Public Administration Courses

Public administration refers to the work people do to promote positive change in our communities at the local, state, and national government levels. Some of the roles in public administration are in government but may also be in nonprofit or community awareness work.

People working in public administration jobs try to use existing laws and regulations to improve people's lives while hoping to keep down public taxes, improve community response efforts, and open up communications between elected officials and citizens.‎

When you learn public administration, you gain an understanding of public services, human resource management, financial management and budget allocation, communication skills, data analysis, and public sector theory for government and nonprofits. People in public administration jobs oversee public policy initiatives, budgets, and inspections, while helping to manage people and resources in the chosen environment.

With these competencies, people in this field can help others to develop, implement, and execute a wide range of public administration projects and initiatives in their current work.‎

Learning public administration can lead you to careers in project management, public health, public services, public grassroots building, loan administration, fundraising, government economy, public works administration, and more. The skills you learn for public administration can also lead to later careers in the private business sector or government consulting.

Some of the more well-known agencies on a national level that are involved in public administration include the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Small Business Administration (SBA), and others. There are many other career opportunities in public administration in local, county, and state offices as well.‎

Taking online courses in public administration can give you a fundamental understanding of negotiation skills, management tactics, and communications principles to help you understand how government operations work. When you learn public administration, you can create new ways to boost the efficiency of the local economy to promote equity among communities in your city or state.‎