NGO Education Survey

MPS 500 | INTRODUCTION TO PUBLIC SERVICE MANAGEMENT

Introduces students to organizational theories and practices useful to public service managers. Teaches students how to use structural, human resource, political and symbolic perspectives to rethink public service organizations. Provides an introduction to managerial issues including workforce diversity, decision making and leadership; stresses critical thinking and writing skills.

MPS 501 | CROSS-SECTOR ANALYSIS

This course examines the size, scope, capacity, and limitations of the nonprofit, government, and business sectors, in the domestic and international context. Students will be introduced to research and become familiar with print and electronic resources and databases. They will learn to develop meaningful research questions, write literature reviews, and analyze the interrelationships among the three sectors.

MPS 508 | INTRODUCTION TO NONPROFIT MANAGEMENT

This course provides and introduction to and overview of the most important skills needed in managing a nonprofit organization, and gives students a chance to practice those skills using contemporary and historical case studies. Topics covered include the history, scope, and significance of the nonprofit sector, theories of the nonprofit sector, law and governance, resource development and volunteer management, social entrepreneurship, marketing, external relations, the nonprofit life cycle, competition and collaboration, and relationships with business and government.

MPS 513 | VOLUNTEERISM IN GLOBAL CIVIL SOCIETY 

This course examines the concept of volunteerism within global civil society, especially nonprofit organizations and government associations. This includes an analysis of the role of volunteers in US and global civil society, the motivation to volunteer and how to effectively recruit, train, supervise and evaluate volunteers. Students develop an understanding of the role of volunteers in the management of any social program.

MPS 515 | NONPROFIT FINANCIAL ADMINISTRATION 

This course explores key issues in operations budgeting and capital budgeting. Specific skill sets include cash flow analysis, variance analysis, present value techniques, interpreting financial statements, and evaluating financial performance.

MPS 519 | RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT

This course teaches students the theories and techniques of resource development. We discuss the fundraising tradition in the U.S., principal donor types, theories of donor behavior, and the organizational, legal and ethical contexts of fundraising. Students learn basic fundraising tools, including planning, grant writing, special events, major gifts, planned giving, and capital campaigns. Students work as volunteer consultants with nonprofit partners to analyze their current fundraising strategies and materials and help them develop new ones.

MPS 522 | FUNDAMENTALS OF HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

This course explores human resource issues facing employees with supervisory responsibilities in public service organizations, including those working in the volunteer, non-profit, religious, government, and education sectors. The course considers human resource planning, employee recruiting and selection, and the motivation and evaluation of staff personnel and managers both individually and in teams. Topics include recruiting and selecting employees and managers, fostering team development, managing employee stress, preventing workplace violence, and handling issues pertaining to termination, training, and development. The course also explores progressive discipline and, improving performance management of employees and volunteers.

MPS 533 | APPLIED STATISTICS FOR PUBLIC SERVICE

Using Microsoft Excel software, this course introduces students to the use of quantitative data in policy, public management, and nonprofit decision-making. Topics include: causal inference, descriptive statistics, data visualization, probability, statistical inference, and regression analysis. Students gain hands-on experience managing and analyzing large datasets and critically reviewing quantitative research conducted by others. Special attention is given to best practices for presenting quantitative findings to diverse stakeholders.

MPS 536 | APPLIED STATISTICS FOR PUBLIC SERVICE

Using SPSS software, this course introduces students to the use of quantitative data in policy, public management, and nonprofit decision-making. Topics include: causal inference, descriptive statistics, data visualization, probability, statistical inference, and regression analysis. Students gain hands-on experience managing and analyzing large datasets and critically reviewing quantitative research conducted by others. Special attention is given to best practices for presenting quantitative findings to diverse stakeholders.

MPS 546 | ADVOCACY AND LOBBYING 

Explores the roles of individuals and organizations in the public policy process, particularly as power arrangements facilitate or impede consensus building. Examines how legislation is written and how administrative rules are formed in government agencies. Special attention is paid to advocacy techniques such as lobbying, public education, and litigation.

MPS 583 | RESEARCH METHODS FOR PUBLIC SERVICE

This course introduces students to the principles underlying scientific research and how these principles apply to policy design and evaluation. Students learn about research ethics, causality, sampling (both random and purposive), and collecting data through surveys, interviews, focus groups, and observation. Students learn applied research, including needs assessment, program theory and logic models, and process, outcomes, and impact evaluations. Students also develop the research proposal that they will carry out for their capstone project in MPS 593. MPS 533 or MPS 536 is a pre-requisite for this course.

MPS 593 | INTEGRATIVE SEMINAR

In this capstone course students complete an action research project integrating applied research, theoretical frameworks, and professional practice.

MPS 594 | ETHICAL LEADERSHIP IN PUBLIC SERVICE 

This course provides students with the framework for personal and professional ethical decision making applied in the context of diverse workplaces and international organizations. Through lectures on ethical theories, case studies in applied ethics, and specific assignments, students clarify their personal-professional values, assess their moral intelligence, and develop their ethical leadership integrity. Students will also study the ethics of organizations, including the formation of social norms, how they influence individual decisions, and how entire organizations can become more ethical.