The following outcomes are considered the minimum expectations for each course. The purpose of these outcome statements is to enable assessment to be on-going. The important point here is that learning outcomes are the priority of the program.
PA 6003 – Public Administration & Public Policy
This is the foundational course for the MPA program. It is imperative that the student receive a comprehensive view of the field overall. The following elements are necessary for this to be accomplished:
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History – the student should be familiar with the history of the field of public administration.
This focuses on the beginning of the field in the U. S. with the Woodrow Wilson article “The
Study of Administration” and the development of theories of public administration in the U. S. and internationally. The history should include the key figures of public administration and the evolution of theory as it develops up to and including the 21 st Century.
Bureaucratic theory – students must be familiar with the definition of bureaucracy both in terms of the organizational form and the segment of the government at the federal, state, and local levels. This familiarity should include a clear understanding of the article by Max
Weber, “Bureaucracy” and the analysis and discussion of this landmark piece. The student must be familiar with the impact of the bureaucratic ethos in public administration. The student must also be familiar with alternative models to bureaucracy.
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Values in public administration – students must be familiar with the role played by competing values in public administration. The primary values with which the student must be familiar include efficiency, effectiveness and equity. The student must be familiar with the tension that exists between these values and must be able to describe how these values are exhibited in administrative behavior.
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Decision theory – students must be familiar with decision theory in terms of how decisions are made in organizational settings. The student must be able to describe various models of decision making including but not limited to: rational, incremental, and symbolic-interpretive.
The student should be able to identify the dynamics of decision making in a case setting.
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The role of the public administrator – students must be able to demonstrate an understanding of the various roles of the public administrator in a democracy. This is demonstrated by an advanced personal statement of the proper role of government based upon political theory and philosophy.

PA 6013 – Statistics in Public Administration
This course is intended to ensure that all MPA graduates are familiar with statistics such that they are sufficiently conversant to understand and evaluate statistical reports. The intention is not that they become statisticians per se but that they are comfortable in reviewing statistical reports. The following items should be addressed in the course:
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Sampling – Students should be familiar with various sampling methods. They should understand the strengths and weaknesses of the methods and appropriate applications. The
MPA graduate should be able to determine when a sampling method is valid and recognize errors in sampling.
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Significance – Students should understand the importance of significance in statistical analysis.
This includes the proper appreciation for establishing significance and an accurate definition.
Students should also recognize what significance does not mean.
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Accuracy – Students should be competent in understanding the accuracy of statistical data.
This includes an understanding of standard deviation, variance, and error rates. The student must demonstrate a comprehension of the proper interpretation of statistical data in terms of probability.
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Testing – Students must be familiar with various forms of data tests for comparative and analytical purposes. This includes Chi-square, T-tests, anova, and groupings.
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Software – Students must be familiar with the use of statistical software, including the setting up of data sets and conducting analysis. The preferred software for this purpose is SPSS.
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Ethics – Students must be able to discuss the ethical dimensions of statistical studies and their application.
PA 6023 – Ethics
This course should present the principles of ethics as they are associated with public administration.
The outcome of the course should be the ability of the student to describe and apply different ethical models to situations relative to public administration. The student should have learned the following:
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Models of ethics – Students must be familiar with the various approaches to ethics including: deontological, consequential, intuitive, teleological, and virtue ethics. The MPA graduate should be able to describe each of these approaches and apply them to a decision circumstance.
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Personal philosophy – The MPA graduate should have a clearly developed personal ethical philosophy. This means that the graduate understands their own preference for ethical decisions. To demonstrate this, the graduate should be able to describe how their model of ethical decision making differs from those not chosen.
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Case studies – The MPA graduate should be able to develop a case study analysis of ethical situations. This means that they should be able to craft, without prompts, an analysis that includes a discussion of the key ethical issues, the values that are relevant, and how the different ethical approaches would likely decide the case.

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Ethics in Public Administration – MPA graduates should be familiar with the ethical norms of public administration, which includes the Code of Ethics published by the American Society for
Public Administration.
PA 6033 – Rural Politics
This course must familiarize the MPA student with the unique features of rural politics as they impact the public administrator. The student should be familiar with how being an administrator in a rural environment both differs from and is similar to being an administrator in urban settings. The course must include the following outcomes:
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Government structure -- The MPA graduate must be familiar with the most common forms of rural governments including the various municipal forms, county governments and regional administration of state and federal offices. Students should be able to d raw on multiple ways of knowing to gain an appreciation for the diverse people, landscapes, and cultural traditions that constitute rural America.
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Social Construct -- Students must become familiar with various ways of defining, identifying, and understanding rural America, and explore the implications of alternative approaches.
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Critical Issues -- The MPA student must develop a deeper understanding of selected issues currently confronting rural America. These include economic shifts, demographic changes, educational challenges, and cultural changes.
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Sense of Community -- The student should be able to describe what it means to live in a
“rural community” and examine the issues facing residents of these communities. The student should also be able to describe how these issues affect the public administrator and how policies may be designed to improve the lives of rural citizens.
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Agri-culture -- The MPA student must be able to evaluate the economic, social, environmental, and governmental impacts of changes in the structure of agriculture on rural areas.
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Ethics – The student will be conversant in the ethical challenges of rural communities, especially as they relate to issues of privacy and boundaries.
PA 6043 – Legal Issues in Public Administration
This course should prepare the MPA student to function in the legal environment of public administration. The primary interest is for the MPA student to be able to identify the resources for acquiring information related to legal matters in administration. This course involves the study of the organization, function and procedures of state and federal administrative agencies, including the investigatory, rule-making, adjudicatory, and enforcement functions of such agencies, and judicial review of administrative action.
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Framework -- The student should be able to identify the Constitutional framework of administrative law and how administrative adjudication and rule-making by executive branch agencies fit into the Constitutional framework.

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Principles -- The student will be able to identify how specific constitutional principles of structural, substantive, and procedural due process constrain quasilegislative and quasi-judicial administrative action.
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Administrative procedures -- The student should be able to describe the process of administrative adjudication. This will include an understanding of the basic elements of administrative hearings, their core procedural requirements, and the underlying reasons for their existence.
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Administrative rule-making -- The student will be familiar with the process of administrative rule-making as a part of the legal process. The student will also be familiar with the federal Administrative Procedure Act as well as the Arkansas equivalent.
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Judicial review -- The student will be familiar with the process of judicial review of administrative actions, including the process for obtaining judicial review, the scope of judicial review of administrative actions and the deference to agency interpretations of the law.
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Ethics – The student will have developed an understanding of the relationship between law and ethics. This will include an association of the different ethical models to clarify the difference between the two.
PA 6053 – Public and Non-Profit Budgeting
This course is intended to familiarize the MPA student with the public and non-profit budgeting process. Particular attention is paid to the politics of public budgeting and the implications of a variety of budgeting strategies.
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Budgeting process -- The student will be familiar with the general public budgeting process at the national, state and local levels. This will include the constitutional and legal requirements as well as the established procedures.
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History -- The student will be familiar with the history of public budgeting in the U.
S. with particular attention to the reforms and their purposes.
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Budgeting strategies -- The student will be familiar with particular budgeting strategies, including line-item budgeting, performance budgeting, Planning,
Programming Budgeting System (PPBS), Zero-based Budgeting (ZBB), Management by Objective budgeting (MBO), Target-based budgeting, and budgeting as political management. The student should be able to describe the strengths and weaknesses of each of the strategies as well as the historical outcomes.
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Accounting -- The student should be familiar with the Government Accounting
Standards Board (GASB) and the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB), especially as they demonstrate the difference between public and non-profit standards.
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Public Finance -- The student should be familiar with the various public financing options including general obligation bonds, municipal bonds, and short term loans.
In this, the student should be familiar with the procedures associated with the financing options and the strengths and weaknesses of each option.

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Contract management -- The student should be familiar with the processes associated with contract management as it relates to contracting out services, purchases, acquisitions, and inter-agency arrangements.
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Applied skills -- The student will demonstrate the ability to develop a budget with a team at a basic level. The budget presentation will include the technique used for developing the figures, the justification for the amounts, and the reasons for selecting the particular strategy applied.
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Ethics – The student will recognize the ethical challenges of public budgeting. Of particular interest is the nature of accountability with the public’s resources, transparency, and fairness.
PA 6063 – Policy Analysis & Program Evaluation
This course should provide the student with a working knowledge of policy analysis as a part of the field of public administration such that the student will be fully aware of the practice in terms of how it plays a role in the life of the public administrator. It also should expose the student to the more specific practice of program evaluation. Outcomes should include the following:
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Role of policy analysis -- The student will be able to describe the contribution of policy analysis to the policy process. This includes the influence of policy analysis as well as the impact of the analyst on the field in legal, political, and organization practice.
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Policy intent -- The student will be able to identify the manner in which the intent of a given policy is determined. This includes the enabling legislation, the administrative rules, and the mission statement of the relevant agency(ies).
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Problem identity -- The student should be able to identify the problem being addressed in a given policy. The definition of the problem will either be stated in terms of the excess/deficiency or the identified policy options.
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Methodology -- The student will be able to identify the method of analysis chosen in addressing the evaluative question. This includes a clear statement of why the particular method was chosen as well as other possible methods that could have been used.
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Policy Analysis process – The student will be able to describe the policy analysis process and the steps that are generally applied in the process.
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Quantitative methods -- The student will be familiar with quantitative methods of analysis. Specifically, the student will be able to demonstrate an ability to choose a quantitative method, describe the steps, identify the unit(s) of analysis, and the relationship of the results to the desired policy outcome. The student will also be able to describe the strengths and weaknesses of the quantitative model chosen.
During the course, the student should be exposed to specific quantitative models including cost-benefit analysis, decision trees, and survey methods.
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Qualitative methods -- The student will be familiar with qualitative methods of analysis. In so doing, the student must be able to differentiate qualitative analysis

from quantitative analysis and to describe the advantages and disadvantages of each. The student should be able to identify the desired outcomes from a qualitative analysis as it relates to the policy analysis question.
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Program evaluation -- The student will be familiar with program evaluation in the public context. This includes identification of the actual desired outcomes of programs, methods or strategies for their measurement/observation, and the establishment of standards of success.
PA 6073 Research Methods
This course is intended to prepare the MPA student to undertake research using appropriate methods, recognizing the need for clear research strategies and the role played by research in the profession. The primary learning outcome is the ability to develop a research design. The field of public policy and administration is multidisciplinary. Thus, in public policy research we see a variety of approaches used and often times two or more approaches used in the same research project. The competencies gained through the course include:
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Statement of the Problem -- The student should be able to develop a statement of the problem being addressed. This includes the logic of the research design explaining why the topic presents a problem and a review of the literature.
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Research models -- The student will be able to create, analyze and apply quantitative and qualitative research models and research designs. This includes operationalizing and measuring variables and indexes and a working knowledge of secondary data analysis, survey research and sampling, univariate analysis and the presentation of data, bivariate and multivariate analysis, and tests of statistical significance.
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Written proposal -- The student should be able to prepare and defend a written research proposal which includes selecting a research topic, choosing an appropriate research design, locating and using secondary data sources, and communicating the findings.
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Current issues -- Students should be able to analyze current research problems in the field of public administration. This includes the ability to describe the role of research in public administration and in the decision-making process.
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Technology -- The student should demonstrate the ability to use computer technology in research including the ability to use internet based resources to explore complex issues.
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Ethics -- The student should be able to discuss ethical issues associated with research, including the use of human subjects, the intersubjectivity of the researcher, and the application of research findings to policy choices.
PA 6083 Organizational Leadership
This course must develop in the MPA student an understanding of management in the public and non-profit sectors. This includes a process of developing the student’s own leadership philosophy based on the formal theories and applied research. The following competencies are the learning objectives:

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Organization theory -- The student must have a substantial knowledge of organizational and management theory. This includes specific theories beginning with classical theory to more recent postmodernist. The student must be able to describe how a theory is applied in managing public organizations.
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Decision theory -- The student should be able to discuss various decision-making theories as they apply to public administration and how the different theories will alter the likely result.
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Motivation theory -- The student should be able to develop an advanced discussion of motivation as it relates to both employees and management in the public and nonprofit sectors. The student should be able describe various theories of motivation and the strengths and weaknesses of each model.
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Power theory -- The student should be able to discuss the role of power in organizations. In so doing, the student must demonstrate knowledge of formal and informal power, the sources of power, and the appropriate use of power.
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Organizational change -- The student must be able to discuss principles of organizational birth, growth, change. and decline. Each student should have a developed appreciation of the significance of these elements of the life cycle of organizations.
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Structure -- The student should be able to describe the various theories of organizational structure including institutionalism, symbolic-interpretive models, enactment theory, and post structuralist theories. This student should be able to describe their own general concept of the nature of organizational structure.
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7. Cultural diversity – The student should be able to identify leaders from various cultural and gender backgrounds and to describe how culture plays a role in leadership style.
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Ethics -- The student should have a fully developed set of convictions on the ethics associated with organizational leadership in which they can discuss the proper role of the manager and the importance of ethics in decision making.
PA 6093 Community Development
This course provides MPA students with a detailed overview of principles and strategies of community development in rural and municipal areas. Through an examination of the underlying economic theories and case studies, along with a review of principles of public administration, the student will examine how rural communities in diverse cultural, political, and economic settings can build on local assets, skills, and capacities to improve the lives of residents.
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History -- The student will be able to describe the historical roots of community development in terms of philosophical, economic, and social foci.
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Community development concept -- The student will be able to develop a distinction between community development and economic development such that different policies emanate from each practice in local and regional development.
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Economic theory -- The student will be able to discuss the relationship of various economic theories to the forms of development that may be chosen. These should

include the law of comparative advantage, homo economicus, chrematistics, and general capitalist theory.
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Sustainability -- The student will be able to develop a working definition of sustainability that goes beyond maintaining the status quo and recycling. This should include all the dimensions of sustainability in terms of social, economic, environmental, and spiritual factors. This should also include a discussion of the role played by measurements of success, e.g., GDP, Leading Economic Indicators, and Index of
Sustainable Welfare.
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Development plan -- The student will be able to present a development plan for a particular issue within a community that meets the principles of sustainability. The plan should identify the alternatives considered and the strengths and weaknesses of each along with the values that were considered prevailing in the choice of strategies.
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Multiple use -- The student will be able to discuss the interaction of the various segments of community in terms of land use, agriculture, industry, labor, and the general welfare.
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Ethics – The student will be able to develop the ethical considerations of development strategy and impacts. This will include an awareness of the consequences for various stakeholders and the upholding of principles of a democratic society.
PA 6103 Systems Management
This course is intended to serve as an advanced examination of the field of public administration. As such it will seek to coagulate the learning objectives of the core classes.
This will be accomplished through an examination of the major themes of public administration through recent lenses of public service.
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Development of the Field -- The student should be able to describe the on-going development of the field of public administration in the 21 st Century, especially as it relates to New Governance and the public service perspective.
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Advanced values -- The student will be able to discuss the role of values in crafting a strategy of public administration in the U. S. This discussion should incorporate the challenges faced by public administrators in times of economic and social disruptions.
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Management models -- The student will be able to describe the observable shifts in leadership behaviors in the public sector when moving from a public management model through a public entrepreneurship model and into a public service model.
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Budgeting -- The student will be able to describe the role of the budget in terms of meeting performance measurements. In so doing, the student will identify the particular dynamics of the budgeting process that contribute to or detract from the accomplishment of policy outcomes.
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Policy analysis -- The student will be able to describe the importance of policy analysis in addressing the complex challenges of the 21 st Century and how such analysis is applied to implementation strategies.
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Organizational leadership -- The student will identify the adjustments to organizational leadership necessary to move to a model of public service. This will include the process

through which leadership models are chosen, assumptions about motivation, and the importance of power.
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Ethics -- The student will be able to discuss the continuing development of ethical models of public administration and identify the current trends of public accountability.
PA 6113 Professional Project
The Professional Project is designed to serve as the capstone product of the MPA program . It should demonstrate a level of competence on the part of the student that is expected of one with a professional degree. It should also involve an amount of effort appropriate to the credits to be assigned. The learning objectives generally may be specific to the particular project but the following general learning outcomes should be demonstrated.
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Research design -- The student must demonstrate the ability to develop a research design which includes a clear statement of the problem and the methods chosen to address the problem, along with a clear description of the intended use of the project itself.
Applied research -- The student must demonstrate an ability to engage in applied research, translating the skills gained in the MPA program into a written product that is of value to a particular agency.
Negotiation -- The student must demonstrate the ability to negotiate with an agency or individual to accurately develop a set of expectations for a professional project including a clear statement of the need for the product and its intended use.
Project composition -- The student must demonstrate the ability to independently construct the project and meet expected deadlines and other agreed upon expectations.
Evaluation -- The student must be able to defend the final product upon presenting it to the agency and the faculty advisor. This includes the content, design, and quality of the product itself.
Ethics – The student must demonstrate how ethical considerations were included in the development of the project.
PA 6123 Community Organizing
This course provides graduate students with a detailed overview of principles and strategies of community organizing as a function of policy development. Through an examination of the underlying theories of grassroots movements, strategies for citizen empowerment, and the role of these in influencing policy, along with a review of principles of public administration, the student will examine how community groups in diverse cultural, political, and economic settings can bring about change
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Empowerment -- The student will be able to describe theories of empowerment in terms of communities and organizations. This description will include the history of the theories of empowerment and the current prevailing models.

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Social capital -- The student will be able to describe theories of social capital and how they relate to the potential of public empowerment as well as the administration of successful community based problem solving.
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Coalitions -- The student will be able to describe the role of coalitions in community organizing, along with the strengths and weaknesses of building coalitions to address community issues.
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Consensus -- The student will be able to describe and demonstrate practices of consensus building. In so doing, the student will correctly define consensus and how it differs from common practices in public administration. The student will also be able to describe how consensus building practices may be incorporated into those of public administration.
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Social equity -- The student will be able to discuss the inferences of community organizing to those of social equity. This will include a discussion of how community organizing may or may not exacerbate the intensity of class warfare.
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Ethics – The student will demonstrate how ethical considerations interact with the practice of community organizing. Particular attention is paid to issues of conflict of interest and the greater good.
PA 6133 Non Profit Fundraising
This course focuses on ways to find funding for the operational, programmatic, and capital needs of the organization’s constituents, including techniques for identifying public and private donors, understanding economic and tax incentives for philanthropy, preparing grants and donation request, and assuring the expectations of donors are met. The following are the desired learning outcomes:
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Terminology -- The student should be able to describe grant terminology and the components of grant proposals such that they demonstrate an awareness of the key elements of grantsmanship.
Locating sources -- The student should be able to demonstrate the ability to conduct research which contributes to the successful grant application. This includes research in the
Library for background statistics, information for documentation for a grant proposal; an examination of resources for inclusion in grant proposals; and the development of supporting documentation.
Grantwriting -- The student should be able to write a complete grant proposal which includes the following: statement of the problem, statement of need, a sustainable plan of action, performance measurements, and a budget.
Philanthropy -- The student must demonstrate an awareness of the role of philanthropy and public resources in support of the non-profit sector.
Ethics -- The student must be able to discuss the ethical dimensions of fundraising and place these in the context of the practice of grantsmanship.

PA 6153 Public Personnel Administration
This course provides the MPA student with a working knowledge of issues in public personnel administration, including such topics as merit staffing, classification and compensation, performance appraisal, affirmative action programs and labor-management relations. Both federal and New York
State personnel systems are covered.
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Personnel systems -- The student will be familiar with the merit system in public administration, including the U. S. Civil Service System, the Arkansas classification system and those used in local governments.
Performance assessment -- The student will be able to describe performance evaluation systems that are used in public personnel administration. This description will include types of systems such as forced-choice, ranking, and interpretive. The student will also be able to describe the various models of administering evaluation systems.
Equal Employment Opportunity -- The student will demonstrate familiarity with the equal employment requirements in the U. S., including affirmative action programs, the
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and regulated forms of discrimination.
Position descriptions -- The student will be able to develop a position description which includes the observable performance measures and required qualifications. This will also a description of the process of classifying a position based on the description.
Sexual harassment -- The student will be able to describe the elements of sexual harassment policies and the proper definition of sexual harassment. The student will also be familiar with the avenues of prescription to address violations.
Labor relations -- The student will have a working knowledge of labor-management relations in the public sector including collective bargaining and the role of unions.
Professional development -- The student should be familiar with the significance of professional development in personnel administration including the various frameworks commonly used in the public sector.
Ethics – The student will be familiar with the ethical dimensions of human resource administration, particularly as they apply to the best interests of the agency and the individual.
PA 6163 Social Equity, Public Finance, and Organizational Development
This course is designed to develop a sophisticated understanding of the role played by social justice in public finance and organizational behavior. This involves the exploration of a variety of topics in some depth, integrating them with the objective of forming an overall perspective of the conduct of the public’s interest. Topics will include: revenue policy, redistributive impacts of finance, budgets as social policy, fairness in public employment, public administration as social catalyst.
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Taxation -- The student will be familiar with the role played by financing decisions in the public sector on social equity. This will include a clear understanding of concepts of

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regressivity, progressivity, and neutral taxation. It will also include an understanding of policies related to tax deductions and credits.
Fiscal policy – The student will demonstrate an understanding of the importance of various fiscal policies in areas of social equity. This includes any redistributive policies and impact on the economy at large.
Safety nets – The student will demonstrate an understanding of policies intended to provide a “safety net” for citizens. In so doing, the student will be aware of the different models of governance tied to social welfare.
Opportunity and access – Students will demonstrate an understanding of practices that contribute to or diminish equal access and opportunity and must be able to distinguish between the two.
General welfare – Students will demonstrate an advanced knowledge of the concept of the general welfare. This will be associated with larger theories of social science and political theory.
Fairness – The student will demonstrate an awareness of the role played by fairness in public employment and how these reflect social equity measures. This will also include recognition of affirmative practices necessary to ensure equity.
Management – The student will demonstrate familiarity with the relationship between management strategies and social equity. This will include an appreciation for the need for more affirmative approaches to providing opportunity for all members of the organization.
Ethics – The student will be familiar with the essential ethical conflicts in promoting social equity. These are most closely associated with the interests of the public employee and the public financier.
PA 6173 Public Administration and Social Justice
This course is intended to address the larger issues of justice in the public and non-profit sectors as they relate to society at large.
This course is designed to develop an understanding of the role played by social justice in the field of public administration. This involves the exploration of a variety of topics in some depth, integrating them with the objective of forming an overall perspective of the conduct of the public’s interest.
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Theory – The student will demonstrate an awareness of social justice theory in terms of how social political justice and economic justice interact and are in tension.
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Public policy – The student will develop a philosophy of the proper role of government in social justice i.e., to what extent is government responsible for bringing about justice and what means are acceptable within the context of a democratic republic.
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Public practice – The student will demonstrate an awareness of the responsibility of the administrator as advocate. This will include a development of a sound concept of what role is appropriate for the public administrator and the limits imposed on morally and legally.

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Distributive justice – The student will demonstrate a comprehension of the extant and theoretical underpinnings of a system of distributive justice. This appreciation will include a clear understanding of the part played by economic principles as well as political ones.
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Sources of injustice – The student will be able to identify sources of injustice as they are found in the practice of public administration today. This will include the various prescriptions to addressing these dynamics.
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Applied practice – The student will concentrate on approaching theories of social justice from a practitioner’s point of view. In so doing, the student must be able to demonstrate how theories of justice are applied in practice.
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Rural context – The student will develop a focus particularly on issues of justice in rural public administration. This will include an ability to identify the differences between addressing justice issues between an urban and a rural setting.
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Community development – The student will be able to describe how issues of social justice are remedied through the dimensions of “learning communities” and sustainability.
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Ethics – The student will develop a keen sense of the ethical dimensions of social justice in public administration. In so doing, the student will demonstrate a capacity for empathy for those being oppressed or abused by public systems.