MPS Core Course Descriptions
Learn More About Our Core Courses
The Master of Public Service degree program at the Clinton School of Public Service at the University of Arkansas will be 46 credit hours starting in Fall 2023. The 46-credit-hour curriculum includes:
- 20 core credits
- 17 field service credits
- 9 elective credits
The course descriptions below provide a general overview of the core courses; however, the details are subject to change. Elective options for the program are listed here.
MPS Core Courses
Program Planning and Development • CSPS 7333 (3 credit hours)
This course provides students with analytical tools that enhance their skills in diagnosing problems and formulating solutions within organizations and communities. The underlying premise is that well-prepared public service leaders can increase their effectiveness in contributing to the well-being of their communities by equipping themselves with these analytical tools. Instruction will focus on evaluating community assets as a balance to assessing community needs. Underlying values of social justice and collaborative problem-solving provide a benchmark for these activities.
Foundations of Public Service • CSPS 7223 (2 credit hours)
This course covers the history, contexts, and practices of public service. Students will define public service in a global context and reflect on their past and future roles as public servants. The course will explore the various roles public servants play and the various contexts in which they practice public service.
Field Research Methods • CSPS 7335 (3 credit hours)
This course introduces students to the concepts and principles of field research and is taught in conjunction with their first semester of Practicum. Topics include the key components of collaborative field research, ethics in field research, developing a research focus and research question, conducting a literature review, gathering data and data management, and analyzing data and reporting.
Communication Processes • CSPS 7303 (3 credit hours)
Being an effective public service professional requires having the knowledge and skills to act in situations in positive and productive ways that allow for authentic participation by those who may be affected by policies, processes, and actions. This course focuses on the constitutive nature of communication to create and maintain equitable social worlds. Students will explore various theories of democracy, civic participation, and public issue and policy formation, analyze case studies to understand the complexities of creating and maintaining equitable social worlds and engage in exercises to develop effective facilitation skills.
The Theory and Practice of Global Development • CSPS 7331 (3 credit hours)
This course provides an overview of three intersecting institutions, which will be useful when conducting public service in the global south, and democratizing societies. These institutions include the State, the market, and civil society. The course examines the interventions from colonialism to globalization assessing the efforts of Northern States, multilateral, and non-governmental organizations as they attempt to solve the challenges of poverty, disease, conflict, famine, and gender inequality in the Global South.
Seminar in Program Evaluation • CSPS 7334 (3 credit hours)
This course builds on the skills students gain in Program Planning and Development and Field Research in Public Service. The primary objective is for students to learn and apply tools that are frequently used to determine whether public policies and programs at local, national, and international levels are achieving their intended objectives. In this course, students learn how to use appropriate research methods to evaluate public and not-for-profit programs and entities (e.g., non-profit organizations, foundations, NGOs), how to develop strategies for doing an evaluation, and how to manage evaluation projects. Prerequisites: CSPS 7333: Program Planning and Development and CSPS 7334: Field Research in Public Service.
Data Analysis • CSPS 7315 (3 credit hours)
This course provides an overview of statistical methods and hands-on application of statistical tools to managerial decision-making in public service. Understanding statistical analysis and being able to work with data are important competencies of professionalism in public service. Course topics include research design, data collection, and measurement, descriptive statistics, hypothesis testing, processes for selecting statistical tests and assessment of statistical assumptions, measures of association and other bivariate statistics, index variable construction, regression analysis, and an overview of other selected statistical and quantitative methods applied to social problems in public service. Students get hands-on experience through the use of statistical analysis software. Throughout the course, the emphasis will be on understanding the reasoning behind the methods and tests, the assumptions under which they are valid, and the correct interpretation of results.
Social Change Option (3 credit hours)
To earn these credits, students will have the option of several courses related to the dynamics of social change. Click here to see an offering of current and past electives at the Clinton School, UA Little Rock, and UAMS.
Field Service Projects
- CSPS 7341: Practicum I
- CSPS 7340: Practicum II
- CSPS 7530: International Public Service Project
- CSPS 7322: Capstone Proposal
- CSPS 7320: Capstone
