Public Administration BA
Total Units Required: 120
The Bachelor of Arts in Public Administration provides training for careers in public service or nonprofit organizations. The mission of the public administration program is to develop and enhance the knowledge and skills of current and future managers in government, nonprofit, and health care organizations.
Grading Requirement
All courses taken to fulfill program course requirements must be taken for a letter grade except those courses specified by the department as credit/no credit grading only.
Course Requirements for the Major: 43 units
Completion of the following courses, or their approved transfer equivalents, is required of all candidates for this degree. Courses in this program may complete more than one graduation requirement.
| Course | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Public Adminstration Core | ||
| POLS 260 | Introduction to Public Administration | 3 |
| POLS 331W | Introduction to Research Methods (W) | 4 |
| POLS 402 | State and Local Government | 3 |
| POLS 421 | Applied Research Methods | 3 |
| POLS 462 | Organizational Theory | 3 |
| POLS 471 | Public Policy Formation | 3 |
| POLS 474 | Public Personnel Administration | 3 |
| POLS 475 | Administration of Public Financial Resources | 3 |
| POLS 477W | Policy Analysis Capstone Seminar (W) | 3 |
| Theoretical Foundations | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| American Political Thought | ||
| Origins of Western Political Thought | ||
| Contemporary Political Thought | ||
| Electives | ||
| Select 12 units from the following: | 12 | |
| Grant Writing and Other Fundraising Strategies (W) | ||
| U.S. Foreign Policy | ||
| International Organizations and NGO's | ||
| Theories, Practices, and Administration of Justice (W) | ||
| Health Care Policy and Politics | ||
| Alternative Dispute Resolution | ||
| Environmental Politics and Policy | ||
| Administrative Law | ||
| Planning Law | ||
| The Presidency | ||
| Congress | ||
| Police Administration and Management | ||
| Internship in Public Administration | ||
| Work or Community Experience in Selected Governmental or Community Agencies | ||
| Community Research | ||
| Total Units | 43 | |
Electives Requirement
To complete the total units required for the bachelor's degree, select additional elective courses from the total University offerings. You should consult with an advisor regarding the selection of courses which will provide breadth to your University experience and possibly apply to a supportive second major or minor.
See Bachelor's Degree Requirements for complete details on general degree requirements. A minimum of 39 units, including those required for the major, must be upper division.
General Education Requirements: 48 units
See General Education and the Class Schedule for the most current information on General Education Requirements and course offerings.
One of the following GE Mathematics/Quantitative Reasoning (B4) courses is recommended to support the student in the Public Administration major:
MATH 105 Introduction to Statistics or MATH 185 Data Analytics for Social Good.
Diversity Course Requirements: 6 units
You must complete a minimum of two courses that focus primarily on cultural diversity. At least one course must be in U.S. Diversity (USD) and at least one in Global Cultures (GC). See Diversity Requirements for a full list of courses. Most courses taken to satisfy these requirements may also apply to General Education.
Upper-Division Writing Requirement
Writing Across the Curriculum (EM 17-009) is a graduation requirement and may be demonstrated through satisfactory completion of four Writing (W) courses, two of which are designated by the major department. See Mathematics/Quantitative Reasoning and Writing Requirements for more details on the four courses. The first of the major designated Writing (W) courses is listed below.
- POLS 477W Policy Analysis Capstone Seminar (W)
The second major-designated Writing course is the Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement (GW) (EO 665). Students must earn a C- or higher to receive GW credit. The GE Written Communication (A2) requirement must be completed before a student is permitted to register for a GW course.