Complete MBA-516 or take concurrently.
Explore MBA with Public Administration Specialization
Are you ready to embark on a journey of professional growth and excellence in the dynamic field of public administration? Our Online MBA with a Graduate Certificate in Public Administration is your gateway to success in the public sector. This program provides an advanced business education with the latest theories, practices, and trends that are shaping the world of public policy and management.
Students of the program will benefit from our comprehensive business curriculum, and gain real-world insights into public administration, policy analysis and design, and the intricacies of budgeting and financial management in the public sector. The certificate program equips professionals with the knowledge and skills needed to navigate the complexities of public environments and make collectively informed decisions that drive public value.
Build Your Career Future
Having a master’s degree sets you apart from the competition and improves your long-term career potential. Champlain’s online MBA program is designed to provide a framework for today’s business professionals to think more critically, work more collaboratively, and approach complex workplace challenges more holistically. You’ll emerge from the program with a systems-thinking mindset, the ability to approach modern business challenges with confidence, and will be prepared to lead in a variety of roles in a dynamic organization.
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Academic Excellence and Recognition
Regionally accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education
Designated as a Military Friendly School for our commitment to the military community
Ranked among the best by Tech Guide for game design and computer science
Named the among the best schools with accelerated bachelor's degrees by Intelligent.com
What Can You Do With an MBA?
Accredited online MBA programs are in high demand in the business world, and employment in master’s-level occupations is projected to grow by 15% from 2019 to 2029. A master's degree also pays off: the median salary for professionals with a master's degree is $78,210.*
Additionally, management occupations are expected to grow 5% from 2019 to 2029, resulting in more than 500,000 new jobs. Professionals working in management positions earn a median annual salary of $109,760, which is the highest wage for all major occupational groups.
* Sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), 2020; job titles: Monster, 2020
Possible Career Paths for MBA Holders
- Chief Executive Officer
- Public Administrator
- Management Consultant
- Operations Manager
- Administrative Services Manager
- Chief Operations Officer
- Business Development Manager
Program Details
Learn more about Champlain's 100% online MBA public administration program.
MBA Course Descriptions
Champlain's online MBA courses encompass the top skills needed by today's business professionals.
MBA Required Courses (24 Credits)
Public Administration Specialization Courses (9 Credits)
MBA Required Courses
Throughout history, technology provided opportunities for innovation, resulting in changes in business and society at a global scale. These technologies often disrupted business policies and processes, impacting jobs and organizational structures. Students examine how technological innovation is experienced in society and viewed over time and into the future by business people, philosophers, and sociologists. Students explore the question, How do we imagine that business, society and our place within will be affected as technology continues to advance?
Decision-making in any organization cannot be separated from financial considerations, and those involved with strategic planning and operations need to understand the impact their work has on the organization's financial performance. Managers must understand the organization's financial models in order to make a meaningful contribution to the overall success of the organization. Students will focus on using financial information rather than creating it and will use case studies and simulations to experience low-risk financial decision-making.
Prerequisites
Students apply design thinking, lean principles, and value stream mapping to innovate, make informed decisions, and drive continuous improvement, ensuring a firm's operations contribute to its competitive position. The course covers process analyses, cross-functional integrations, and ERP system implementations.
Students learn organization analysis from a holistic perspective. Financial reports and financial ratios are the basis for traditional organizational analysis and builds from that foundation into the analysis of customer, supplier and employee metrics. Focus is on the Balanced Scorecard and other holistic approaches.
Marketing has the power to shape and influence individuals, communities, and society in myriad ways. Technological innovation continues to change the way we market to consumers, and the ways in which consumers interact with products and services. In this course, students will explore and critically examine the impact of current issues and emergent technology on enhancing the customer experience while at the same time applying foundational marketing approaches to build strategies and tactics for an organization of their choosing.
Students use a framework to explore the dynamics of human interaction within and between organizations. Throughout the course, they will use a perspective that a key function of management is to negotiate for resources and use that perspective to develop collaborative relationships with employees, vendors, suppliers, and interested communities.
Students explore the development and execution of an innovative and imaginative business strategy for the future. They consider answers to questions such as, How do you identify an opportunity for a new business that meets an otherwise unmet need? What happens when an organization fails to change when faced with a challenge to their traditional model? How can you mitigate risk? What are the processes that organizations use to keep themselves focused on changing stakeholder requirements and needs?
This course is built around a project that is designed to apply, in a comprehensive manner, the core areas of knowledge around which the MBA has been built. The project may be performed for a current employer, a sponsoring workplace or as an internship as either a service-learning project for a qualifying nonprofit organization or another organization of the student's choosing.
Prerequisites
The MBA 590 Capstone course must be taken only after all other courses in the program have been completed.
In this course students will focus on the key theories, practices, and trends in public administration. Topics include the historical development of public administration in the United States, politics of political institutions, management, leading in public administration, key roles and functions of public administration, organizational structure of government organizations, analysis of key public administration theories, understanding bureaucracy and its role, public administration reforms, and future trends.
In this course, students will focus on the methodology for analyzing, developing, and implementing public policy. Topics include types of public policies, understanding the policy-making process, analyzing public policies, impact analysis of public policies, understanding the role of stakeholders in public policy, economic, social, and political factors influencing policy, and case studies in public policy analysis.
Students will examine public budgeting processes, financial management principles, and fiscal decision-making specific to the public sector. Topics include: the public budgeting process: formulation, execution, and auditing; revenue generation and sources of public funds; expenditure management and cost control; financial planning and forecasting; accountability and transparency; and the evaluation of case studies in public budgeting and financial management.
In addition to developing advanced communication and analytical skills, and a strategic mindset, graduates of the MBA online program will demonstrate a mastery of the following industry-specific competencies:
- Strategic Decision-Making and Innovation: Develop and implement innovative strategies, leveraging technology and creative thinking to drive organizational growth and adaptability in rapidly changing business environments.
- Financial Acumen and Analysis: Use financial analyses to drive decision-making, assess the financial implications of business strategies and actions, and manage resources for organizational sustainability.
- Leadership and Ethics: Lead with integrity, embrace ethical considerations in decision-making, and manage diverse teams with a focus on justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion.
- Integrated Business Perspective: Integrate business knowledge across functional areas, including marketing, finance, operations, and human resources, to make informed decisions that enhance overall organizational performance.
- Communication and Negotiation: Use proven communication and negotiation skills to effectively manage relationships with stakeholders, resolve conflicts, and articulate persuasive strategic visions.
Public Administration Specialization Learning Outcomes
- Synthesize key concepts, theories, and practices, and apply this knowledge to address complex issues in public administration.
- Examine public policies, integrate different perspectives and contexts in policy evaluations, and propose policy recommendations.
- Interpret the formulation and implementation of public budgets and finances, and critically evaluate the ethical and legal ramifications of fiscal decisions in public administration.
Champlain College Online's business faculty, led by Department Chair Dr. Albert Orbinati, are expert practitioners in the field. Their industry expertise ensures that our business management curriculum is aligned with the needs of employers, and reflects the skills today’s business professionals need for success. Classes led by our seasoned experts will give you real-world insight into the business world, and create a rich community of career-focused learning.
Alumni of the Champlain College Online MBA program work in corporations, small businesses, government organizations, and non-profits nationwide, including:
- Alliance Bank
- Ben & Jerry's
- Burton Snowboards
- Cabot Creamery
- City of Burlington
- Collins Aerospace
- Dealer.com/Cox Automotive
- Deloitte
- Fidelity Investments
- GE Healthcare
- Internal Revenue Service
- JP Morgan Chase
- Keurig Dr. Pepper
- MetLife
- Mylan Technologies
- National Life Group
- Northrop Grumman
- People's United Bank
- Social Security Administration (SSA)
- University of Vermont Health Network
- UTC Aerospace Systems
Titles our alumni hold include:
- Accountant
- Auditor
- Business Administrator
- Business Analyst
- Chief Engineer
- Chief of Staff
- Chief Operating Officer
- Claims Specialist
- Consultant
- Contract Specialist
- Financial Analyst
- Financial Manager
- Global Inventory Planner
- HR Specialist
- IT Auditor
- Management Analyst
- Program Analyst
- Program Officer
- Quality Assurance Analyst
- Sr. Software Engineering Manager
- Underwriting Analyst
Increasing your career mobility is at the center of everything we do. As an online master's degree student, you get free access to the Fast Start Formula Career Bundle for getting noticed and getting hired, taught by Jen Morris, a leading executive career coach that partners with us to support our students in their job search journeys.
Tuition & Costs
Graduate Tuition Fall '23 - Summer '25
*Based on a 3-credit course; cost will vary if course is a different number of credits
** Starting Summer 2024, not retroactive
See the graduate cost of attendance and fees here
Meet the Program Director
Albert Orbinati, PhD
- Business (A.S., B.S., M.S., Certificates)
- Human Resource Management (B.S., Certificates)
- Leadership (M.S.)
- Management Information Systems (B.S.)
- Organization Development & Human Relations (M.S.)
About
Albert Orbinati, PhD, is Assistant Professor and Department Chair for the undergraduate and graduate business programs at Champlain College Online.
Prior to Champlain, Dr. Orbinati's roles have included Assistant Vice President of Online Learning and Continuing Education at Medaille University in Buffalo, NY; Dean of the School of Professional and Continuing Education at Russell Sage College in Albany, NY; and Director of Online and Non-Traditional Programs at Utica University in Utica, NY. In addition to his career in higher education, Albert is a member of the U.S. military, and currently holds the rank of Major in the Vermont Air National Guard.
Dr. Orbinati holds a B.A. in Urban Planning from Binghamton University, an M.A. in Adult Education from Central Michigan University, an M.B.A from Champlain College, and a Ph.D. in Adult Education from Capella University.
Why Champlain
Career Growth
"Champlain provides dynamic programs that correlate to real-world scenarios and provide the flexibility you need to execute your day-to-day job. I'm thankful I earned my MBA because my career would not be where it is today if I hadn't."
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Learn More About the MBA with public administration
Learn what you can expect from our online MBA program with a specialization in public administration.
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