Muskie School of Public Service

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Certificate in Child & Family Policy & Management

Course of Study

Requirements

Students select four courses (12 credits) from among the following courses in the graduate programs at the Muskie School. Students are required to take PPM 526 Public Policy and Children, one course from each of the other groups listed below, and a fourth course for either group.

Required Course

• PPM 526 Public Policy and Children
  Explores public policies affecting the well-being of children including early care and education, child welfare, juvenile justice, child health care and welfare reform. Uses multi-method teaching and learning strategies to develop practical skills and substantial knowledge of public policies. (3 Credits)

Select at least one course in management:

• PPM 615 Foundations for Public Service and Management
  Studies contemporary perspectives, issues and strategies regarding the management of public and quasi-public sector organizations. Topics include a range of management concerns from strategic planning to operations management, providing a basic understanding of public management theory and the application of theory to governmental and other public sector institutions as well as understanding specialized management tools to improve the performance of public organizations. Instructor permission required. (3 credits)
• PPM 531 Practical Performance Measurement in Public and Nonprofit Agencies
  Introduces performance measurement and other related activities such as strategic planning and benchmarking. Emphasizes "hands on" learning, allowing students to use measurement techniques and apply practical measurement strategies to real world settings. (3 credits)
• PPM 632 Human Resource Management in Public, Nonprofit and Health Organizations
  This course examines human resource management in the public, nonprofit and health sectors and introduces basic conceptual frameworks, techniques of analysis, and considers contemporary issues in human resource management. Topics include the historical development of employment systems, the functions associated with personnel management (workforce planning, acquisition, recruitment, retention, selection, performance appraise, compensation, training, employee motivation and collective bargaining). Contemporary human resource management issues considered include strategic human resource management, contracting and outsourcing, downsizing and workforce reductions, HR metrics, knowledge management and work-life balance issues. (3 credits)
• PPM 633 Strategic Planning in the Public and Non-Profit Sectors
  Examines how public organizations can utilize strategic planning in responding to environmental change and the future. Covers approaches to and techniques of strategic planning, goal-setting, environmental scanning, resource audits, and the formulation of strategy and its implementation. (3 Credits)
• PPM 535 Managing in the Nonprofit Sector
  Examines the managerial dimensions of nonprofit organizations, including the nonprofit environment, organizational roles and processes, interagency relationships, and problems of change and adaptability. Specific attention is given to current issues in nonprofit management such as strategic planning, board/staff relationships, computerization of the workplace, fundraising, and volunteer development. (3 Credits)

Select at least one course in policy:

• PPM 527 Child and Family Policy and Law
  This course examines the legal issues affecting children and families and the policy implications of these issues. The course will give students a basic understanding of the law (statutory and case law) as it relates to children and families and how policy decisions are made and analyzed within that context. The course will emphasize the laws, cases, and policies from the viewpoint of children and families and will examine how policymakers can affect children and families both positively and negatively.
• PPM 639 Topics in Public Management
  Selected topics in public management such as: Youth Violence: Policy Implications for Schools, Police, Courts and Communities; Hate Crimes in America: Public Policy Implications (3 Credits)
• HPM 672 Politics of Health Policy
  Examines the contested core values that shape political debate on social policy issues, including: equity, efficiency, liberty and security. Students analyze the roles of American political institutions, organized interests and public opinion in influencing and controlling political debate. Current political contests about health care and related social policies are analyzed in the context of these institutional and issue frameworks. (3 credits)