Public Administration Minor - Undergraduate - 2012 University Catalog

You are viewing the 2012 University Catalog. Please see the newest version of the University Catalog for the most current version of this program's requirements.

(18 semester hours)
The Public Administration Minor provides courses to provide essential background and internship experiences for students seeking employment in state or local government, It is open to all students. You may wonder what our public officials actually do. Perhaps you’re thinking about a career in public service but don’t know what that would involve. Public Administration provides a hands-on insider’s view of government by teaching students how public organizations function.

Why study Public Administration?

You can gain hands-on experience with government and other organizations from the inside. Public administration will teach you about all the public programs and agencies that affect your daily life, your community, and our country.

You will discover:

  • how government organizations are organized and managed
  • how they design programs that we rely upon for our economy, social services, and national security
  • how our states, cities, and towns work with the federal government to achieve their goals
  • how the federal government creates and changes public policy programs to respond to the needs and interests of communities
At Montclair State University, Public Administration is a minor, which may be combined with many majors, to enhance career prospects in the public sector. The minor requires 18 credits. Students take 2 required courses (3 credits each) and 12 credits in electives, which may include optional internships. Students learn about the policy process as well as specific government functions such as budgeting and personnel. Elective courses address the particular problems of state and local government, the politics of the federal bureaucracy, urban administration, and legal research.

To reinforce the insights they gain from their coursework, students may opt to work in an internship one day per week in a government office. The 4-credit internship can be taken as an elective for up to two semesters. Some students have worked on particular projects, including pre-trial intervention programs, downtown revitalization, and price-fixing of government programs. Other students prefer to work in a variety of different departments. All acquire valuable knowledge about government organizations and make a contribution to their communities.

The Public Administration minor helps students to gain valuable job experience, by acquiring the knowledge and skills needed to plan, implement and evaluate public programs. Students go on to work in local, state or federal government, as well as in nonprofit organizations and the private sector.



Course Descriptions:

LAWS302: Legal Research (3 hours lecture)

Study of principles and methods of research as applied to law and government. Exploration of the sources of law including case law, legislative process and intent, statutory law and public administration. Contrastive applications of law library research and computer-assisted legal research. 3 sh.

Prerequisites: JURI 210 or LAWS 200 or POLS 101 or departmental approval.

POLS101: American Government and Politics (3 hours lecture)

This course will introduce students to the basic institutions and processes of American politics, and will do so, in part, through a focus on current policy issues. Meets Gen Ed 2002 - Social Science, Social Science. 3 sh.

POLS205: Introduction to Public Administration (3 hours lecture)

Literature and developments in the field of public administration; the federal bureaucracy in the policy-making process. 3 sh.

POLS304: State and Local Government (3 hours lecture)

State political sub-systems, including their administrative and local sub-systems, federal-state relations, political institutions and groups in the states and in New Jersey. This course helps students understand lawmaking and enforcement as functions of state and local government. 3 sh.

Prerequisites: POLS 101 or departmental approval.

POLS310: Public Personnel Administration (3 hours lecture)

The problems and processes in the U.S. of public personnel administration at the state and local level. 3 sh.

Prerequisites: POLS 205 or departmental approval.

POLS311: Governmental Budgeting (3 hours lecture)

The budgetary process in governmental agencies from the perspective of political demands and influences. 3 sh.

Prerequisites: POLS 205 or departmental approval.

POLS315: Urban Administration (3 hours lecture)

Problems and policy-making in the larger urban or metropolitan complexes. 3 sh.

Prerequisites: POLS 101 or POLS 205 or departmental approval.

POLS324: American Public Policy (3 hours lecture)

A study of the methods used to analyze public policy and an examination of current public policy issues. Special attention is given to the use of comparative analysis in analyzing American public policies. This course deals with issues such as crime, punishment, social welfare, drug abuse, child abuse, equality, health, education and the environment. It focuses on public policy responses to these issues. 3 sh.

Prerequisites: POLS 101 or departmental approval.

POLS425: Politics of Federal Bureaucracy (3 hours lecture)

In-depth examination of the federal bureaucracy in relationship with national, state and local agencies. 3 sh.

Prerequisites: POLS 101 or departmental approval.

POLS426: Seminar and Internship in Public Administration I

A one semester public administration field experience in local government. Application must be made directly to the instructor in preceding semester. 4 - 6 sh.

Prerequisites: Departmental approval.

POLS427: Seminar and Internship in Public Administration II

A one semester public administration field experience in local government. Application must be made directly to the instructor in preceding semester. 4 - 6 sh.

Prerequisites: Departmental approval.

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