Public Administration Major

Public Administration Overview

The public administration major is designed for students interested in the management of public organizations or nonprofit institutions. Majors explore government and political theory, budgeting and financial management, statistics, organizational dynamics, and theories of management. Students choosing the public administration major also prepared to understand the information systems/networks that are becoming increasingly a part of public delivery management. Qualified students are encouraged to combine their undergraduate program with the Master of Public Administration through our integrated B.S./M.P.A. program.

Requirements

Students must complete 32 units of credit (128 semester hours) to earn a B.S. degree. The requirements for the B.S. degree fall into four categories:

• major area courses; varies according to major
• courses meeting general distribution requirements—17 units
• elective courses—6 units
• a “perspectives” capstone course—1 unit

The Major

Through study of a major, a student specializes and deepens academic and professional knowledge in a subject area. Students pursuing the bachelor of science degree must meet with an academic advisor for information about degree requirements.

Transfer students must take at least half the courses in their major area and all upper-level major requirements at Clark.

Distribution Requirements

Students are required to take 17 course units to meet the liberal arts distribution requirement. This requirement is designed to give students perspectives on human affairs, which will enrich their academic background and their professionalism. Industry, government and nonprofit organizations continue to emphasize breadth of knowledge and capability in those they employ.

A general outline of courses falling within discipline areas may be found preceding the course descriptions. Students should also review all interdepartmental (IDND) courses, many of which fulfill one or more area requirements. The student’s COPACE academic advisor can identify which courses meet particular requirements.

The 17 units must be distributed as follows:

• English/Verbal Expression— two units
• Humanities— five units These courses must be distributed among at least three disciplines. One unit must be met by professional ethics.
• Science/Mathematics — four units At least one course in each of these disciplines is required.
• Social Sciences— six units These courses must be distributed among at least three disciplines.

Electives

Six electives are required for the B.S. degree. These electives may be selected from the entire spectrum of courses. One course must be taken in computer/information science. Students already computer literate may have this requirement waived by the associate dean.

Perspectives “Capstone” Course

In the senior or graduating year, degree candidates are required to take a “perspectives” course. This capstone experience is designed to synthesize, in a critical way, undergraduate academic study and research. As perspective courses vary from year to year, students should consult with their academic advisors.

Note that these requirements are the same for any B.S. major. Requirements for the B.A. majors are different.

Courses