Project (0 units)
Non-credit course. Applicable to those students who have completed all registration for graduate coursework and who have registered for the maximum number of thesis or project units required by their program. Students must register each semester or term until they have secured faculty approval for their theses or projects.