Master of Arts in Management-Practicum Option

This course serves as an advanced course in human resource management with particular emphasis on the strategic planning process for each of the functions. Students will explore the historical evolution and philosophical foundation of the field as well as examine the current practices that are being used to support Human Resources in the workplace. Future human resource management challenges will be examined and the emerging concept of strategic Human Resource professionals as business partners will be highlighted.

This course aims at providing students with an in-depth understanding of the various methodological approaches to the study of management. The course provides a deep insight into various scientific and methodological approaches as well as practical training in the design and implementation of research projects. This includes data collection methods, sampling techniques, survey design, interview techniques, observation methods, analysis, interpretation and how to write scientific reports.

This is an introductory course that focuses on the concepts and methods of managing an organization. The overall course objective is to identify, apply, and evaluate techniques for structuring and resolving managerial problems in public and private organizations. The main educational tool used in the course is the analysis and class discussion of case studies. Readings and lectures are used to supplement the case analyses. Topics include: culture and change; managing globally and ethically; strategic planning and implementation; organization structure; human resource management; groups, teams and motivation; leadership; and operational management.

This course will provide a framework for understanding individual and group behaviors within dynamic organizations. Topics to be covered will be human behavior principles in individual, groups/teams, and organizational settings. The main emphasis of this course will be on developing effective administrative/managerial skills in improving employee performance.

This course is an examination of individual dimensions of global executive leadership, organizational behavior, inter-group relations, and strategies for internal corporate communication. Course topics include management and global trade, special aspects of operating successfully in the global environment, the executive's role in solving conflicts and creating corporations in the world marketplace, cultural aspects of international operations management and ethical corporate strategies in an international context.

This course outlines successful Strategic Management and Planning techniques. Students taking this course will gain an understanding of Strategic Planning techniques that have been successful in the industrial base companies. This course has been designed and developed to provide management teams and leaders with state of the art practices and theories, strategies and techniques relative to the Strategic Management and Planning Process.

This course addresses the ethical dimensions of management with a special focus on the processes managers may use to raise and resolve ethical dilemmas and conflicts in organizational settings. Policies pertaining to treatment of those raising ethical issues will be considered. The legal and regulatory requirements of ethical conduct will be examined. Policies and codes of conduct established by various organizations and industry groups will be critically examined. The course will feature case studies involving alleged breaches of ethical conduct among publicly held corporations.

This course covers the major administrative theories that drive macro-level public behavior. It will begin with a consideration of the broad significance of the study of public organizations for individuals in modern society. It will then examine how theorists and practitioners have sought to develop more formal perspectives on public management. It will examine those ideas that are of greatest relevance to the construction of an integrated theory of public organizations. The progression of the course follows the evolution of administrative theory from the pioneering work of Weber, Taylor and Woodrow Wilson to current theories regarding the “New Public Management.”

The study and practice of public administration is explored in its political context. The student is introduced to the environment within which public administration functions and the dynamics of behavior within large organizations. How choices are made among competing policies, factors affecting the implementation of policy, and the role of policy evaluation in shaping policy choices are examined. Managing large scale bureaucratic organizations is analyzed including the role of leadership, the management of personnel and finances, and the role of communication in inter- and intra-organizational relations.

This course examines the way government policies emerge from the political process and are implemented through participating institutions. In this class students will investigate how good analysis can contribute to informed policy-making and review the factors that go into developing effective implementation strategies. In addition, today’s need for enhanced public accountability and the challenging problems of measuring program performance are examined.

This course covers the elements of contemporary leadership and delineates the principles that are important in the development of a leader for the 21st century. Discussion of the role and function of leadership will include an in-depth analysis and study of needs impacting individuals, organizations and society. The course provides students with a set of leadership skills and competencies on which to build an individual model for effective leadership that can be tested over time.

This course is a study of the major legal, regulatory, and policy framework that encompasses environmental programs and projects in the United States and with international political, commercial, and non-governmental institutions. The primary learning approach used in this course will be case studies.

This course is a comprehensive view of human resource policy development with emphasis on the interdependence of human resource and operating functions. Students will have the opportunity to analyze human resource functions of recruitment, development, training, compensation, integration into the workforce, and maintenance of Human resource for the purpose of contributing to organizational, societal, and individual goals. Special emphasis will be placed on human resource policy and strategy as government, corporate, small business, and other entities fashion their human resources to meet the needs of a 21st Century workforce.

This course critically examines the complex and ongoing role of courts in the public policy process. With renewed emphasis on economic stability, financial and non-financial regulation, decentralization, downsizing and re-engineering, there is an increasing awareness that public policy, and the administrative law system that manages it, are subject to intense political and cultural pressures. The attempt to address social concerns with new laws and regulations has created increased pressure on the administrative law process in the courts and legislative chambers. This course examines the sources, influences, operation and consequences of law and public policy formation, and analyzes public policy initiatives from political and legal aspects as to their intentions, achievable aims, and intended and unintended outcomes.

This course is a detailed study of the public health system in America, to include national, state, and local public health policies, implementation, providers, and structures. The course addresses the system’s strengths and weaknesses, and it looks out into the future to address looming issues in the first quarter of the 21st Century.

The APUS Master of Arts in Management examines complex organizations from a level of analysis perspective developing competence in organization analysis, management theory and practice, strategy formulation and execution, leadership, human resources management, technology and global issues related to management, and other related areas. Specializations in this degree include: general management, leadership, and human resource management. This program aims to educate professionals for management and business practice in global military, government and business environments. The ability to apply learning to practice is a key requirement for demonstrated success in learning. To achieve and demonstrate learning a practicum and integration seminar is offered to students in this degree as an alternative to the comprehensive exam. This option can be undertaken by any student seriously interested in the integration and application of theory and practice. Students selecting this option are exempt from comprehensive exams. The course requires that the student: • Identify and obtain approval for an organization or project of interest • Select and obtain an approval for a workplace mentor • Complete a 120 hour practicum in the approved organization under the guidance of the mentor • Keep a log of work completed to be signed by the mentor • Submit a 25 page integrative applied research paper using Kolb’s experiential learning cycle as the basis for reflection on that experience. The experiential or practical component of the class aims to apply learning in an aspect of interest related to the degree and concentrations of the student’s areas of specialization. It is understood to be a supervised practicum that requires approval by APUS before entering into the relationship with the organization. The selection of an organization or site for the practicum must relate to the content of the student’s course work and/or concentration. Goals of the applied practicum and integration seminar will be submitted by the student for approval using an application for approval to the Faculty member, Program Director and Dean of Graduate Studies. The organization will serve as an opportunity to experience the practice of an area of management related to the focus of the student’s degree. This option will act as a capstone of the student’s program and is to be completed in the student’s final semester.