Proposal #
(Academic Affairs use only)
AY16-606 Proposal #
(College use only)
REQUEST FOR PROGRAM CHANGE(S)
University of Central Oklahoma
Name of program-major or minor to be changed:
(maximum of 30 spaces)
Existing Name:
Master of Public Administration–Public Administration
Proposed Name:
(if changing)(maximum of 30 spaces)
*Remember when abbreviating names, this is how they will appear on student’s transcripts.
Master of Public Administration-Public & Nonprofit Management [29 spaces for name of
major]
Proposed Name: (full name of program/major if longer than 30 spaces)
Master of Public Administration-Public & Nonprofit Management
Is this a:
X
Program
X
Major
Proposed change:
X Name Change
Degree Designation
Admission Requirement
Is this program:
Minor
Sequence of Courses
X Curriculum Change
GPA Requirement
Other:
Undergraduate
X Graduate
Is this a teacher preparation program? (All courses required for any teacher preparation program must have
approval from the Council on Teacher Education (CTE) before approval from AACC or Graduate Council.)
Yes
X No
If yes, send copy of proposal to the Director of Teacher Education, Dr. Bryan Duke.
CTE Approval (Stamp or initial)______________________
Political Science
Department submitting the proposal
Brett Sharp
Person to contact with questions
bsharp@uco.edu
5526
email address
Ext. number
Approved by:
Department Chair
Date
College Curriculum Committee Chair
Date
(Please notify department chair when proposal is forwarded to dean.)
College Dean
Date
Academic Affairs Curriculum or Graduate Council
(Please notify department chair when proposal is forwarded to AA.)
Office of Academic Affairs
Academic Affairs Form
May, 2014
Date
Effective term for this program change
(Assigned by Academic Affairs)
Functional review _________
(undergraduate proposals only)
Date
1. Does this program change affect other programs or departments?
X
Yes
No
If yes, provide name(s) of department chair(s) contacted, date(s), and results of
discussion(s).
The addition of the course GEO 5113: Geographical Information Systems to the “Guided Electives” affects
the History and Geography Department. On February 26, 2016, Dr. Brett Sharp sent an email to Dr. Brad
Watkins, the current instructor of this course, and inquired about the feasibility and acceptability of
including this course among the guided electives in the MPA program. Dr. Watkins agreed to reserve 5
spaces for graduate students when this course is offered. Dr. Sharp then forwarded this email exchange
that same day to Dr. Patti Loughlin, the chair of the History and Geography Department and she gave her
blessing to go forward with this proposed change.
2. Proposed curriculum change(s):
(Please include entire major/minor as it exists and as it is proposed. Italicize and bold changes.)
FROM
TO
(Existing Catalog Requirements)
(Proposed Catalog Requirements)
Required Courses……...…..…..21 Hours
Required Courses………..……..21 Hours
POL 5033 Research Methods
POL 5193 Public Finance and Budgeting
POL 5293 Public Administration Dynamics
POL 5413 Public Policy Analysis
POL 5423 Public Executive Leadership
POL 5473 Public Sector Human Resources
POL 5983 Capstone Paper
POL 5XX3 Public Administration Dynamics
POL 5033 Research Methods
POL 5193 Public Finance and Budgeting
POL 5413 Public Policy Analysis
POL 5423 Public Executive Leadership
POL 5473 Public Sector Human Resources
POL 5983 Capstone Paper
Guided Electives……….....……..9 Hours
Guided Electives………...………..15 Hours
POL 5013 Urban History of Policy/Admin
POL 5043 Municipal Management
POL 5113 Advanced Contemporary Problems
POL 5123 Problems-The Budgetary Process
POL 5133 Problems-State & Urban Government
POL 5153 American Politics
POL 5163 Intergovernmental Relations
POL 5173 Urban Planning and Politics
POL 5203 Public Organizational Theory
POL 5223 Presidency & Executive Branch
POL 5353 Ethics in the Public Service
POL 5433 Minority Politics & Policy
POL 5443 Environmental Politics
POL 5453 Cases in Public Administration
POL 5463 Managing Nonprofit Organizations
POL 5483 Administrative Law
POL 5513 Public Program Evaluation
POL 5523 Urban Housing Policy
POL 5533 Dispute Resolution/Negotiation
POL 5543 State Administration & Policy
POL 5653 International Organization
POL 5783 Health Policy & Administration
POL 5930 Individual Study in Government
POL 5950 Internship
GEO 5113: Geographical Information Systems
POL 5013 Urban History of Policy/Admin
POL 5043 Municipal Management
POL 5113 Advanced Contemporary Problems
POL 5123 Budgeting for Cities & States
POL 5133 Problems-State & Urban Government
POL 5153 American Politics
POL 5163 Intergovernmental Relations
POL 5173 Urban Planning and Politics
POL 5203 Public Organizational Theory
POL 5223 Presidency & Executive Branch
POL 5353 Ethics in the Public Service
POL 5363 Urban Sustainability
POL 5433 Minority Politics & Policy
POL 5443 Environmental Politics
POL 5453 Cases in Public Administration
POL 5463 Managing Nonprofit Organizations
POL 5483 Administrative Law
POL 5513 Public Program Evaluation
POL 5523 Urban Housing Policy
POL 5533 Dispute Resolution/Negotiation
POL 5543 State Administration & Policy
POL 5553 Espionage and Intelligence
POL 5563 Economic Development
POL 5583 Comparative Public Administration
POL 5XX3 Crisis Management
POL 5XX3 Immigration Policy
POL 5XX3 Science and Technology Policy
POL 5653 International Organization
POL 5663 Politics and the World Economy
POL 5783 Health Policy & Administration
POL 5930 Individual Study in Government
POL 5950 Internship
General Electives……...……..6 Hours
POL 5023 Scope of the Discipline
POL 5273 International Politics Risk Analysis
POL 5323 Constitution & Criminal Procedure
POL 5333 Constitution & Civil Liberties
POL 5553 Espionage and Intelligence
POL 5623 American Foreign Policy
POL 5643 International Security Studies
POL 5663 Politics and the World Economy
Academic Affairs Form
May, 2014
Functional review _________
(undergraduate proposals only)
3. Degree Designation: (Example, B.A. to B.F.A.) NA
Existing Designation:
To:
4. Change(s) in Minimum GPA Requirements: NA
FROM (Existing Catalog Requirements)
TO
(Proposed Catalog Requirements)
5. Change(s) in Admission Requirements for the Program/Major: NA
FROM (Existing Catalog Requirements)
TO (Proposed Catalog Requirements)
6. Other requested action:
A. Replace all references to “Core Competency Exam” to “Core Comprehensive
Exam.”
B. Assign the lowest number possible to the Public Administration Dynamics course
(POL 5003?)
7. Will requested change require additional funds?
Yes
X No
If yes, please specify the amount of the additional costs, the source of the funds, and how they will
be expended over the next three years, including new or re-allocated full or part time faculty/staff.
Additional Funds
Amount of additional costs
20__
20__
20__
Source of funds
How funds will be expended
8. Please provide a summary of the requested changes.
The name of the major for the general-track “Master of Public Administration” degree is
being changed from “Public Administration” to “Public and Nonprofit Management.” The
number for the Public Administration Dynamics course should be lowered to place it at
the top of the list of required courses (POL 5003?). The number of credit hours in the
Guided Electives is increased from 9 to 15. GEO 5113: Geographical Information Systems
is added to the “Guided Electives.” The category of “General Electives is being dropped.
POL 5123 Problems-The Budgetary Process is renamed POL 5123 Budgeting for Cities &
States. POL 5553 Espionage and Intelligence and POL 5663 Politics and the World
Economy are being retained from the General Electives by moving these courses to the
Guided Electives. Add the new courses, Crisis Management, Urban Sustainability,
Immigration Policy, and Science and Technology Policy (a “Request for a New Course”
form is being submitted simultaneously for each of these proposed course additions).
Academic Affairs Form
May, 2014
Functional review _________
(undergraduate proposals only)
9. Please provide a concise, yet comprehensive, statement that explains the reasons for requesting
the change. Include documentation or assessment information supporting the specific request (if possible).
The name of the major for the general-track “Master of Public Administration” degree is being changed from
“Public Administration” to “Public and Nonprofit Management” in order to avoid repetition of the major and
the degree name, provide a more realistic description of the curriculum content and the purpose for the
degree, and to provide additional flexibility for students to market their MPA credential in their future career
endeavors. Also, the name of the program is being changed from “Master of Public Administration” to
“Public Administration” in order to avoid repetition of the program and degree name.
The number for the Public Administration Dynamics course should be lowered (POL 5003?) so that it
appears in the Graduate Catalog and on plans of study as the first course recommended for students to take
in the MPA program. It is designed to acculturate students who may be coming from different majors or who
may not have been in school for some years to the discipline and its expectations.
The category of “General Electives” is dropped because it is confusing to students and most of these
courses are only tangentially related to the practice of public administration. It has already been our
standard practice to substitute any of the guided electives for the general electives.
The number of Guided Electives is increased from 9 to 15 in order to reach the requisite 36 hours for the
degree.
The addition of the GEO 5113: Geographical Information Systems is added to the “Guided Electives”
because of previous students requesting and getting approval to add this course to their Plan of Study. This
course provides an excellent analytical skill for public administrators to understand the communities that
they serve and to communicate to citizens the basis for decisions through easy-to-understand graphical
representations.
POL 5123 Problems-The Budgetary Process is renamed POL 5123 Budgeting for Cities & States. This
change is a recommendation from a committee set up by the City Management Association of Oklahoma
(CMAO), which is a major stakeholder in our program. CMAO’s Curriculum Committee was initially formed to
review the content of the Municipal Management class but they extended their mission to review other
curricular issues in the UCO MPA program. The committee members strongly recommended that municipal
budgeting explicitly cover the specific budget constraints of city and state governments (e.g. the
requirement to have a balanced budget). These recommendations were formalized and approved at the
Board Meeting at CMAO in December 16, 2015 and forwarded to the UCO Political Science Department
through Kory Atcuson, a recent UCO MPA graduate and member of the CMAO Curricular Committee.
POL 5553 Espionage and Intelligence and POL 5663 Politics and the World Economy are being retained from
the deleted General Electives and moved to the Guided Electives because of the relevance of both courses
to administrative decision-making and policy.
POL 5563 Economic Development and POL 5583 Comparative Public Administration should have been
included in the Guided Electives for the current catalog but we overlooked submitting the paperwork when
those courses were added to the curriculum.
Crisis Management, Urban Sustainability, Immigration Policy, and Science and Technology Policy are all
courses that have been “pilot tested” on a regular basis in the classroom through the POL 5910
Seminar/Special Topics venue. These are always accepted as Guided Electives for the MPA. This addition
will institutionalize the expectation that these courses will continue to be routinely offered and accepted as
Guided Electives. A “Request for a New Course” form is being submitted simultaneously for each of these
proposed course additions.
Replace all references to “Core Competency Exam” to “Core Comprehensive Exam” to accurately reflect the
current lexicon of the Political Science Department.
Academic Affairs Form
May, 2014
Functional review _________
(undergraduate proposals only)