Public Administration

Message from the Director

Why Public Administration? Many challenges that face our localities, states, and the U.S. as a whole lie outside the realm of the private sector. Concerns persist about our educational and healthcare systems, homelessness and access to affordable housing, and strains on our infrastructure and transportation systems. It is the nonprofit and governmental sectors that ultimately address these public issues when a market-based mechanism does not provide a solution. Nonprofit and government organizations, the public sector, deliver programs and services we, as community members, depend on.

At Fairfield University, we aim to prepare our students for their career choice as dedicated public service professionals. As an MPA program at a Jesuit institution, we value service, justice, diverse viewpoints, accountability, and inclusiveness. These are also key values found in public administration. We are committed to training our students to work with, and for, public sector organizations to implement and enhance the quality of the programs and services that affect us all.

Fairfield University’s MPA program allows students to personalize their degree. Our courses offer flexibility and convenience while still maintaining an exceptional graduate education. Faculty members have decades of experience working in the public sector as well as diverse academic backgrounds. Our students have a variety of academic backgrounds and professional experiences. This all creates a rich, vibrant classroom experience.

At our annual MPA Summit, held every spring, alumni, current students, faculty, and community leaders, come together for discussions on issues that are affecting our community. This remarkable forum not only provides a platform for civic engagement, but also creates an opportunity for students to network with alumni, faculty, and industry leaders. Students can also work directly with community partners through the Center for Social Impact’s Community Based Research program. In doing so, students gain a hands-on research-based learning experience that benefits the local community. Our students have used this opportunity to present research, gain internship experience, and complete their research project.

Why wait? Take the first step towards your journey in cultivating, enhancing, and expanding your knowledge, skills, and talents for a career in public service. I am confident that by applying and enrolling into Fairfield University’s MPA program it will be inspiring and rewarding.

For those interested in this exciting and rewarding course of study, please contact the Graduate Admissions Office (gradadmis@fairfield.edu) or the Director of the MPA Program:

Gayle Alberda
Director of the MPA Program
203-254-4000 x2324
galberda@fairfield.edu

PUAD 5400 Data Analysis for Public Administrators 3 Credits

Public administrators use data in a variety of ways. Data analysis is necessary for conducting policy analysis or evaluating programs and policies. Therefore, being able to understand, utilize, and apply data is a necessary part of public administration. In this course, students will learn how to utilize statistical concepts in their roles as public administrators. Students will also learn a variety of di ﬀ erent techniques used by public administrators to analyze and evaluate programs, services, and policies.

PUAD 5405 Introduction to Public Administration 3 Credits

This course provides an overview of the history, practical nature, and function of public administration and policy making at the federal, state, and local levels . It will examine the theories and concepts of bureaucracy, as well as the formulation and implementation of policy. Among the topics covered are organization theory, federalism and regulation, ethics and accountability, decision-making, and leadership and budgeting. Case studies will be used to facilitate class lectures and discussions.

PUAD 5410 Financial Management and Budgeting 3 Credits

Course Tags: Public Administration City Government

This course will examine the proper role government has to play in today's economy and will provide the fundamental and technical skills necessary to understand public budgeting and finances. Topics include the reasons for government involvement in the economy (market failure and redistribution), budgeting techniques at all levels of government, and sources of tax revenue. There will be a strong emphasis on issues related to state/local governments. By the end of this course students should have a strong understanding of the budgetary process at all levels, but in particular at the state/local level of government.

PUAD 5415 Human Resource Management 3 Credits

This course is designed to acquaint students with both the theory and practice of human resource management in the public and nonprofit sectors. The class will consist of readings, discussions, and exercises that will demonstrate public personnel management techniques and strategies. Students will leave the course with a deeper understanding of the difficulties involved in effective public personnel management.

PUAD 5420 Research Methods 3 Credits

This course introduces students to research methodologies used in the social sciences and prepares them to design and conduct research relevant to public administration. Emphasis is placed on understanding foundational research techniques, including research design, literature review strategies, data collection methods, selection of appropriate analytical approaches, and ethical considerations in public-sector research. Students will learn to formulate research questions, evaluate existing scholarship, and develop a well-structured research proposal focused on a problem or topic within public administration. By the end of the course, students will be equipped with the methodological skills necessary to undertake independent applied research.

PUAD 5425 Administrative Leadership and Ethics 3 Credits

This course explores leadership within the public sector. It focuses on leadership theories, leadership skills and how to develop them within an ethical framework. What can, or should, we expect from our leaders in the public sector? What can, or should, our public leaders expect from us? What is the nature of the relationship between the two? How do we ensure ethical behavior as public administrative leaders?

PUAD 5430 Economics of the Nonprofit Sector 3 Credits

Course Tags: Public Administration Nonprofit Management

This course will examine both the role that nonprofits play in the U.S. economy and how charitable organizations are managed and financed, including the interplay between the government and the Third Sector. Particular attention will be paid to distinctions between successful (impactful) nonprofits and those that are less effective in pursuing societal needs. New forms of philanthropic organizations will be examined, including benefit corporations and social marketing enterprises. In addition, new ethical practices, including impact investing, will be surveyed. Case studies will be utilized to illuminate the economic circumstances that can impact Individual nonprofits.

PUAD 5435 Grant Writing 3 Credits

Course Tags: Public Administration Grant and Proposal Writing

This course will prepare participants to write effective proposals and reports. It will also provide information on planning special fundraising events, requesting funds from donors and seeking funds from corporations and foundations. Students will learn to define and write problem statements, objectives, plans of action, assessment documents, budgets and project summaries. In addition, students will sharpen their teamwork, editing, writing, audience awareness, and design skills as they engage in collaborative projects with a nonprofit organization or government agency.

PUAD 5440 State and Local Government 3 Credits

This examines the political processes and institutions of U.S., state, and local governments. By the end of the course, students will be able to discuss the state/federal/local relationships within the context of the American Constitution and political process, examine the various governmental structures and functions of state and local governments and how these structures impact the political process, demonstrate an understanding of the role states and localities play in the elections and the political process, understand the institutions of state and local governments including how they vary, and the various policy issues before the states and local governments.

PUAD 5445 Urban Policy 3 Credits

This course examines how decisions shape the ways in which people live in cities. Over the past century and a half, cities have become the center of social, economic, political, and cultural activity. With a focus on urban policy from post-WWII to present, students will examine at theories and solutions to urban problems, such as housing, economic revitalization, transportation, socio-spatial segregation, health and welfare, sustainability, while paying particular attention to the roles and responsibilities of levels of government, how politics can influence policy, and the relationship between government, non-profit, and private sectors.

PUAD 5470 American Public Policy 3 Credits

This course is an introduction into the study of public policy. Students will learn about the various models and theories surrounding the study of public policy. Several specific policies will be covered, such as healthcare policy, civil rights policy, and environmental policy. By the end of this course, students will have an understanding of significant public policies, how public policies are formulated, the tools and techniques used in making public policy, and the ability to assess public policies.

PUAD 6999 Seminar in Public Administration 3 Credits

This graduate capstone seminar provides students with an integrative, culminating experience in the Master of Public Administration program. Working under the close mentorship of a faculty advisor, students design, execute, and present an applied research project that demonstrates mastery of public administration theory, research methods, and professional competencies.

Professors in the program are full-time faculty of the Meditz College of Arts and Sciences and the Dolan School of Business, or are affiliated faculty with expertise in critical areas.

Associate Professors

Alberda (Politics), Director
Bhattacharya (Management)
Murray (Economics)

Affiliated Faculty

Delgado
Penagos
Sobocinski
Stallworth
Tran
Quan