School of Government (GRAD)

The UNC Master of Public Administration (M.P.A.) program offers a nationally ranked leadership degree for on campus and online students. Our graduates are public service leaders who transform the communities where they work and live.

UNC M.P.A. is housed within the School of Government, which is the nation’s largest university-based training, advisory, and research organization for public officials. Our M.P.A. students work directly with expert faculty who are also guiding, educating, and consulting with local and state officials throughout North Carolina and beyond on a daily basis. Our faculty bring their work with public officials back into the classroom, where students gain experience grappling with many of the same complex and interdisciplinary challenges they will face in their public service careers.   

To learn more about our top-ranked, flexible leadership degree, please see the program website.

Admission Requirements

All M.P.A. admission requirements can be found on the program website.

Master of Public Administration Program (M.P.A.)

Course Requirements

Coursework and requirements for the M.P.A. degree include a minimum of 45 semester hours of credit, a practicum, an applied research problem, and a final oral examination. These requirements are designed to ensure that each graduate possesses the core set of competencies that supports the M.P.A. program's mission of preparing public service leaders. 


An update was made to the program requirements on 7/18/2023, after the publication of the 2023-2024 Catalog. 

Core Courses
PUBA 709Foundations of Public Administration3
PUBA 710Organization Theory3
PUBA 711Public Service Leadership3
PUBA 719Public Administration Analysis and Evaluation I3
PUBA 720Public Administration Analysis and Evaluation II3
PUBA 721Professional Communications3
PUBA 723Human Resource Management3
PUBA 731Public Budgeting and Finance3
PUBA 760Law for Public Administration3
Electives
Select elective courses from the following options:15
15 hours of PUBA courses numbered 700 or higher
Electives may include 9+ hours from an optional concentration (see lists below)
Thesis/Substitute or Dissertation
PUBA 747Applied Research Problem l1.5
PUBA 748Applied Research Problem ll1.5
Total Hours45

 Local Government Concentration 

PUBA 751Local Government Management 13
or PUBA 738 Managing Local Government Services
Select additional courses from the following list to meet the minimum credit hours requirement for a concentration:6
Governmental and Not-for-Profit Accounting and Reporting
Productivity Improvement
Performance Management in Local Government
Capital Budgeting and Finance
Total Hours9
1

It is highly recommended that students take both PUBA 751 and PUBA 738 as part of the concentration. When both courses are taken, students would complete three additional credit hours from the list of additional courses.  

Nonprofit Management Concentration 

Select courses from the following list to meet the minimum credit hours requirement for this concentration:
PUBA 730Governmental and Not-for-Profit Accounting and Reporting3
PUBA 756Nonprofit Management3
PUBA 757Financial Management of Nonprofit Organizations3
PUBA 758Navigating Nonprofit Local Government3
PUBA 763Grant Writing and Evaluation1.5
PUBA 764Grant Writing3
PUBA 766Boards and Governance for Nonprofit Organizations1.5
PUBA 767Nonprofit Sector Systems Thinking and Collaboration1.5

Public Management Concentration

Select courses from the following list to meet the minimum credit hours requirement for this concentration:
PUBA 739Intergovernmental Relations1.5
PUBA 740Decision Analysis3
PUBA 744MPA Immersion1.5
PUBA 768Mediation Skills for Public Organizations1.5
PUBA 769Facilitation Skills for Public Sector Managers1.5
PUBA 772Mediation Skills for Public Managers3
PUBA 778Strategic Information Technology Management3
PUBA 787Applied Environmental Finance: How to Pay for Environmental Services3

Community and Economic Development

Select courses from the following list to meet the minimum credit hours requirement for this concentration:
PUBA 734Community Development & Revitalization Techniques3
PUBA 735Community Revitalization Applied3
PUBA 771Managing Economic Development3

International Relations (online students only)

9 credit hours approved through M.P.A. Online and taken at American University (online)

Public Health (online students only)

9 credit hours approved through M.P.A. Online and taken at George Washington University (online)

Milestones

The following list of milestones (non-course degree requirements) must be completed; view this list of standard milestone definitions for more information.
 
An update was made to the Milestones on 10/27/2023, after the publication of the 2023-2024 Catalog.

  • Master's Committee 

  • Professional Work Experience (PWE): Students will complete a Professional Work Experience Practicum (PWE). The PWE provides students an opportunity to further develop their competencies in public service work environment and to gain actual work experience for career advancement.

  • Master's Oral Examination (Master's Oral Examination SA) — Upon approval of the student's three-member faculty committee of the Applied Research Problem paper, students must successfully pass an oral examination conducted by the same faculty committee.

  • Thesis Substitute — Each student must complete PUBA 747 and 748 in which he/she is supported in the writing of an applied research problem. An applied research problem allows students to demonstrate active learning and problem-solving. This original research gives students discretion and a chance to demonstrate contemporary and applied work, which aligns with the program’s mission.

  • Residency Requirements 

  • Exit Survey — Students are asked to complete the Exit Survey, administered by the Graduate School, in a timely manner.

Recommended Checklist

  • Academic Course Planner — Students are requested to meet with the associate director of academic advising and student life in order to develop a curriculum plan tailored to individual needs.
  • Professional Development Plan — Students are requested to meet with the associate director of career services and professional development to understand what opportunities would allow them to apply theory to practice, build skills, develop relationship, and understand more about professional organizations. 

Professors

Maureen M. Berner, Public Administration and Government
Frayda S. Bluestein, Public Law and Government
Anita Brown-Graham, Gladys Hall Coates Distinguished Professor of Public Law and Government, Director, ncIMPACT Initiative
Leisha Dehart-Davis, Albert and Gladys Coates Distinguished Term Professor of Public Administration and Government
Shea R. Denning, Robert W. Bradshaw Jr. Distinguished Term Professor of Public Law and Government, Director, North Carolina Judicial College
Cheryl D. Howell, Albert Coates Professor of Public Law and Government
Willow S. Jacobson, Robert W. Bradshaw Jr. Distinguished Professor of Public Administration and Government and Director, UNC M.P.A. Program, Human Resource Management and Organizational Theory
Robert P. Joyce, Charles Edwin Hinsdale Professor of Public Law and Government
Diane M. Juffras, Albert and Gladys Hall Coates Distinguished Term Professor of Public Law and Government
James Markham, Thomas Willis Lambeth Distinguished Chair in Public Policy
Christopher B. McLaughlin, Public Law and Government
Kara Millonzi,  Robert W. Bradshaw Jr. Distinguished Professor of Public Law and Government
Jonathan Q. Morgan, Albert and Gladys Coates Distinguished Term Professor of Public Administration and Government
Ricardo S. Morse, Public Administration and Government; Director, LGFCU Fellows Program
Christopher Tyler Mulligan, Robert W. Bradshaw Jr. Distinguished Term Professor of Public Law and Government, and Director, Development Finance Initiative
Kim L. Nelson, Public Administration and Government
David W. Owens, Gladys Hall Coates Professor of Public Law and Government
William C. Rivenbark, Public Administration and Government
John Rubin, Albert Coates Professor of Public Law and Government, and Director, Public Defense Education
Jessica Smith, W. R. Kenan Jr. Distinguished Professor of Public Law and Government and Director, Criminal Justice Innovation Lab
Michael R. Smith, Dean Emeritus
Carl W. Stenberg III, James E. Holshouser Jr. Distinguished Professor of Public Administration and Government
Charles Szypszak, Albert Coates Distinguished Professor of Public Law and Government
Thomas H. Thornburg, Public Law and Government
Shannon H. Tufts, Public Law and Government; Director, Center for Public Technology
Aimee N. Wall, Dean
Richard B. Whisnant, Gladys Hall Coates Professor of Public Law and Policy
Jeff Welty, Public Law and Government

Associate Professors

Whitney Afonso, Public Administration and Government
Mark F. Botts, Public Law and Government
Sara DePasquale, Albert and Gladys Hall Coates Distinguished Term Associate Professor of Public Law and Government
Adam S. Lovelady, Public Law and Government
Jill D. Moore, Public Law and Government
Obed Pasha, Public Management; Director of N.C. Benchmarking Project
Meredith Smith, Albert and Gladys Hall Coates Distinguished Term Associate Professor of Public Law and Government
John B. Stephens, Public Administration and Government

Assistant Professors

Melanie Crenshaw, Civil Law for Magistrates
Connor Crews, Public Law and Government
Kimalee Dickerson, Public Leadership
Jacquelyn Green, Public Law and Government
Joseph Hyde, Criminal Law and Procedure
Kristen Leloudis, Public Health Law
Kristi Nickodem, Public Law and Government
Emily Turner, Public Law and Government
Brittany Williams, Public Law and Government
Teshanee Williams, Public Administration and Government
Kristina Wilson, Public Law and Government

Professor of the Practice

Peg Carlson, Albert and Gladys Coates Distinguished Term Professor of the Practice in Public Leadership and Organizational Development; Director, Center for Public Leadership and Governance

Teaching Professor

Gregory S. Allison, Secretary, School of Government Foundation Board of Directors

Teaching Associate Professor

Margaret Henderson

Teaching Assistant Professors

Lydian Altman, Center for Public Leadership and Governance
Rebecca Badgett
Kirk Boone, Public Finance and Government
Crista Cuccara
Phillip DixonPublic Defense Education
Timothy Heinle, Civil Defense Education
Jonathan Holbrook, North Carolina Judicial College
Norma Houston, Public Law and Government
Amy Wade, Public Administration and Government

Adjunct and Visiting Faculty

Aida Aliyeva
Monica Allen
David N. Ammons
Evans Ballard
Justin Barbaree
Blossom Barrett
Alexandra Bartz
Jerri Bland
Julie M. Brenman
Audrea Caesar
Christopher Cody
John Crumpton
Ana-Laura Diaz
Sharon Edmundson
Maurice Ferrell
Tara Lynne Fikes
Eric Fotheringham
Kristen Glasener
Ruffin Hall
Jennifer Heckscher
Mary Hemphill
Evan Johnson
Kody Kinsley
Emily McCartha
Tracy Miles
Kelley O'Brien
John Quinterno
Erin Riggs
James Robinson
Emily Roscoe
G. Dylan Russell
Amy Strecker
Sarah Towne
Joy Wilkins
Angel Wright-Lanier

Subjects in this school include GOVT and PUBA.

GOVT

GOVT 660.  Municipal Administration.  4 Credits.  

This course covers municipal government organization and management, finance, personnel, planning and economic development, and the administration of specific municipal functions.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
GOVT 661.  County Administration.  4 Credits.  

This course covers county government organization and management, finance, personnel, planning, and economic development, and the administration of specific municipal functions.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
GOVT 662.  Information Technology Project Management and Leadership.  3 Credits.  

Examines the public sector environment as it relates to information technology development. Special attention focused on the complex environment and its influence on information technology-based solutions.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
GOVT 663.  Public Executive Leadership Academy.  6 Credits.  

The Public Executive Leadership Academy is designed for North Carolina city and county managers to understand themselves as leaders and to prepare the organization to work with others in improving the quality of life within the community.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
GOVT 664.  Chief Information Office Certification Program.  5 Credits.  

The CIO Certification Program is designed for chief information officers of local governments in North Carolina. The course lays the foundation for addressing the most critical issues facing IT leadership in local government and equips leaders with tools to manage and improve their organizational assets.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  

PUBA

Advanced Undergraduate and Graduate-level Courses

IDEAs in Action General Education logoPUBA 401.  State and Local Governance.  3 Credits.  

Introduction to local/state public service, including: governmental institutions; ethics and public values; and core functions of administrative governance. Discussions led by MPA faculty with practicing public and nonprofit administrators.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: HI-SERVICE.
Making Connections Gen Ed: EE- Service Learning.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
PUBA 402.  Promoting Change through the Nonprofit Sector.  1 Credits.  

Selected students have the opportunity to build on their experience of grant making to learn more about the nonprofit and philanthropic sectors. Students will follow up with the agencies receiving grants from the spring class and ensure completion of the activities required by the agreements through a reporting and site visit process.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisite, HBEH 611.  
Grading Status: Pass/Fail.  
PUBA 635.  Military Leadership and Public Service.  3 Credits.  

Leadership as taught and demonstrated in the military and how it translates to leadership in public service, including the interrelationship of the military and other public service and the transition of veterans to civilian leadership roles.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: PWAD 635.  

Graduate-level Courses

PUBA 709.  Foundations of Public Administration.  3 Credits.  

This course gives students a working knowledge of the multi-disciplinary approach to governance as embraced by the theories of public administration. The course will include discussions on public management, values, organizational theory, and politics, among other topics. It will review the history and development of public administration, delve into the theories that are integral to the discipline, and review practical approaches to the application of these theories.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
PUBA 710.  Organization Theory.  3 Credits.  

Provides a conceptual and experiential grounding in theories of management and organizational operation. Students learn how to analyze organizations and their environments from multiple perspectives. Students systematically examine important dimensions of organizational life: what motivates people, how decisions are made, challenges of diversity, conflict, and power dynamics.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
PUBA 711.  Public Service Leadership.  3 Credits.  

Students learn about their leadership style and values, as well as strengths and weaknesses, with regard to public leadership at the personal, interpersonal, organizational, and community levels. Readings, assignments, and class activities focus on developing knowledge and skills necessary to lead successfully in public service settings.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
PUBA 719.  Public Administration Analysis and Evaluation I.  3 Credits.  

First course in a two-course sequence introducing students to applied research design, data collection, data management, data analysis, and analytical reporting to allow them to conduct original research, be informed consumers of other research, and ultimately improve public program planning and evaluation decisions.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
PUBA 720.  Public Administration Analysis and Evaluation II.  3 Credits.  

Second course in a two-course sequence introducing students to applied research design, data collection, data management, data analysis, and analytical reporting to allow students to conduct original research, be informed consumers of other research, and ultimately improve public program planning and evaluation decisions.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisite, PUBA 719.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: POLI 725.  
PUBA 721.  Professional Communications.  3 Credits.  

Prepares students to communicate clearly and effectively as public service leaders, which includes reading, listening, and thinking critically; writing and speaking clearly, concisely, and unambiguously; giving organized and convincing oral presentations; and using appropriate tools and tone in preparing oral and written communications for diverse audiences.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
PUBA 723.  Human Resource Management.  3 Credits.  

Students gain knowledge of the behaviors and practices of human resource management, as well as an overview of diversity and inclusion in public sector work-forces. Class learning is both theoretical and experiential.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
PUBA 730.  Governmental and Not-for-Profit Accounting and Reporting.  3 Credits.  

Teaches the principles of accounting and financial reporting in governmental and not-for-profit environment. Provides skills for analyzing the financial condition of governments and the efficiency and effectiveness of governmental programs.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
PUBA 731.  Public Budgeting and Finance.  3 Credits.  

Introduces students to the historical foundations, institutions, and basic principles of public budgeting and finance. The course covers the fundamental areas of public financial management, including the operating and capital budgeting processes used to obtain and allocate public resources, decision making in the budgeting process, and the criteria used to evaluate revenues.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
PUBA 734.  Community Development & Revitalization Techniques.  3 Credits.  

Community revitalization requires mastery of community development methods, the real estate development process, and public-private partnerships. Techniques include demographic trend analysis, stakeholder identification, government entitlement review, area and parcel analysis, market research, and pro forma financial analysis.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: PLAN 764.  
PUBA 735.  Community Revitalization Applied.  3 Credits.  

Students apply their skills in business, planning, or public administration to actual community revitalization projects in North Carolina communities. Projects require an understanding of community development methods, the real estate development process, and public-private partnerships. Students will manage client relationships and learn how their skills contribute to solving community challenges. This course is ideal for first year graduate students.

Rules & Requirements  
Repeat Rules: May be repeated for credit. 3 total credits. 1 total completions.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: PLAN 735.  
PUBA 736.  Advanced Budgeting & Financial Analysis.  1.5 Credits.  

The purpose of the course is to assist students with further development of their skills, approaches, and philosophies in the functional areas of public budgeting and financial management. Requires students to analyze case situations in public organizations, identify possible solutions in response to their analysis, and justify final recommendations.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
PUBA 738.  Managing Local Government Services.  3 Credits.  

Students learn about the operations functions of local government. Each class will focus on a single local government department. Students will understand techniques and tools used to manage local governments effectively, efficiently, and equitably. Students learn the current issues, management trends, and problems associated with each local government department function.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
PUBA 739.  Intergovernmental Relations.  1.5 Credits.  

This course is designed to enhance the practical skills of future public administration practitioners in navigating our complex intergovernmental system and supporting elected officials and others in influencing the outcome of public policy issues, consistent with professional ethics guidance.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
PUBA 740.  Decision Analysis.  3 Credits.  

Course will provide introduction to a process for systematically thinking about decisions and valuable techniques for analyzing decisions. Students will learn how to construct models for decision making and how to use these models to analyze decisions.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
PUBA 742.  Data Visualization.  1.5 Credits.  

This skills-based, half-semester course familiarizes professional program graduate students with insights into effective data communication, exposes them to a communication framework, and allows them to hone new skills through the completion of various assignments. Covered topics include developing clear messages, designing effective graphs and tables, formatting written documents, and creating multimedia presentations. While new tools and techniques feature in this course, the overarching goal is a timeless one: the sharing of ideas.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
PUBA 743.  Diversity in Public Administration.  1.5 Credits.  

The U.S. public sector workforce is increasingly diverse in race, ethnicity, gender, religion, socioeconomic status, sexual preference, physical and mental abilities, and gender identity. Increased workplace diversity requires a new knowledge base, which this course seeks to impart through thought-provoking readings, in-class exercises, and lively and respectful discussions.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
PUBA 744.  MPA Immersion.  1.5 Credits.  

How do concepts learned in the classroom translate into real-world practice? The Carolina MPA Immersion Experience offers both online and on-campus students the opportunity to make this connection and learn from MPA faculty with expertise in government and non-profit administration. Held at the UNC School of Government, the course allows students and faculty to come together for three days to focus on a relevant topic in the field of public administration.

Rules & Requirements  
Repeat Rules: May be repeated for credit; may be repeated in the same term for different topics; 1 total credits. 5 total completions.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
PUBA 745.  Professional Work Experience.  1.5 Credits.  

Additionally, students will have to have completed the Professional Work Experience Practicum prior to enrolling in this course. The M.P.A. professional work experience consists of 10 weeks of full-time employment in a public agency or nonprofit organization. This course requires students to demonstrate and extend this learning experience within the context of public service leadership and management.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisites, PUBA 709, PUBA 710, PUBA 719, PUBA 720, PUBA 721, and one additional core course from the following: PUBA 723, PUBA 731, or PUBA 760.  
Repeat Rules: May be repeated for credit.   
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
PUBA 746.  M.P.A. Portfolio.  1.5 Credits.  

The purpose of the portfolio is for students to demonstrate and further develop their public service leadership potential through a collection of academic and professional products. Students take this course during their final semester, allowing them to integrate and build upon the core competencies of the program.

Rules & Requirements  
Repeat Rules: May be repeated for credit.   
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
PUBA 747.  Applied Research Problem l.  1.5 Credits.  

Students required to reflect on and demonstrate how they apply and integrate their learning from six required MPA courses and their professional public service work experiences to successfully respond to an applied research problem. Students will select from a list of applied research problems, conduct a literature review, collect data, and identify their preliminary findings.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisites, PUBA 709, 710, 719, 720, 721; and one of the following courses, 723, 731, or 760.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
PUBA 748.  Applied Research Problem ll.  1.5 Credits.  

Students will continue to work on their applied research problem from PUBA 747. Students are expected to enter PUBA 748 with a complete (clean) dataset, including a preliminary analysis that has been revised to include the feedback from PUBA 747 instructors. In this course, students will continue with the data analysis, discuss the findings, and develop recommendations.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisites, PUBA 709, 710, 711, 719, 720, 721, 723, 731, 760, and 747.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
PUBA 751.  Local Government Management.  3 Credits.  

Nature of city or county manager's job: expectations of elected body, staff, public and professional peers. Examines contemporary issues in departmental operations that have significant effect on how manager's performance is perceived.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
PUBA 752.  Productivity Improvement.  3 Credits.  

This course is designed to acquaint students with concepts associated with strategic planning, productivity improvement, the importance of innovative service delivery, the measurement of performance, the gauging of constituent satisfaction, the viability of major proposals offered for improving operations, and the techniques for improving effectiveness. The course prepares students to conduct productivity analyses and to design realistic strategies for improving organizational operations.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
PUBA 753.  Performance Management in Local Government.  3 Credits.  

The purpose of Performance Management in Local Government is to introduce students to how local officials measure the inputs, outputs, and outcomes of service delivery and how they use these performance data for making management and policy decisions. The course also includes how local officials use other types of data to information decision-making, including content analysis, benchmarking, financial condition analysis, and benefit-cost analysis.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
PUBA 756.  Nonprofit Management.  3 Credits.  

Examination of the managerial challenges posed by nonprofit organizations and of techniques and practices used by managers of nonprofit organizations.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
PUBA 757.  Financial Management of Nonprofit Organizations.  3 Credits.  

Provides basic financial skills for leaders of nonprofits, including bookkeeping fundamentals, interpreting financial statements, budgeting, cash management and investment, and legal compliance.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisites, SOWO 517 and 570.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: SOWO 885.  
PUBA 758.  Navigating Nonprofit Local Government.  3 Credits.  

This course is designed for graduate students who are seeking professional positions in local government or nonprofits. The overall objectives are to exchange information about issues of mutual concern to both nonprofits and governments.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
PUBA 759.  Social Capital's Role in American Communities: From Theory to Practice.  1.5 Credits.  

Social capital can come in many forms (trust, civic engagement, community attachment, and social networks) and has become one of the most contested concepts in social sciences. This course is designed to balance theories, methods, and applications, drawing on literatures from sociology, public policy, public administration, communication, media studies, and management.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
PUBA 760.  Law for Public Administration.  3 Credits.  

Introduction to basic law subjects likely to be encountered in public administration. Topics include constitutional foundations, due process and equal protection, and First Amendment rights; property, contracts, employment, torts, criminal law, administrative law, and public ethics laws; and basic legal research, managing litigation, and working with lawyers.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
PUBA 763.  Grant Writing and Evaluation.  1.5 Credits.  

Nonprofit leaders and public officials rely on grants to help fund their grand plans. You will learn the process of finding grants, how to prepare a grant proposal, and how to plan for and manage grant funds. This course will address some of the similarities and differences between the funding process from federal/state agencies and private foundations. Students may not receive credit for both PUBA 763 and PUBA 764. On campus MPA students only.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
PUBA 764.  Grant Writing.  3 Credits.  

This course is designed to acquaint students with the grant seeking process for not-for-profit and public sector agencies. Through a review of specific writing techniques, students will practice and learn how to produce proposals that are comprehensive, cogent, and accountable to the objectives of the grantor agency. Students may not receive credit for both PUBA 763 and PUBA 764.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
PUBA 765.  Capital Budgeting and Finance.  1.5 Credits.  

Analysis of alternative approaches to planning and administering the budgets and financial operations of public agencies. Extensive use of case materials.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
PUBA 766.  Boards and Governance for Nonprofit Organizations.  1.5 Credits.  

In this course we will examine theories and concepts of nonprofit organizational governance structures. Through this course, students will develop a foundational understanding of board governance fundamentals, board development, board leadership, and common practices of high performing boards.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
PUBA 767.  Nonprofit Sector Systems Thinking and Collaboration.  1.5 Credits.  

PUBA 767 will look at the relationship between Government, Nonprofit, and Private sector organizations through collaboration theory and a system thinking framework that allows for a deeper look at what influences how these networks of relationships work, to challenge how we think it works, and bring awareness and understanding to develop the public service leadership skills and strategies needed for effective community level collaboration.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
PUBA 768.  Mediation Skills for Public Organizations.  1.5 Credits.  

Workshop-style course focuses on workplace and service provision conflicts to develop mediation skills; is comprised of short lectures, demonstration, and student practice of a mediation model/specific skill sets. May not be taken in addition to PUBA 772.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
PUBA 769.  Facilitation Skills for Public Sector Managers.  1.5 Credits.  

Course is workshop-style that includes advance reading, videos and online assignments; concentrated two-day instruction on skills; and a reflection paper. Course focuses on inter-organization and community settings to develop facilitation skills and is comprised of short lectures, demonstration, and student practice of facilitation strategies.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
PUBA 771.  Managing Economic Development.  3 Credits.  

Emphasizes the practical application and implementation of various approaches to economic development. Students will apply tools/strategies by doing case studies and small group projects based on real-world scenarios faced by local practitioners.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
PUBA 772.  Mediation Skills for Public Managers.  3 Credits.  

Examination of ombudsman and mediation principles, roles, ethics and techniques in public sector. Students are expected to develop mediation skills through observation, in-class practice and feedback. Models of mediation are compared and shared in class their application and/or adaptation of mediation to their current or desired public sector duties. An introduction to dispute systems design frames how mediation, and its variants can benefit students' public service. May not be taken in addition to PUBA 768.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
PUBA 778.  Strategic Information Technology Management.  3 Credits.  

This course provides public managers with the basic knowledge to successfully manage technology projects and government information. The use of information technology has become an indispensable part of the public sector. Governments now use technology to communicate with citizens, disseminate information, and engage in digital democracy. This course is for on campus MPA students. Students cannot take PUBA 777 in addition to this course.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
PUBA 779.  Strategic Fund Development for Nonprofit Leaders.  1.5 Credits.  

This course is designed to help students develop a deep understanding of concepts, techniques and theories of nonprofit fundraising. After an introduction to philanthropy, students will utilize tools and resources for fundraising and analyze and evaluate fundraising methods. This course is applied meaning it is important to have a relationship with a nonprofit organization where you can access current fundraising collateral and apply principles of fundraising to the improvement of fundraising methods/products.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
PUBA 780.  Special Topics in Public Administration.  1-3 Credits.  

Seminar in selected areas of public administration. Topics will vary from year to year. May be repeated for credit.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisite, permission of the instructor.  
Repeat Rules: May be repeated for credit; may be repeated in the same term for different topics.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
PUBA 781.  Directed Readings in Public Administration.  1-3 Credits.  

Directed readings in a special field under the direction of a member of the graduate faculty.

Rules & Requirements  
Repeat Rules: May be repeated for credit. 9 total credits. 9 total completions.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
PUBA 782.  Cybersecurity for Public Administrators.  1.5 Credits.  

The primary goal of this course is to build students' knowledge of cybersecurity concepts, understanding of the threat landscape, overview of cyber liability insurance, principles of good cyber hygiene, and incident response strategies. Students may not take this course if they have previously or are currently taking PUBA 778: Strategic IT Management.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
PUBA 787.  Applied Environmental Finance: How to Pay for Environmental Services.  3 Credits.  

How can governments, communities, organizations, and businesses fund environmental services? This applied course reviews the diverse tools and strategies that environmental service providers use to pay for programs. The course will focus on environmental services related to: drinking Water, wastewater, storm-water, watershed protection, energy efficiency, renewable energy, sustainability, and wetlands.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: PLAN 787, ENVR 787.  
PUBA 900.  Research in Public Administration.  1 Credits.  

In PUBA 900 students conduct research and preparation for their thesis substitute and oral examination.

Rules & Requirements  
Repeat Rules: May be repeated for credit. 5 total credits. 5 total completions.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  

School of Government

Visit Program Website

Dean

Aimee N. Wall

M.P.A. Program Director

Willow Jacobson

jacobson@sog.unc.edu