A PASSION FOR PUBLIC SERVICE ONLINE MASTER OF AND POLICY
AMERICAN UNIVERSITY ONLINE MASTER OF AND POLICY American University s online Master of Public Administration and Policy (MPAP) blends foundational competencies from our nationally recognized Master of Public Administration and Master of Public Policy into one comprehensive program. Explore coursework that bridges public administration and policy analysis, positioning you to effectively advise policy and manage organizations. 2
POWERFUL LEADERSHIP IN POLICY AND Based in the nation s capital, American University is home to one of the top-ranked schools for public affairs in the country. For over 80 years, our School of Public Affairs has cultivated leaders who serve the public in countless positions and functions across all levels of government. The two-year online MPAP program offers you access to our vast network of prominent Washington experts: experienced practitioners, reputed faculty, and connected alumni. Upon completion of the MPAP degree, you will possess the knowledge and skills to: Analyze administrative problems and craft solutions by applying knowledge of organizational management and leadership, organizational structure and culture, human resource systems, as well as the political and legal context of contemporary public service organizations. Formulate, evaluate, and communicate public policies and programs using acquired analytic frameworks and methodological skills, including statistics, economics, and politics while considering their responsiveness, accountability, effectiveness and equity. Incorporate a range of constitutional and ethical values into policy and administrative analysis and actions, including respect for the diversity of people and perspectives in the policy process. Apply acquired skillsets, expertise, and values to real-world policy and organizational problems in a collaborative manner. WHY CHOOSE AMERICAN UNIVERSITY S MPAP? IT S IN THE NUMBERS. Within six months after receiving their degrees, 94 percent of our graduates in public administration and public policy report being employed, continuing graduate education, or both. The School of Public Affair s high rankings include: U.S. News & World Report America s Best Graduate Schools, 2018 No. 5 Top Public Management/Public Administration Program No. 18 Top Schools: Public Affairs No. 23 Top Public Finance and Budgeting Program No. 26 Top Public Policy Program Journal of Public Affairs Education Ranked 1 st in DC, 3 rd in the U.S. and 5 th worldwide for institutional impact on research in the field of public administration TopManagementDegrees.com, 2018 No. 14 Top Online Master s Degree in Public Administration The Princeton Review, 2018 No. 4 Most Politically Active Students Whether you re considering an MPA or MPP, with our MPAP program you will develop expertise in both subjects to advance your career and study at an institution with a longstanding and well-earned reputation in both fields. programs.online.american.edu 855.725.7614 3
A PROVEN CURRICULUM FROM A WELL-RANKED AND RECOGNIZED INSTITUTION Courses in the online Master of Public Administration and Policy are designed by experienced faculty members and instructors from American University s School of Public Affairs. They are among the most respected educators in their areas of focus, ensuring an education that is an in-demand mix of public administration and policy expertise. The online program consists of 12 three-credit courses (36 credits in all), each eight weeks long. It culminates in a capstone course in which you will incorporate what you ve learned into a significant advisory project for a real-world client. COURSES Introduction to Public Administration & the Policy Process Explore the evolution of public administration as a profession, discipline, and career. Foundations of Program Evaluation Acquire the foundations of policy and program evaluation to monitor success and become informed managers and decision makers. Legal Issues in Public Administration Familiarize yourself with the legal basis of government authority and the ways in which legal processes authorize yet limit executive action. Organizational Analysis Explore concepts and theories that explain organizations and organizational behavior and hear from practitioners who carry them out. Foundations of Policy Analysis Study the scope, methods, issues, and evolution of policy analysis to understand policy problems and devise solutions. Managing Human Capital Assets Gain knowledge of policies and managerial processes for the management of human capital. Public Managerial Economics Acquire fundamental concepts of microeconomics to develop informed policy analysis for managers. Leadership in a Changing Workplace Develop your leadership style and capacity through team-building, motivation, group dynamics, conflict resolution, diversity, and employee development. Budgeting and Financial Management Learn about public sector budgeting and budgetary processes by exploring real-world cases and scenorios. Project Management Learn to critically manage projects in government agencies, nonprofit organizations, or private sector organizations providing public services. Quantitative Methods Learn to use standard statistical techniques and analyses to inform managerial and policy decisions. Policy Practicum Working in small teams, apply what you ve learned to a real-world client project in partnership with a public or private organization. programs.online.american.edu 855.725.7614 4
REDEFINE YOUR PUBLIC SERVICE CAREER Government, nonprofit, and for-profit organizations hiring managers actively recruit professionals who have the foresight, knowledge, and critical thinking skills to craft policies and monitor their implementation and success. Those able to understand policy problems, create effective solutions, and successfully put them into action will continue to be in high demand. Your MPAP degree will prepare you for careers in: Public policy administration and implementation Project management Organizational analysis and development Community development Budgeting and public financial management Leadership in government and the nonprofit sector Public policy analysis and consulting Program evaluation (using qualitative and quantitative methods) City management Human resource management in government ant the nonprofit sector Our alumni in public administration and public policy have gone on to work in many high-profile agencies and organizations, including: American Institutes for Research Missile Defense Agency Booz Allen Hamilton Peace Corps Brookings Institution U.S. Department of State Environmental Protection Agency U.S. Senate Government Accountability Office World Bank programs.online.american.edu 855.725.7614 5
FACULTY Khaldoun AbouAssi, Assistant Professor, worked for more than 12 years at public and nonprofit organizations in the Middle East. In addition to his teaching duties, he serves as a consultant for NGOs and donor agencies. His research focuses on nonprofit and public management from a comparative perspective, examining organizational capacity, resources, and inter-organizational relations. Karen Baehler, Scholar in Residence, brings ten years of experience teaching in the U.S., Australia, and New Zealand. She is the co-author of Adding Value to Policy Analysis and Advice (University of New South Wales Press, 2010), which presents a new, systemsbased approach to policy analysis. Her professional experience includes ten years of work in Washington, DC think tanks. Professor Baehler is currently researching welfare implementation and environmental justice. Seth Gershenson, Assistant Professor, is currently researching the application of economic approaches to practical policy-driven issues in public education. At Michigan State University, where he earned a PhD in Economics, he received the Outstanding Teaching award. Professor Gershenson has also been honored with a New Scholar Award by the American Education Finance Association. Albert C. Hyde, Senior Scholar in Residence, is the author or editor of numerous textbooks in public administration, including Classics of Public Administration (Wadsworth, 2016) and Government Budgeting: Theory, Process, Politics (Wadsworth, 2002). He was a senior staff member and staff consultant at the Brookings Institution from 1997 to 2009, where he led major projects in strategy, innovation, and program evaluation for numerous federal agencies. Alison Jacknowitz, Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Public Administration and Policy, has a research focus on children s wellbeing, particularly in regard to food insecurity, poverty, and food assistance. Her work has appeared in a variety of scholarly journals including Demography, The Journal of Nutrition, and The Journal of Policy Analysis and Management. David Rosenbloom, Distinguished Professor of Public Administration, specializes in constitutional-administrative law, administrative theory, history, reform, and personnel management. An author or editor of over 300 scholarly publications, he frequently gives guest lectures at universities in the U.S. and abroad. His book Public Administration: Understanding Management, Politics, and Law in the Public Sector was ranked the fifth most influential book published in public administration from 1990-2010. Sonja Walti, Assistant Professor and Director of Online Programs, is an international scholar in public policy. She has conducted research related to land use planning, environmental policy, energy policy, nuclear waste management, fiscal policy, urban drug policy, and public-private partnerships from both a domestic and comparative perspective. Her work has been published in several pre-eminent international journals. Vicky M. Wilkins, Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Professor, has had her work published in The American Political Science Review, Public Administration Review, The Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, and many other journals. Her primary research interests include representative bureaucracy, bureaucratic discretion, and gender and race issues. Ruth Zaplin, Executive-in-Residence, served as a senior advisor and project director with the National Academy of Public Administration in Washington, DC, where she founded the Global Leadership Consortium. She has worked with the Centers for Disease Control on leadership development, succession planning, and diversity; designed a government center in Qatar to serve as a model of excellence in public sector leadership for the Middle East; and led an organizational change effort to integrate the core IRS financial management systems. Constance Lindsay, Professorial Lecturer, has worked in education policy through traditional studies as well as in the creation of new systems and policies regarding teachers. In her work for the District of Columbia Public Schools, she helped design and implement the IMPACT system for Special Education teachers in the District. Most recently, Dr. Lindsay was responsible for implementing teacher preparation legislation passed by the Delaware legislature. programs.online.american.edu 855.725.7614 6
To learn more about American University s online Master of Public Administration and Policy, call 855.725.7614 to speak with an admissions representative or visit programs.online.american.edu. ONLINE MASTER OF AND POLICY 7