This course provides an introduction to policymaking, implementation, and analysis with a focus on practices that reflect the values and priorities of diversity, equity, and inclusivity. Emphasis will be on policy within local and urban contexts. Topics will include the impact of public, nonprofit, and private sectors on policy decisions; advocacy; contemporary critical issues; foundations of policy analysis; and the politics of the policy process. Students will be introduced to the fundamental theoretical frameworks used to describe public policy development processes, as well as to contemporary critiques of those frameworks.

This course examines the relationship between society, technology, and public administration professions, and how leaders effectively utilize contemporary and evolving technologies. Emphasis will be on local and urban contexts. It will explore the challenges and opportunities presented by technological emergence and advancements along with the impact of technology on public administration considerations and practice. Topics will include: public infrastructure; use and analysis of data collection; privacy issues; artificial intelligence and other innovations; implications of contemporary technologies for policy and regulation; technology ethics; data breaches and crisis management; and other emergent contemporary issues and contexts.

This course examines the use of data in strengthening the effectiveness in public service organization leadership, management, programming, and decision-making. Emphasis will be on local and urban contexts. It will explore tools and approaches to collecting, analyzing, and communicating data. Topics will include data collection, use and analysis, policy implications, contemporary issues, innovations, contexts, ethics, and leadership/management skills and capabilities. The course will examine approaches to incorporating participation and perspectives of communities and individuals directly affected by data-informed leadership and decision-making.

This course will examine both theories and practice approaches of public service organizational leadership, management frameworks for cross-sector partnerships, and stakeholder engagement at global, national, state and local levels. Emphasis will be on local and urban contexts, with students analyzing specific cases from New Orleans. It will explore organizational management; leadership, culture, and structure in complex internal and external contexts, cultivation of internal and external stakeholders, best practices and pitfalls in translating from one sector to another, systems thinking, public interest communication, new models of cross-sector collaboration, and approaches to foster community and partner buy-in and cooperation; the strategic planning for and management of competing and cooperative interests, approaches to identify common and conflicting goals, objectives and priorities; and strategies for clarifying, communicating, and managing goals and expectations. Topics will include foundations of leadership and management, organizational environmental awareness, organizational behavior, performance management, decision-making, individual and group management, and collaborative partnerships development and growth. Attention will be given to the interdisciplinary and cross-sector development and implementation of public service initiatives and programming.

This course will examine theoretical and practical approaches in budgeting and financial management within public service organizations. It will explore strategies for ensuring alignment of resource development and management with organizational goals, objectives, and priorities; fund development strategies; evaluation of budget and financial management systems effectiveness; strategies for addressing financial management and budgeting challenges; as well as the alignment of budget analysis with organizational decision-making.

This course examines topics central to operationalizing equity frameworks and priorities within civic sector leadership and practice. It will explore strategies for the development of competencies for fostering equitable approaches to work within public service. Emphasis will be on local and urban contexts. Topics explored will include historical/social contexts related to issues of equity and impact on public sector work; cost-benefits of equity in the civic sector; equity competency rooted approaches to public service; collective and cultural narratives; intersections of equity, diversity, inclusion, and public service systems and structures. The course will examine approaches to incorporating participation and perspectives of communities and individuals directly affected by civic sector leadership and practice.

This course provides an overview of leadership and policy topics especially relevant to leadership in the education sector through four modules. For the policy module, topics include federal, state, and local education policy development; the influence of law and policy on schooling over time; and the role of education leaders in policy advocacy and enactment. The course includes a module on the politics and contextual factors involved in leading in collaboration with a school board. A third module on school law provides an overview of the most significant legal issues in public elementary and secondary schools and implications for leading and decision-making. The final module centers on the effective and sustainable education leader with an emphasis on growing the ability to understand, engage, and effectively support and challenge others and creating conditions for equitable school and system transformation and governance. The course will use case studies and live cases with current education leaders to engage students authentically in the field.

This course is an introduction to public school finance and budgeting systems in the United States. Budgeting and finance impact all aspects of schooling and education and are therefore critical to education leadership at all levels. Focus areas include the budgeting process; the politics of budgeting; district and school cost drivers; revenue generation including federal, state, and local funding sources; norm-based budgeting; weighted-student funding; cost-benefit analysis; benchmarking; and “key performance indicators” (KPIs) and “objectives and key results” (OKRs). Questions include: How can budgeting reflect the values and priorities of schools and systems? What are the equity implications of education budgeting and finance? What are the economic and financial drivers that maintain or disrupt the status quo? The course will use case studies and simulations from both traditional public and charter settings with special emphasis on the New Orleans context.

This course supports education leaders in developing and communicating a vision and strategy for student success centered on excellence and equity for all. The early part of the course includes a historical overview of schooling in the U.S. and the influence of this history on the features and limitations of the current system, including the educational implications of race and poverty. The course also includes an investigation of shifts in learning, management, and equity, as well as a survey of promising systemic reforms and strategies such as integrated student supports, collective impact, and cross-sector collaboration. Key skills of effective education leaders include communicating and building support for vision and change. Students will also develop a public narrative and strategic communication plan around their vision and strategy. Questions include: What are the vision, qualities, and characteristics of future-focused, future-ready learning organizations? How can a leader move from vision to transformational change for students? The course will include a variety of texts, including interviews with leaders in the field, as well as specific instruction in design thinking and strategic communication. Prerequisite(s): MPAD 6000*, 6100*, 6110*, 6120*, 6130* and 6140*. (* May be taken concurrently.)

The course examines leading learning as a system-level task. Focus areas include the instructional core and the centrality of the instructional task as predictive of student learning; current models of learning; challenges of improving instruction, effective management of learning systems; developing, enacting, and scaling vision for learning; and the role of evidence in decisions about practice and policy impacting learning. In addition, the course addresses the roles of the leader’s identity and previous learning experiences, as well as their implications for equity and leadership. Throughout the course, students will examine current systems of learning through classroom observations, interviews with leaders in the field and case studies. What does great learning look like, and how do we create equitable systems that support and demand high-quality learning experiences and outcomes for all?

This course examines the role of nonprofits and philanthropy in advancing practice and innovation within the civic sector. The course explores multi-sector exchanges and intersections, focusing on the impact and capacity of nonprofits and philanthropic organizations to advance civic sector. Topics include historical contexts of the nonprofit sector and philanthropy; connections to social change and public policy; values, ethics, and equity; and contemporary and future-focused issues, venture philanthropy, mission-related and program-related investments, and other innovations.

This course supports the development, implementation, and management of nonprofit and philanthropic organizational programs by examining theories and approaches related to evaluation and outcomes management. The course explores considerations and implications of evaluation not only from a programmatic perspective, but also the impact of dimensions of organizational performance on overall effectiveness. Focus areas include program delivery, tools, and approaches to monitoring and evaluating organizational activities and programs, systems thinking evaluation, facilitating strategic learning, developmental evaluation, determinates of effectiveness, outcome evaluations, program analysis, process evaluation, equitable evaluation, and organizational and program adaptability. The course will examine approaches to incorporating participation and perspectives of communities and individuals directly affected by nonprofit and philanthropic decisions and initiatives.

This course examines both theories and practice approaches to nonprofit and philanthropic organization leadership and governance with a focus on the cultivation of organizational sustainability within dynamic civic sector contexts. Emphasis will be on local and urban contexts. The course will explore foundational nonprofit and philanthropic organization governance designs and functions along with strategies for the development and management of organizational leadership and governance that is equipped to successfully support adaptability, effectiveness, and long-term sustainability. Topics will include foundations of leadership and governance approaches; board functions, development, and management; stakeholder relationship management, leadership, and governance values and ethics; leadership planning and succession; and organizational culture, change, adaptability, and sustainability.

This course examines theoretical and practical approaches in the financial management of nonprofit and philanthropic organizations focusing on supporting the strengthening of organizational capacity and fiscal sustainability. It will explore strategies for resource development and evaluation of budget and financial management effectiveness. Topics will include financial management and budgeting issues, resource cultivation and management, grant seeking and contract management, capacity building and sustainability issues, and fund development strategies.

This course examines the role of strategic philanthropic investment as a catalyst for change and innovation within the civic sector. The course explores cross-sector intersections and collaborations, focusing on the impact and capacity of strategic philanthropy and frameworks of program-related, mission-related investing. Focus areas include models of civic sector-focused strategic philanthropy, systems thinking and philanthropy, philanthropic program design for sustainable outcomes, and cross-sector philanthropic program engagement. The course will examine approaches to incorporating participation and perspectives of communities and individuals directly affected by philanthropic decisions and initiatives.

This course will provide an introduction to economic development focusing on impact and intersections within the civic sector. The course will explore theory and practice strategies of economic development along with the implications for society and public sector professionals. Emphasis will be on local and urban contexts, with students analyzing specific cases from New Orleans. The course will examine approaches to incorporating participation and perspectives of communities and individuals directly affected by economic development policy and initiatives. Focus areas include strategies for the development of healthy local and regional economies, cross-sector collaborations, equity and ethics, tax incentives and regulations, workforce development, civic sector engagement in business attraction, entrepreneurship and small business development, public policy considerations and intersections, and contemporary issues in economic development.

This course examines the intersections of civic resilience and economic development. The course will explore theory, systems, practices, and innovations related to civic resilience and business development. Emphasis will be on related local, regional, and national contemporary issues affecting civic sector practice. The course will examine approaches to incorporating participation and perspectives of communities and individuals directly affected by economic development policy and initiatives. Focus areas include dimensions of business development and related civic resilience dimensions: economy and society, infrastructure and environment, leadership and strategy, equity and ethics; and cross-sector engagement in the management of economic development challenges and resilience.

This course examines economic development as a driver of sustainable civic advancement and positive urban growth. It will explore contemporary strategies with the aim of conceptualizing actionable cross-sector frameworks for transformational economic development. Emphasis will be on local contexts and the experience of New Orleans and other civic notables in urban innovation. The course will examine approaches to incorporating participation and perspectives of communities and individuals directly affected by economic development policy and initiatives. Focus areas include a comparative analysis of urban transformation, drivers of sustainable business development transformation in urban cities, public sector collaborations, issues of equity and ethics, intersections of data and technology, and contemporary issues.

This course examines topics central to operationalizing social equity frameworks and priorities within economic development leadership and practice. It will explore strategies for the development of competencies for fostering equitable approaches to work within economic development. The course will examine approaches to incorporating participation and perspectives of communities and individuals directly affected by economic development policy and initiatives. Emphasis will be on local and urban contexts, with students analyzing specific cases from New Orleans. Topics explored will include historical/social contexts related to issues of equity and impact on economic development, equity competency rooted approaches to economic development, systemic barriers to minority-owned small business development and financing, and intersections of equity/diversity and cross-sector cooperation.

This course provides an introduction to contemporary issues related to the natural environment and related policymaking and civic practice. Emphasis will be on environmental policy within local and urban contexts, with students analyzing specific cases from New Orleans. The course will examine approaches to incorporating participation and perspectives of communities and individuals directly affected by environmental challenges. Topics will include cross-sector engagement and interactions surrounding and environmental policy decisions, environmental risk solutions, funding, and advocacy.

This course examines the intersections of civic resilience and concerns surrounding the natural environment. The course will explore theories, practices, and innovations related to civic resilience and contemporary issues connected to environmental risks and challenges. The course will examine approaches to incorporating participation and perspectives of communities and individuals directly affected by environmental challenges. Emphasis will be on related local, regional, and national contemporary issues affecting civic sector practice. Focus areas include dimensions of environmental management and related civic resilience dimensions: health and well-being, economy and society, infrastructure and environment, and leadership and strategy. The course will also examine questions of environmental sustainability, equity and ethics, risk mitigation, and cross-sector engagement in the management of environmental challenges and resilience.

This course examines the use of data in strengthening the effectiveness of decision-making related to civic sector concerns surrounding the natural environment. Emphasis will be on local and urban contexts, with students analyzing specific cases from New Orleans. The course will examine approaches to incorporating participation and perspectives of communities and individuals directly affected by environmental challenges. It will explore tools and approaches to collecting, analyzing, and communicating data. Topics will include intersections of data, equity, and decisions; management of data certainties and uncertainties in environmental decision-making; and incorporation of data into decision-making processes.

This course examines topics central to operationalizing social equity frameworks and priorities within environmental management practice. It will explore strategies for the development of competencies for fostering equitable approaches to civic work related to the management of environmental risks and challenges and prioritizing the inclusion of stakeholders, communities, and individuals impacted by environmental challenges. Emphasis will be on local and urban contexts, with students analyzing specific cases from New Orleans. Topics explored will include historical/social contexts related to issues of equity and impact on environmental management, equity competency rooted approaches to environmental management, intersections of equity/diversity, and cross-sector cooperation.

This course analyzes the relationship between law and public administration. Students examine how courts and agencies create and interpret law that shapes civic sector leadership decisions. Practical exercises allow students to influence real-world rulemaking projects and draft advisory opinions for common ethics and standards of conduct scenarios. Students research and present on appellate court opinions affecting modern public administration practice, with an emphasis on the practical policy implementation of the case law and related legal issues.

This course provides an introduction to policy advocacy. Emphasis will be on practical advocacy approaches used in a variety of professional settings and roles. Topics will include the distinction between advocacy and administration, the relationship of advocacy and the policy process, and the relationship between advocacy and social equity. Students will analyze a policy issue of their choice and develop advocacy materials to effect social change for that topic.

In this course, students apply concepts, theories, best practices, knowledge, and principles as learned throughout the program. Additionally, students will grapple with the complexities of public sector work by testing concepts, strategies, and approaches in real-world contexts. Through a site-based immersion project completed through options such as fieldwork, internships, civic practice labs, or simulations, students will demonstrate mastery of program objectives and course competencies. Mastery will be shown through the creation of a final written report that provides findings and focusing on civic practice implications. Report findings will be presented; presentations may incorporate design approaches and elements appropriate to audiences found in real-world public sector practice environments. MPA program students with less than three years of relevant work experience will participate in a capstone with an experiential site-based component where a project is shaped on-site and applied. Elements include issue/problem identification and related factors, strategic recommendations, key considerations, implementation approaches, analysis and evaluation, applied research methodologies, research design, data collection, and analysis and presentation.

Tulane MPA Residency provides an on-site opportunity for in-person networking, skill development and professional development opportunities while still offering the flexibility and accessibility of online education. During the Tulane MPA residency, students visit New Orleans for experiential learning, collaboration, and networking with peers, program faculty and other individuals working in civic sector careers. Programming includes lectures, workshops and events that further support the development of skills and competencies offered in the Tulane MPA curriculum. Residencies take place annually and participation is required for completion of the MPA degree. Students may complete the residency at any time in their matriculation.

Special topics in Public Administration.

Special topics in Public Administration.

Special topics in Public Administration.

Special topics in Public Administration.

Special topics in Public Administration.

Special topics in Public Administration.

Special topics in Public Administration.

Special topics in Public Administration.

Special topics in Public Administration.

Special topics in Public Administration.

Special topics in Public Administration.

This course is for Public Administration independent study. Departmental approval is required for registration.