2024-2025 Undergraduate & Graduate Catalog
Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science in Public and Nonprofit Administration
The baccalaureate program provides professional orientation and career specialization upon a sound liberal arts foundation. It is an interdisciplinary program designed to provide students with the skills and knowledge necessary for successful careers in public and nonprofit organizations. The curriculum emphasizes general public and nonprofit administration knowledge but also requires students to concentrate in selected areas of emphasis.
Both freshmen and transfer students who are admitted to Grand Valley are eligible for admission to the program. Students interested in public and nonprofit administration should seek the advice of faculty in the program, especially when choosing courses to fit various needs and interests.
Requirements
Prerequisite for public and nonprofit administration major:
Major consists of 36 credit hours including:
Students must complete the following (24 credit hours):
- PNH 270 - Public and Nonprofit Administration (3 credits)
- PNH 307 - Local Politics and Administration (3 credits)
- PNH 360 - Voluntarism and the Nonprofit Sector (3 credits)
- PNH 375 - Public Budgeting and Finance Administration (3 credits)
- PNH 376 - Public Personnel Policy and Administration (3 credits)
- PNH 420 - Organization Theory and Dynamics (3 credits)
- PNH 495 - Community Analysis (Capstone) (3 credits)
Students must also complete one of the following electives (three credit hours):
- PNH 330 - Health Care Financing (3 credits)
- PNH 335 - Grant Writing (3 credits)
- PNH 372 - International and Comparative Administration (3 credits)
- PNH 395 - Emergency Management (3 credits)
B.A. and B.S. Degree Requirements
B.A. Degree Requirements
Majors seeking a B.A. degree must demonstrate third-semester proficiency in a foreign language.
B.S. Degree Requirements
Majors seeking a B.S. degree must complete the following:
- STA 215 - Introductory Applied Statistics (3 credits)
- PNH 300 - Research Methods (3 credits)
- PNH 449 - Policy Research and Evaluation (3 credits)
Specialty Areas
Students must select one specialty consisting of at least nine credit hours. Some specialties also require that a specific PA course be taken as an elective. PNH 372, PNH 380, PNH 490, and PNH 491 may count in any area with an academic advisor's approval.
Community Development and Planning
- GPY 307 - Introduction to Geographic Information Systems (3 credits)
- GPY 209 - Introduction to Urban and Regional Planning (3 credits)
- HST 327 - History of United States Urban Society (3 credits)
- PNH 390 - Leadership Dynamics (3 credits)
- PLS 338 - Citizenship (3 credits)
- SOC 313 - Race and Ethnicity (3 credits)
AND the B.S. course requirement:
Public Personnel Management
- INT 331 - Person and Profession in a Global Environment (3 credits)
- MGT 334 - Employment and Labor Law (3 credits)
- MGT 355 - The Diversified Workforce (3 credits)
- MGT 432 - Grievance Administration, Arbitration, and Collective Bargaining (3 credits)
- PNH 390 - Leadership Dynamics (3 credits)
- PHI 325 - Ethics in Professional Life (3 credits)
Local Economic Development
- BUS 201 - Legal Environment for Business (3 credits)
- CAP 220 - Fundamentals of Public Relations (3 credits)
- HTM 101 - Introduction to Hospitality and Tourism (3 credits)
- MGT 339 - Business and Society (3 credits)
Public and Nonprofit Budgeting and Finance
- ACC 212 - Principles of Financial Accounting (3 credits)
- ACC 213 - Principles of Managerial Accounting (3 credits)
- CIS 231 - Problem Solving Using Spreadsheets (3 credits)
- ECO 210 - Introductory Macroeconomics (3 credits)
- ECO 211 - Introductory Microeconomics (3 credits)
- FIN 331 - Risk and Insurance (3 credits)
- PNH 335 - Grant Writing (3 credits)
Community Health
- PH 222 - Public Health Concepts (3 credits)
- COM 209 - Health Communication Systems (3 credits)
- AHS 340 - Health Care Management (3 credits)
- MKT 350 - Marketing Management (3 credits)
- OSH 300 - Introduction to Occupational Safety and Health (3 credits)
- PLS 310 - Politics and Health Policy (3 credits)
AND this required elective:
Nonprofit Management
- INT 341 - Leadership for Social Change (3 credits)
- MKT 350 - Marketing Management (3 credits)
- PNH 335 - Grant Writing (3 credits)
- PNH 370 - Human Dynamics of Nonprofit Organizations (3 credits)
- PNH 374 - Fundraising and Financial Management for Nonprofit Organizations (3 credits)
- PNH 390 - Leadership Dynamics (3 credits)