Library Guides: Public Administration Subject Guide: Welcome: Public Administration Guide

This guide is filled with tools and resources to assist you gaining the skills you need to succeed in public service or advance your career in nonprofit administration. Use the tabs on the left side to navigate.

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Books to Get Started

Expertise, Policy-Making and Democracy by Johan Christensen; Cathrine Holst; Anders Molander
Call Number: Online eBook
Publication Date: 2023
This book offers a concise and accessible introduction to debates about expertise, policy-making and democracy.
Building Bridges : Case Studies in Collaborative Governance in Canada by Rocan, Claude
Call Number: Online eBook
Publication Date: 2022
The case studies contained in this book show real life examples of complex problems being addressed through collaboration. The problems confronting modern society are complex and do not lend themselves to simple solutions or linear decision making. They require the involvement of many stakeholders. This is often brought about by networks, which bring together a multitude of players in the search for solutions to public policy issues.
Agendas, Alternatives, and Public Policies by John W. Kingdon
Call Number: Request through I-Share Libraries
Publication Date: 2010
First published in 1984, this explanation of the policy-making process in the United States described agenda setting as the ability to define the list of subjects to which government officials and those around them are paying serious attention.

Aurora University Degree Information

Aurora University offers a range of programs to meet the needs of professionals and students seeking careers in the public sector.

Master of Public Administration Program
The Master of Public Administration (MPA) degree is the professional degree for students seeking a career in the public sector or nonprofit management. The MPA program develops the skills and techniques used by managers to implement policies, projects, and programs that resolve important problems within their organization and in society.
Master of Social Work/Master of Public Administration Program
The Dual Master of Social Work/Master of Public Administration (MSW/MPA) program is designed to enable graduate students to expand the scope of their studies and simultaneously pursue the MSW and MPA degrees. Government, public sector, nonprofit, and social service agencies are in need of social work professionals who also have the skills, knowledge and ability to expertly lead. To meet such a need, the School of Social Work and MPA program have teamed to provide MSW students who are earning the Leadership Administration track an opportunity to simultaneously earn their MPA degree.
MPA Careers Guide
If you’ve ever thought about creating policies to improve society, a business or an organization, then a Master of Public Administration (MPA) might be for you. The MPA is a professional graduate degree much like an MBA, and many MPA programs require you to take some MBA classes with the core curriculum. A significant difference between the two programs is MPA programs focus on governance. In an MPA program, you learn to apply public administration theories to real-world situations. Coursework includes community relations, budgeting, public policy and nonprofit management.