| Core
Courses for the Major
POSC/CRJU
320 Introduction to Public Management & Policy
POSC
421 Government and the Economy
POSC
422/CRJU 422 Human Resource Management
Urban
and Public Policy Courses
Students
must complete 9 units of public policy courses (selected
from: POSC300, Contemporary Issues in California
Govt. and Politics; 309, Intro. to Metropolitan
Politics; 315, Politics & Policy Making in
America; 352, American Foreign Policy; 403,
Politics & Policy in Sacramento; 427,
Policy Making: Urban Metro Issues; 456, National
Security Establishment and 9 units selected
from administration and management processes courses
(421, 422, 475, 478, 484, 497, MGMT 441).
Internship
POSC
497 Government Internship, 3 units;
If you have no prior experience in the public or nonprofit sector, you will need to enroll in POSC 497. Contact Dr. Arsneault prior to the beginning of each semester for more information. sarsneault@fullerton.edu
Research
Methods and Computer Applications
Students
must complete POSC 321, Research in Public Management and POSC
407, Polls, Statistics & Political Interpretation
Electives
Students
must complete 12-15 units selected from among the
following: POSC317, 411, 414, 416, 446, 460,
472, 473, 474, 475, 476, 478, 484 or MGMT 441
Upper Division
Writing Requirement
Students
must complete 6 units that meet the requirement
from the above courses that meet the Upper Division
Writing Requirement with a grade of C or better. Please
check with the advisor for the list of relevant
courses.
Courses
in Related Fields
Students
must complete 9 units in related disciplines such
as American Studies, Anthropology, Criminal Justice,
Economics, Geography, History, Philosophy, Psychology,
Sociology or others as approved by an undergraduate
adviser. Appropriate G.E. courses may be
applied.
More
Info:
For lists of recommended courses and other questions about the requirements in the concentration, call 657.278.3521 to schedule an appointment with an advisor.
Major
in Public Administration
Choosing
a Public Administration Major: Some General
Words
Choosing
Public Administration means majoring in a liberal
arts program with a defined professional
outcome.
Liberal
arts means broad and general studies, with
an emphasis on developing abilities to read with
insight, to write with clarity and grace, and
to think with power, logically and quantitatively.
Liberal arts majors present themselves to potential
employers as capable people with a sound foundation,
ready to specialize in the employer's area.
Defined
professional outcome means that most students
of public administration share an intention to
become public managers, leaders in governmental
and nonprofit agencies. Public administration
students develop analytical tools and content
knowledge specifically useful for public management,
alongside general perspectives on government
and public policy-making.
Why Public
Administration?
Government, especially today, needs good people to meet public needs. Public Administrators provide many public services including: improved housing, transportation, public health, emergency services, and urban management. These are just a few of the areas that employ those with public administration skills.
More
importantly, public administration jobs are interesting
and exciting opportunities. As a public administrator
you will work with the important problems of the
day. You will help translate the goals of citizens
and elected officials into plans of action. You
may be helping to improve the lives of the poor,
or assisting business development. You will learn
techniques of management that will help governments
run more efficiently. You should go home at
night knowing that you made a difference.
In fact,
jobs in cities and counties and nonprofit institutions,
are open to other majors as well. Students with
bachelor's degrees in many fields are welcome applicants
for many entry-level positions in government. Yet
studying public administration has some clear advantages
for students whose career goals involve public
and nonprofit management. Some of these advantages
are significant enough that public sector job postings
stipulate a preference for a bachelor's degree
in public administration.
Subject-Matter
Knowledge
Majors
in public administration take required and elective
courses that acquaint them with the nature of public
organizations, with the nature of the public policy
process (how government makes laws and budgets),
and with specific tools. Public administration
majors are introduced to key topics in public personnel
management, public finance (budgets, taxation,
debt, and other topics), and research methods.
Opportunities
Directly to Explore Aspects
of Public Administration
Urban
and metropolitan policy, the art of administration,
leadership for public service, urban planning,
and ethics are just a few of the topics that majors
in public administration can choose in their course
work. Further, an public administration internship
in public government gives majors in public administration
a direct opportunity to experience work in an agency.
Public administration students acquire an early
opportunity to understand career options, and to
grapple with public leadership themes that may
dominate a professional life.
Related
Fields Opportunity for the Major
Like
political science, and like criminal justice, but
unlike any other major in the humanities & social
sciences at Cal State Fullerton, public administration
requires its majors to choose courses from other
departments to support and broaden their studies.
Students who major in public administration may
thus develop specializations in their studies,
via course work for this major but offered by Geography,
Economics, Management, or many other departments.
"Networking" With Other Public
Administration Students
People
gain information and perspectives in many ways.
One of the most important is simply in informal
conversations with like-minded people. If many
students interested in careers in public and nonprofit
leadership choose a major in public administration,
then, an advantage that they effectively give to
each other is that they can "network." They
take classes with other students who have the same
intention to build careers in the public sector.
In addition, our Honor Society, Pi Alpha Alpha
is available to public administration majors and
holds workshops and conferences to help you network
with alumni and local practitioners.
A Small Program in Which Faculty are Familiar with Students
Because our major is relatively small, students who want public sector careers choose grow familiar with one another and the faculty. This improves the ability for students to network with one another, and allows the faculty to understand student needs and interests. These benefits, coupled with the program's ties to practitioners, create a strong learning environment and a practical edge that helps students leave the program and begin successful and fulfilling careers in public service.
Other
Programs
Typically,
senior leadership positions in the public and nonprofit
sectors eventually require the Masters of Public
Administration (M.P.A.) degree, which is offered
by the Division of Politics, Administration & Justice.
Most, but not all M.P.A. students are mid-career
people with already-established careers in government
or nonprofit organizations. Either directly following
the B.A., or later, after a public sector career
is underway, students with the B.A. in Public Administration
will be especially well-equipped to take on this
further, capstone work.
Advisement Forms
 Public Administration Course Requirements
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