Public Administration (MPA) and Health Care Management (MSA-HCM)

MPA Program Advisor: T. Martinez
MSA-HCM Program Advisor: BJ Moore
Program Office: Business Development Center, 112
Telephone: (661) 654-3406
e-mail: ppadept@csub.edu
Website: www.csub.edu/ppa
Faculty: C. Commuri, R. S. Daniels, T. Martinez, BJ Moore, J. Sun

Program Description

CSUB Vision: “Our vision is that by 2014-15 CSU Bakersfield will be the leading campus in the CSU system in terms of:

Realization of our vision will be advanced by recruitment, development and promotion of excellent and diverse staff within an organizational culture committed to excellence in all areas.

In pursuit of CSUB’s vision and our commitment to serve the Southern San Joaquin Valley, individuals enrolled in our Department of Public Policy and Administration (PPA) programs engage in learning experiences to develop new skills and expertise that prepare them for positions with government agencies at all levels; nonprofit organizations; hospitals and health care agencies; and private organizations with significant government interactions. The Department has a strong commitment to professional development among public and non-profit professionals. The faculty is also committed to scholarship. In addition to the affirmative recruitment of women, ethnic minorities and the disabled, the department strongly encourages the enrollment of practitioners in the undergraduate, graduate and certificate programs. The National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration (NASPAA) accredit the MPA program.

Admission Criteria

Application and Admission

Admission to either of the programs is a two-step process. Interested students must first apply to the University. To receive application materials, prospective students should contact:

Office of Admission and Records
California State University, Bakersfield
9001 Stockdale Highway
Bakersfield, CA 93311-1099

Students may also apply online at the following website: www.csumentor.edu.

Students must indicate on their CSU Application for Graduate Admission that they are interested in the MPA program (Code 21021) or the MSA in Health Care Management (Code 12021). Admission to the University does not constitute admission to the MPA or MSA-HCM programs. Once admitted to the University, the Program Coordinator will contact the student. If contact is not made soon after receiving notification of being admitted to the University, the student should immediately contact the Program Coordinator. The Programs accept applications continuously for each quarter.

Student Classification

The admission standards recognize the need for different measures to establish the standard of quality between pre-service and in-service students. Final judgment on admission will be made by the department based on a combination of several of the above eligibility factors. Students who meet all criteria can be admitted as Classified graduate students. Students who do not meet the GPA requirements can be admitted as Conditionally Classified graduate students, but will be required to successfully complete a contract of specified courses with a grade of “B” (3.0) in each course.

Graduate Requirements

The normal credit hour requirement is at least 60 units of approved coursework and five (5) units of a culminating activity. However, with completion of the undergraduate fast-track minor in public administration (20 units) or substitution of prior coursework, a minimum of 45 units of approved coursework and culminating activity at CSUB are required for the MPA and MSA degree programs. All graduate and post-baccalaureate credential students must meet the Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement (GWAR). If the student earned his/her baccalaureate from CSUB or any CSU campus in the last two decades, then the student will have already met the GWAR requirement. All other students must fulfill the GWAR through an approved course or passing the writing exam.

Master of Public Administration (MPA)

In pursuit of academic excellence and diversity, high quality student experiences, and community engagement, the mission of this graduate program is career preparation and development for policy/decision-making, managerial and administrative positions in the public and nonprofit sectors. The program is especially responsive to regional government and nonprofit sector needs, preparing graduates for state and local managerial and public service leadership.

MPA Graduate Core (45 quarter units)

MPA Electives (15 approved quarter hours)

Students in the MPA program must complete three additional approved courses at the 500- or 600-level, offered by the Department of Public Policy and Administration. Electives presented by other departments may be taken upon approval of a petition to the MPA Graduate Coordinator. Graduate students may take 400-level courses if augmented to reflect graduate credit. Students with no experience in the public or nonprofit sector are required to take an internship or similar experience. Contact the Internship Coordinator for further information.

Internship (1-5 credit hours)

Graduate students who do not have two years of supervisory experience in the public or nonprofit sector will be required to take a public or nonprofit sector internship. See the Internship Coordinator for more information.

Culminating Activity (5 credit hours)

PPA 698 Masters Project - Candidates for the MPA degree must complete a culminating activity in accordance with Title V of the California Administrative Code. The purpose of this activity is to demonstrate competency acquired in the graduate program. This includes mastery of knowledge in the discipline and in the ability to use theory and method in the preparation of an applied research project.

Research for the master’s thesis or project that involves data from/about human subjects may be required to be reviewed and approved by the Institutional Review Board for Human Subjects Research (IRB/HSR). For additional details, see page 360.

Specialization in Nonprofit Management

Students interested in pursuing a career in nonprofit management may complete a specialization of at least three elective courses and an internship at the graduate level.

Required:

Specialization in Health Care Management

Student interested in pursuing a career in health care management may take the MSA-HCM degree described below or may elect to complete an MPA specialization of at least three courses and an internship at the graduate level.

Required:

*Must be augmented for graduate credit.

Master of Science in Administration - Health Care Management (MSA - HCM)

In pursuit of academic excellence and diversity, high quality student experiences, and community engagement, the mission of this graduate program is career preparation and development for policy/decision-making, managerial and administrative positions in the public, nonprofit, and health care sectors. The program is especially responsive to regional health, health care, and human service needs, preparing graduates for state and local health care management.

MSA - HCM Graduate Core (45 units)

MSA Electives (15 approved quarter hours)

Students in the MSA program must complete three additional approved courses at the 500- or 600-level, offered by the Department of Public Policy and Administration. Electives presented by other departments may be taken upon approval of a petition to the Graduate Coordinator. Graduate students may take 400- level courses if augmented to reflect graduate credit. Students with no experience in health care management are required to take an internship or similar experience. Contact the Internship Coordinator for further information.

Internship (1-5 credit hours)

Graduate students who do not have two years of supervisory experience in the health care sector will be required to take a health care sector internship. See the Internship Coordinator for more information.

Culminating Activity (5 quarter hours)

PPA 698 Masters Project - Candidates for the MSA degree must complete a culminating activity in accordance with Title V of the California Administrative Code. The purpose of this activity is to demonstrate competency acquired in the graduate program. This includes mastery of knowledge in the discipline and in the ability to use theory and method in the preparation of an applied research project.

Research for the master’s thesis or project that involves data from/about human subjects may be required to be reviewed and approved by the Institutional Review Board for Human Subjects Research (IRB/HSR). For additional details, see page 360.

Certificate In Nonprofit Management (Graduate Level)

An individual who desires to begin post-baccalaureate study in nonprofit management may apply for a certificate. Five courses are required for the graduate Certificate in Nonprofit Management:

Required:

COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

PPA 500 Survey of Public Administration (5)

This graduate seminar introduces and examines a variety of environmental forces, including social/sociological, micro/macro economics, political, constitutional/ legal, that shape public administration. It discusses and analyzes the essential theories, principles, structures and trends in those areas that affect American public policy and administration, and provides a foundation for further graduate study of public administration, and provides a foundation for further graduate study of public administration. May be taken as a senior elective with department approval.

PPA 501 Analytical Methods in Administration (5)

This graduate seminar provides an introduction to applied research and basic statistical techniques for decision- making in public administration and the management of health care and nonprofit agencies. The course covers experimental, quasi-experimental and nonexperimental research designs; measurement; data gathering techniques and sources, including survey research; and the evaluation and communication of research findings. The course will prepare students for options in the graduate culminating experience. May be taken as senior with the department approval. Students should have familiarity with interval level statistics.

PPA 502 Program Evaluation (5)

(Application of skills acquired in PPA 501) This course deals with the application of research methods to the evaluation of social service programs, particularly in health and human service agencies. This form of research provides knowledge of and about services, identifies the intended and unintended consequences of service interventions, and contributes information for policy decisions. Furthermore, program evaluation is an action based form of research and, therefore, this course is designed as an action based learning experience. Prerequisite: PPA 501.

PPA 503 The Public Policy-Making Process (5)

This course examines the public policy-making process at the federal, state, and local levels. Students ill explore problem definition, agenda setting, policy formulation, policy legitimation, policy implementation, and policy evaluation. Students will explore the development of public policy by tracing individual social, economic, and health care policies through the stages of the process.

PPA 504 Contemporary Issues in Health Care Management (5)

Using case studies and class presentations, this graduate seminar introduces and examines the internal and external political, social, economic and legal forces that affect the organization of health service. It explores health care policy innovations, the application of management theory to current health services problems, and the future of health services. May be taken as a senior elective with department approval.

PPA 505 Managed Health Care (5)

As a result of political and social forces, the American health care delivery system is undergoing fundamental change; the caregivers, care, institutions and relationships between and among system components have all been altered recently. Central to understanding this change process is the concept of “managed care.” This course explores the history, current impact and implications for the future of managed care. From case management issues, through operational concerns, to the policy challenges of managed competition and Medicare and Medicaid managed care. Course participants will also have the opportunity to explore and discuss the ethical dilemmas specific to a managed care environment.

PPA 510 Economic Issues in Health and Health Care (5)

Study of health issues using the economic perspective. Topics include lifestyle choices and health outcomes, technology and demand, health insurance, labor markets in the health professions, role of government in health care markets, role of nonprofits, international comparisons of health care systems, and reform proposals. Cross-listed with AECO 510.

PPA 515 Public Health Administration (5)

This seminar deals with the concepts, policies and practices of the field of public health, which are expressed, in the structure and process of public health programs. These are defined by geography and various levels of government. Discussions will include the evolution and development of public health services as they arose out of the gradually recognized need for community efforts to protect and promote the health of the population in a defined geographic area. This focus on the common good sets public health apart from traditional health care services primarily directed toward the individual.

PPA 519 Management in Non-Profit Organizations (5)

This elective seminar will provide students with the managerial and supervisory techniques need to administer, develop and market volunteer, nonprofit, and community- based organizations that provide health and human services at the local level.

PPA 520 Fundamentals of Grant Writing (5)

This elective seminar is designed to provide individuals with the practical skills to be a successful grant writer. Topics to be covered include: how to write successful grant proposals; gather information about potential sources (federal, state, local or foundations); evaluate your chances for success, and make agency contacts. Also, how to evaluate and develop alternative funding beyond grants, to include planned giving and fund-raising strategies.

PPA 525 Administrative Law (5)

This elective seminar surveys administrative law and government regulation, the legal functions of administrative agencies, and the legal aspects of the process by which such agencies carry out their policies. It reviews the evolution of administrative authority and Title 5 of the U.S. Code, examining delegation doctrine, rule making, enforcement, adjudication, and judicial review. While this course focuses primarily on the federal system, it also includes an orientation on the California State Administrative law system.

PPA 530 Administration in Multicultural Settings (5)

This elective seminar surveys the theory and practice of effective management in multicultural contexts. The increased presence of ethnic minorities and women within the structures of service organizations combined with increased services to multicultural communities and clients have provided challenges and opportunities to management and supervisors to reassess traditional supervisorial practices. Students will explore those facets of organizational culture, which are in this process of change.

PPA 536 Quality Initiatives in Health and Human Services (5)

Quality improvement activities are now essential to the financing and management of health and human service organizations. Third party payers, accrediting agencies, reviewers and regulators at all levels require health and human service organizations to institutionalize activities that set goals and measure outcomes and processes of care. Additionally organizations now compete rather than cooperate and collaborate and may use quality standards to market services to service recipients that are increasingly aware of the risks and benefits involved in human service activities-most recently the IOM study on unnecessary deaths in hospitals. This course introduces the student to major quality initiatives and the specific processes of work flow management, statistical process control, patient management, clinical practice guidelines, analytic techniques and research strategies applicable to the quality improvement process.

PPA 540 Leadership (5)

This course focuses on the concept of leadership. Leadership is a process of social influence in which one person is able to enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task. This course looks at leadership both theoretically and practically. Topics include trait and behavior theory, contingency theory, and transactional leadership, transformational leadership, catalytic or shared leadership, leadership and change, and decision-making.

PPA 545 Financial Development in Non-Profit Organizations (5)

This course helps students understand the key aspects of financial development in nonprofit organizations, and to look at the process as mission-driven rather than money-driven. Students will look beyond Grantsmanship to explore and develop financial management plans for nonprofit organizations. The course also helps students assess the organizational and leadership factors that impact effective financial development. The course places special emphasis on understanding ethical dilemmas in the financial development process.

PPA 550 Contract Management (5)

This course examines principles, practices, and issues of contract management activities within government, nonprofit, and commercial/business organizations. A comprehensive evaluation of the process addresses the fundamentals of managing the entire contract life cycle of small to large transactions in a management systems approach. Participants develop practical competencies in using different planning, development, implementation, monitoring, and close-out templates and guidelines, as well as techniques relating to critical thinking, problem solving, and decision making. Federal Acquisition Regulations’ principles are integrated into the transaction process to address an extended range of contracting complexities associated with expanded expectations, such as delivery of advanced technology systems or logistical issues involving intricate delivery schedules.

PPA 555 Strategic Planning in Governmental and Nonprofit Organizations (5)

Strategic planning is a comprehensive, rational process for helping an organization define its philosophy, mission, roles, goals, and strategies. It is designed to help managers to proactively position the organization in its political, economic, social and technological environment. By the end of this class, students should be able to develop a strategic plan for a public or nonprofit organization including formulating a mission statement, scanning the organization’s environment, analyzing internal strengths and weaknesses, and developing strategies, goals, and action plans. Students will also learn when to apply various strategies, depending upon organization circumstances. The emphasis is on application of theories to specific cases. Recommended prerequisite: PPA 501.

PPA 571 Seminar in the Administration of Justice (5)

This elective seminar emphasizes research and field investigations of current justice administrative and policy problems, which cut across the total system. Topics may vary each quarter.

PPA 573 Emergency Management and Homeland Security (5)

The focus of this elective seminar is on the broad field of emergency management and its interface with homeland security. The course surveys public and private sector responses to emergencies, disasters, and terrorism. The intergovernmental nature of both emergency management and homeland security is discussed. Particular attention will be paid to the four phases of emergency management and homeland security (mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery), the organizational and politics of emergency management and homeland security, and the provision of homeland security in an uncertain world.

PPA 577 Selected Topics in Public Policy and Administration (5)

In-depth study of selected topic or topics not covered in regular courses. Topics vary each quarter; prerequisites announced for each topic. Conducted on a seminar basis.

PPA 599 Individual Graduate Study (1-5)

Supervised investigation of an approved project leading to a written report. Project selected in conference with instructor in area of major interest; regular meetings to be arranged with instructor. Department determines application and number of units. May only be used for elective credit. Graduate: the following courses require Classified standing.

PPA 610 Public Human Resources Administration and Labor Relations (5)

This graduate core seminar provides an in-depth study of the personnel and civil service systems in the federal, state, and local governments and in nonprofit and health care organizations. Review of the methods of recruitment, promotion, discipline, and termination are explored through case studies, discussion, and simulations. Contemporary issues in collective bargaining and labor relations are extensively explored.

PPA 611 Finance and Budgeting (5)

This graduate seminar provides a survey of current public policies, principles, and issues in public and healthcare finance and budgeting. Topics may include: economic functions and economic goals of public and healthcare entities; public and healthcare fiscal policies; revenues and taxation; debt; public and healthcare budgeting trends; financial methods related to the management and control of public healthcare and human service institutions; the use of cost efficiency techniques; and the application of third party reimbursement through insurance, Medicaid and Medicare.

PPA 624 State, Local and Intergovernmental Management (5)

This seminar emphasizes state, local, and intergovernmental administration in the context of: (a) the Federal intergovernmental system; (b) the Constitutional/legal system; (c) the political and social environments; and, (d) the nonprofit sector.

PPA 671 Graduate Survey of Public Policy and Administration (5)

This MPA graduate core seminar examines the major concepts and issues in public administration. The history and the development of the modern public service and the bureaucracy. The students will do an investigation of the role of the public sector in American society, law, economy, and current trends in the public sector. Key course areas are the national political institutions and processes, and professional standards and ethics are studied.

PPA 677 Selected Topics in Public Policy and Administration (5)

In-depth study of selected topic or topics not covered in regular courses. Topics vary each quarter; prerequisites announced for each topic.

PPA 680 Public Management and Organizational Change (5)

In this graduate core seminar, the student will critically examine organization and management concepts and behavior. Emphasis will be on exploring the dynamics of planned organizational change as well as models of organizational development in the public management context. Prerequisite: PPA 500 for MPA & PPA 504 for MSA.

PPA 685 Strategic Management in Health Care

The management of health care organizations has changed dramatically in the past decade. The regional informal collaborative and cooperative agreements of charitable, religious and governmental organizations have dissolved. Health care organizations now compete in all economic sectors. Management of these organizations requires strategic thinking. This course provides a foundation of traditional organization theories in management, organizational behavior, leadership, and organizational change. However, using a case study format, the focus of the course is on the importance of strategic processes and practices.

PPA 689 Legal and Ethical Issues in Health Care (5)

This graduate seminar explores legal and ethical issues in health care policy and administration. The legal aspects consist of constitutional issues, laws, administrative regulations, and court interpretation. Exploration of ethical issues will include a look at moral systems, identification of ethical principles and the introduction of analytical techniques to help in choosing alternative decisions and actions. The interplay between legal and ethical elements will be emphasized.

PPA 691 Policy Analysis (5)

This integrating MPA and MSA-HCM capstone graduate seminar focuses on the policies in the public and health care sectors. Explores qualitative and quantitative policy models and policy analysis methodology. Selected contemporary policy areas such as energy, the environment, criminal justice, welfare, health care, and education are explored.

PPA 696 Internship (1-5)

An internship experience provides the student with an opportunity for exposure to and practical experience in the managerial setting of an organization. The student is encouraged to use the opportunity to apply knowledge acquired in the classroom and work independently on a program plan or project. While this internship is encouraged for all students, it may be required for individuals who are considered pre-service (MPA Program) or have not had supervisory experience in a health care organization (MSA-HCM Program) or nonprofit organization.

PPA 698 Masters Paper (5)

This course is a practicum, which demonstrates competency acquired in the masters programs. Each student will complete a thesis like project that requires the application of both theory and methods. This is the capstone course in both the MPA and MSA programs. It is strongly recommended that students do not enroll in other courses while taking this course. Prerequisite: PPA 691.

PPA 699 Individual Graduate Study (5)

Supervised investigation of an approved project leading to a written report. Project selected in conference with instructor in the area of major interest; regular meetings to be arranged with instructor. Department determines application and number of units.