Course Descriptions

Graduate Certificate in Criminal Justice

MMPA 6115 Foundations for Graduate Study (1 cr.)
This course introduces students to Walden University and to the requirements for successful participation in an online curriculum. It provides a foundation for academic and professional success as a scholar-practitioner and as a social change agent. Topics include the relation of mission and vision to professional goals; development of the program of study and Professional Development Plan; strategies for online success; introduction to the online library; and introduction to critical thinking, professional writing, and academic integrity. Course assignments focus on practical application of writing and critical-thinking skills, and promote professional and academic excellence.

PPPA 6350 Historical and Contemporary Issues in Criminal Justice (5 cr.)
This course looks at the evolution of crime—from lone criminals to worldwide syndicates—using the scientific rigor built into the selected readings and discussions. Among the topics examined are the philosophy of community- and problem-oriented policing, transnational crime, terrorism, and the new nexus between them. The course equips current and future leaders with the knowledge and depth of understanding to assess and manage the opportunities, innovations, and challenges in their profession.

PPPA 6351 Policy Analysis in the Criminal Justice System (5 cr.)
This course reviews key court decisions and explores the tension between constitutionally guaranteed individual rights and crime-prevention and public-safety efforts. The course also covers policy analysis and planning in the criminal justice field, and offers an understanding of the policy context in which the criminal justice system functions.

PPPA 6352 Leadership: Putting Theory Into Practice in Criminal Justice Administration (5 cr.)
This course introduces students to the problems that currently confront the administration of the criminal justice system, as well as problems predicted for the future. So that students are prepared to lead efforts to address these challenges, this course offers powerful models for strategic, critical, and reflective thinking. This course also immerses students in discussion about the major components of effective justice administration: organizational thought and theory, leadership, human capital, policy development and implementation, and collaboration with other public safety and community organizations.

Graduate Certificate in Government Management

MMPA 6200 Introduction to Public Administration (5 cr.)
Public administrators work to increase the effectiveness of government and organizations locally and internationally. This course explores the history, foundations, and theories of public administration and the diverse political, social, and economic contexts within which they exist as well as an understanding of public policy and organizational environments. Topics include ethical and legal issues, governance, fiscal planning, and current topics and trends in public administration. Students choose a public organization; examine its overall history, purpose, and operation; and apply public administration theory to describing its operation and health.

MMPA 6420 Organizational Management and Leadership (5 cr.)
Public and nonprofit leaders require a deep understanding of their roles as leaders and managers of diverse and complex organizations. This course examines from theoretical and applied perspectives the distinction between leadership and management, organizational culture, change management, systems theories, and organizational development. Students apply principles to public, private, and nonprofit organizational settings.

MMPA 6285 Policy Analysis (4 cr.)
This course provides a broad perspective on the policy process, recognizing that both public and nonprofit administrators are intimately involved in policy- and decision-making at the executive and legislative (or board) levels. It focuses on how policy is initiated, researched, shaped for decision-making, decided, implemented, and then evaluated. Balanced attention is given to the dynamics of the policy-making process itself and the analytical and communications tools that equip professionals at many levels in organizations to be effective actors in this process.

Graduate Certificate in Public Policy

MMPA 6380 Policy and Politics in American Political Institutions (5 cr.)
This course introduces students to the crafts of policymaking and analysis in the American democratic system. It covers the policy process: agenda setting, using policy analysis tools, managing the political process, implementing policy, and providing evaluation and feedback. Students develop skills in policy and economic analysis, as well as skills in determining the political feasibility of proposed policies. Regulation as a policy choice is discussed. Students completing this course will enhance their abilities to develop alternatives and to assess strategies that are proposed to achieve certain policy objectives. Policy areas of interest to students form the foundation of this course and may include communications, immigration, social, transportation, housing, labor, arts, and environmental policies.

MMPA 6381 Public Policy and Evaluation (5 cr.)
This course provides an introduction to the tools used by policymakers and policy analysts to evaluate the impact of social programs. Topics include selecting programs to evaluate; crafting program descriptions; identifying stakeholders and their interests; developing logic models; framing evaluation questions; applying utilization-focused evaluation techniques; using quantitative and qualitative tools to complete formative and summative evaluations; and formulating evaluation reports and providing feedback to decision-makers. By the end of the course, each student develops a program evaluation design for a social program.

MMPA 6382 Public Policy and Finance (5 cr.)
This course covers both micro- and macroeconomic models used in policy formulation and how public finance influences policy choices, as well as implementation alternatives. Students examine tax policies and tax-incentive models; budgeting; public/private models; market influences on policy; the impact of government expenditures on income redistribution; and economic considerations of welfare, food stamps, workers’ compensation, and Social Security. Outsourcing of public programs is also examined.

Graduate Certificate in Homeland Security

MMPA 6830 Current Issues in Homeland Security (5 cr.)
Since its inception, the national homeland-security program has profoundly impacted public policy and administration. This course examines homeland-security history, concepts, policies, organization, and strategies related to prevention, protection, response, and recovery. Topics include threat assessment, contingency planning, communication, technology, and ethical and legal issues. Students apply fundamental concepts and principles of homeland security to case studies and current issues and develop the outlines of a homeland-security plan.

MMPA 6831 Critical Incident Leadership and Planning (5 cr.)
Strategic leadership is required to address the challenges and complexities of homeland security. To respond to critical incidents during and after they occur, leaders must plan tactically and understand how to obtain and mobilize resources. Students explore the roles of leaders related to activating and coordinating funding, personnel, jurisdictional issues, training, communication, information management, technology, and healthcare in order to create an effective response to homeland security needs. Course participants critically analyze case studies, identifying weaknesses and potential solutions.

MMPA 6832 Terrorism: Legislation and Policy (5 cr.)
The events of 9/11 resulted in a new and intense focus on the issue of terrorism in the United States and abroad. In this course, students explore the history of terrorism; laws, regulations, and legislation related to terrorism; and the roles of the media, governmental agencies, and other entities in the prevention of and response to terrorism. Students apply their knowledge to case studies and current trends related to terrorism.

Graduate Certificate in Nonprofit Management

NPMG 6115 Foundations for Graduate Study (1 cr.)
This course introduces students to Walden University and to the requirements for successful participation in an online curriculum. It provides a foundation for academic and professional success as a scholar-practitioner and as a social change agent. Topics include the relation of mission and vision to professional goals; development of the program of study and Professional Development Plan; strategies for online success; introduction to the online library; and introduction to critical thinking, professional writing, and academic integrity. Course assignments focus on practical application of writing and critical-thinking skills and promote professional and academic excellence.

NPMG 6200 Introduction to the Nonprofit Sector (5 cr.)
Nonprofit organizations serve as the foundation for many social change efforts. This course explores the history, foundations, and types of nonprofit organizations, as well as the diverse political, social, and economic contexts within which they exist. Students examine and apply marketing, public relations, and communication concepts and strategies to case studies and contemporary situations. Ethical, legal, and global lenses are applied to the study of the nonprofit sector. Students develop a concept paper guiding the development of a nonprofit organization.

NPMG 6420 Organizational Management and Leadership (5 cr.)
Public and nonprofit leaders require a deep understanding of their roles as leaders and managers of diverse and complex organizations. This course examines from theoretical and applied perspectives the distinction between leadership and management, organizational culture, change management, systems theories, and organizational development. Students apply principles to public and nonprofit organizational settings.

NPMG 6285 Policy Analysis (4 cr.)
This course provides a broad perspective on the policy process, recognizing that both public and nonprofit administrators are intimately involved in policy- and decision-making at the executive and legislative (or board) levels. It focuses on how policy is initiated, researched, shaped for decision-making, decided, implemented, and then evaluated. Balanced attention is given to the dynamics of the policy-making process itself and the analytical and communications tools that equip professionals at many levels in organizations to be effective actors in this process.

Graduate Certificate in Public Management and Leadership

MMPA 6390 Strategic Context of Public Management and Leadership (5 cr.)
This course engages learners in collaborative study of the changing strategic context of public administration. Learners apply a systems perspective to construct a public-enterprise model of the public organization of their choice as a way of understanding the strategic context for practical action and the stakeholder relations involved. This is an organization “mental model,” which is similar to a traditional “business model,” but which includes the three interrelated flows of money, knowledge, and influence. Emphasis in this course is on management and leading of the unknown: imagining and creating a future that works in a time of unprecedented and unpredictable change. Students apply strategic scenarios to organizational change for the public organization of special interest to them. Students also develop professional action habits for pragmatic action learning in the practice of public administration.

MMPA 6391 Transformative Change in a Shared-Power World (5 cr.)
This course engages students in collaborative study of the nature and methods of transformative change in the complex human systems of contemporary public organizations. Students are taught a pragmatic action-learning process for studying the experience of transformative change in complex systems. The dynamics of complex adaptive systems are studied to gain an understanding of how large-scale and highly interrelated human systems change through self-organization. Appreciative inquiry and other selected methods of transformative change are studied and applied to a positive organizational-change situation of special interest to the students. Students also develop professional action habits for pragmatic action learning in the practice of public administration.

MMPA 6392 The Language of Leadership (5 cr.)
In today’s complex environment, leaders engaged in shaping public policy must know how to use the emotional, as well as the intellectual power of language to motivate, inspire, and competently manage their organizations. Dynamic leadership requires understanding and use of techniques that affect both conscious and unconscious influences on human behavior. Effective communication connects at many different levels. This course provides both theoretical and practical information; demonstrates the necessary components for making such connections; and shows why stories, symbols, and metaphors are an essential element in the language of leadership.

Graduate Certificate in Strategic Planning and Public Policy

MMPA 6381 Public Policy and Evaluation (5 cr.)
This course provides an introduction to the tools used by policymakers and policy analysts to evaluate the impact of social programs. Topics include selecting programs to evaluate, crafting program descriptions, identifying stakeholders and their interests, developing logic models, framing evaluation questions, applying utilization-focused evaluation techniques, using quantitative and qualitative tools to complete formative and summative evaluations, and formulating evaluation reports and providing feedback to decision-makers. By the end of the course, each student develops a program evaluation design for a social program.

MMPA 6451 Public Policy Analysis (5 cr.)
Public administrators today work in a hypercharged, partisan environment with unprecedented access to public policy data. This challenging environment affords public administrators both extraordinary opportunities and severe constraints. This course examines, in detail, the key stakeholders and actors in the public policy process with particular attention devoted to understanding the functions, impacts, and constraints of these stakeholders upon policy development and the policymaking process. In addition, the course explores professional ethics related to the role of the policy analyst and considers the significant social outcomes of public policy. It provides an introduction to the theories and strategies used by policymakers and policy analysts to develop, implement, execute, evaluate, and promulgate public policy. Students explore the impact and consequences of public policy and consider and evaluate policy in a social justice framework. Students craft a policy memorandum to a decision-maker of their choosing regarding a current public policy problem that examines and evaluates competing policy alternatives. Note: Effective Dec. 1, 2009

MMPA 6465 Strategic Planning: Collaboration, Cooperation, and Coordination (5 cr.)
In an increasingly complex world, leaders and managers in public and nonprofit organizations need to be strategic in their planning in order to fulfill the organizational mission and enhance stakeholder satisfaction. This course explores the role and process of strategic planning with an appreciation for collaboration, cooperation, and coordination as they relate to the strategic planning process. Students will apply these concepts to real-life situations and organizations and develop a strategic plan.

Undergraduate Certificate in Homeland Security

COMM 1001 Contemporary Communications (5 cr.)
This course introduces students to the fundamentals of effective communication in contemporary society. The primary focus is on communication using electronic means, such as cell phones, email, instant messaging, and Internet technologies. Topics include communication methods and technologies and their impact on the individual and society. Upon completion, students will be able to use appropriate contemporary communication strategies for the setting and audience, and apply writing and critical-thinking skills to their personal, academic, and work lives. Note: Must be taken in first quarter.

CRJS 1001 Contemporary Criminal Justice Systems (5 cr.)
What is criminal justice and how is it delivered and sustained? This course surveys contemporary criminal justice systems in the United States with emphasis on the roles of law enforcement, courts, and corrections. Students analyze the components of and major players in the criminal justice system and apply what they learn to current events and dilemmas. Students will address the duplication of police services in the United States from the local, county, state, and the numerous federal law enforcement agencies, and make recommendations to make the system more cost effective, efficient, and streamlined.

CRJS 3004 Data Analysis for the Criminal Justice Professional (5 cr.)
How is data understood and used by the criminal justice professional? This course explores the uses of research and statistics and geographical information systems (GIS) in crime analysis and justice administration. Students explore a real-world perspective on the application of data analysis to criminal justice problems and solutions. The class will help support the student’s ability to provide innovative criminal justice program development and management. Students will research the area of computerization and the role it plays in reduced police budgets, as well as address the question of whether data analysis and the use of GIS and GPS provide greater tools for effective policing, allowing fewer police officers on the street but accomplishing the same level of service.

CRJS 4301 Terrorism (5 cr.)
What causes the terrorist threat level to move from orange to red? And what does it mean to the criminal justice system? This course focuses on topics related to domestic and international terrorism, including history, theory, patterns, and trends related to terrorism; roots, causes, and goals of terrorism; levels of threat and types of terrorism; and preparedness and response to terrorism by the criminal justice system. Students examine and analyze contemporary terrorist threats and movements. (Prerequisite: CRJS 1001.)

CRJS 4302 Critical Incidents and Cross-Agency Coordination (5 cr.)
What happens when critical incidents occur and agencies that respond operate independent of one another? This course defines and describes critical incidents that present risks of widespread harm to communities. These incidents serve as the focus for the development of broad-based contingency planning and the development of strategies, policies, and procedures for cross-agency coordination. Students study ways to develop models of cross-agency coordination that anticipate prototypical critical-incident responses. (Prerequisite: CRJS 1001.)

CRJS 4303 Weapons of Mass Destruction and Disaster Response (5 cr.)
How would the criminal justice system respond to weapons of mass destruction (WMD) or disaster incident? What specifically is its role? Topics in this course include types of WMDs (including biological and chemical threats) and disasters, the role of and methods used by the criminal justice system to respond to and manage such incidents, and the function of the National Incident Management System (NIMS) and the Incident Command System (ICS). Students consider the similarities and differences of the responses of the criminal justice system to WMD and disaster incidents. (Prerequisite: CRJS 1001.)