The School of Public and Environmental Affairs at IPFW (SPEA-IPFW) is a multidisciplinary division which includes elements of law, economics, political science, quantitative analysis, and sociology organized as a professional school. The mission of the School of Public and Environmental Affairs at IPFW is to educate and train students for careers in the public and not-for-profit sectors, and to conduct research and service in the those sectors.
Associate of Science in Public Affairs
The Associate of Science in Pubic Affairs degree prepares students for entry-level positions within the public sector. The student should
2. Understand urban government and policy issues.
3. Be able to apply principles from life and physical science to understanding and management of the environment.
4. Understand management principles and application to problems of government in a limited democratic system.
The Bachelor of Science in Public Affairs degree exists within a liberal arts context and prepares students to begin a career in either the public or private sector. The program introduces students to the concepts of the economic, political, and social contexts in which public servants work and provides students with information about administration in a changing public sector. The program also strives to prepare students to enter graduate programs in law, planning, public affairs, environmental sciences, or business administration. In addition to the above goals of the Associate’s degree, a student should be able to:
1. understand fiscal management of public agencies.
2. apply techniques of revenue administration, debt management, and public budgeting.
3. understand origins, processes, and impact of law in the creation and implementation of public policy.
4. understand the capabilities of management science.
5. appropriately use quantitative approaches for dealing
with management and policy problems.
Master of Public Affairs
The School of Public and Environmental Affairs program leading to a Master of Public Affairs degree is an integrated course of study that provides students with opportunities to acquire knowledge and experience needed by managers and professionals in public and quasi-public organizations. The purpose of this course of study is to broaden the student's comprehension of the economic, political, and social contexts in which public servants work and to provide the student with information about administration in a changing public sector. Graduates thereby have the opportunity to enhance their skills and knowledge for management in local, state, and federal government and in quasi-public service organizations, such as health care and social service agencies.
The student should be able to
2. Solve problems of organization, planning, decision making, performance evaluation, and management of human resources.
3. Understand the concepts of probability, estimation, and hypothesis testing. Apply contingency table analysis, analysis of variance, regression, and other statistical techniques.
4. Understand complex systems, estimate parameters of models on the basis of data, forecast future values, and test hypotheses about systems.
5. Demonstrate proficiency in the computer analysis of data.
6. Explain the role of law in society and its influence on public sector operations.
7. Apply microeconomics concepts and techniques, including cost, elasticity, pricing, wage determination, and cost-benefit analysis to public management and public issues and concerns. Describe the fiscal role of government in a mixed economy. List the sources of public revenue and public expenditure decisions. Understand the administrative, political, and institutional aspects of the budget and the budgetary process.
8. Understand the interrelationships among social, technical, and natural systems. Understand the causes and implications of environmental problems. Generate alternative policies and mechanisms for environmental control and bases for choice.
The Associate of Science in Criminal Justice degree prepares students for entry level positions in corrections, law enforcement, or probation. A student should have a basic knowledge of:
2. the criminal law and its relationship to criminal justice.
3. how crime is measured.
4. the major theories of crime causation.
5. the concept of victimization, including the nature of victims, theories of victimization, and helping victims.
6. the functions of police in modern society, issues in policing, and the police and the rule of law.
7. the adjudication process, from pretrial indictment to the sentencing of criminal offenders.
8. the correctional system, including institutional and community-based corrections.
The Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice degree exists within a liberal arts context and prepares students for a career in corrections, law enforcement, or probation. The program also strives to prepare students to enter graduate programs in criminal justice, criminology, and related fields. In addition to the goals for the Associate of Science in Criminal Justice, a student should have a basic knowledge of:
2. research methods in criminology and criminal justice.
3. the recent attempts by criminologists to integrate different theories of crime into a unified whole.
4. the major efforts to confront and control crime.
5. the juvenile justice system, including preventative detention of youth, waiving youth to the adult court, and the death penalty for juveniles.
3. the corrections field, including probation and intermediate sanctions.
4. the court system, including legal rights during trial and the trial process.
The student should:
2. Be able to apply techniques of revenue administration, debt management, and public budgeting as they apply to health-care facilities.
3. Have a working knowledge of the characteristics of, and differences between, a medical care approach and a public health approach toward issues affecting the health of populations.
4. Understand the broad concerns of environmental and health interactions.
5. Understand the organization, function, and role of the U.S. health-care delivery system.
6. Be able to appropriately read and critique epidemiological studies and techniques.
7. Understand issues pertinent to management of health-care facilities such as hospitals and long-term care facilities.
8. Demonstrate an understanding of the environment, values, tools, and techniques of human resource management in health-care facilities.