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PA 6650 GOVERNMENTAL
BUDGETING & FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT COURSE SYLLABUS
Last Updated January 31, 2020 |
For course syllabus posted prior to the beginning of the
term, the instructor reserves the right to make minor changes prior to or
during the term. The instructor will notify students, via e-mail or Canvas announcement, when changes are made in the requirements and/or grading of
the course.
TROY Online Courses At Troy University
All TROY Online courses at Troy University utilize the Canvas Learning System. In
every TROY Online course, students should read all information presented in the Canvas
course site and should periodically check for updates—at least every 48 hours.
Remember: This is not a “correspondence course” in which a student may work at his/her own pace. Each week there will be assignments, on-line discussions, online activities and/or exams with due dates. Refer to the Course Schedule at the end of this syllabus for more information.
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INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION
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INSTRUCTOR BIOGRAPHY: Professor of Public Administration; Malone D. Wallace Distinguished Faculty 2011. Formerly: Director, TROY 's Florida and Western Regions; Chair, TROY 's Department of Public Administration; Associate Regional Director for Academic Affairs, TROY 's Atlantic Region. Education: Ph.D. in Public Administration, Master of Arts in Criminal Justice, Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice. Previous teaching: Virginia Commonwealth University; City University of New York; University of Maryland; Central Texas College; Columbia College; Saint Leo College. Professional background: Consultant, training developer and instructor for New York and New Jersey social service agencies. Graduate, FBI National Academy; thirty years law enforcement, personnel management, and training management experience. Certified Government Financial Manager; Executive Committee and former Treasurer, American Society for Public Administration, Section on Ethics and Integrity in Government (SEIGov); Past President: Florida Advisory Council on Military Education; Former Executive Committee member and Treasurer, National Association of Institutions for Military Education Services. Editorial Board member and manuscript reviewer for Public Integrity; Guest Editor for Public Integrity’s Symposium Edition on Military Ethics (2017). Doctoral dissertation examiner and invited Visiting Professor for the University of Pretoria’s School of Public Management and Administration (SPMA).
MPA eQuad
As an active MPA student you have access to the MPA eQuad located on your TROY Online Canvas Dashboard. The MPA eQuad is your immediate access point to information and links for suggested course sequencing, course concentrations, registration, MPA and TROY Online forms, major program requirements, professional opportunities, MPA program orientation, faculty advising, "live" chat access and much more. Visit the MPA eQuad 24/7 for the latest program happenings and to review the available resources. Please take approximately 4 minutes to view this video link to find out what the MPA eQuad can do for you: http://trojan.troy.edu/artsandsciences/politicalscience/mpa/how-to-access-eQuad-advising.html
COURSE INFORMATION:
There are no prerequisites for this course.
Course Description: A survey of concepts, principles, processes, and practices in governmental budgeting at national, state, and local levels and the interrelationships of planning, programming, and budgeting strategies.
Course Objectives:
Discuss
the components of public budgeting systems.
- Describe
the relationship of public budgeting to public policy decision making,
implementation, and evaluation.
- Evaluate
the primary sources of revenues at all levels of government based on the
principles of taxation.
- Identify
the social, political, economic, ethical and cultural factors that
influence public budgeting and financial administration.
Desired Competency:
Students will review, analyze and apply concepts involved in developing public
sector budgets in an organizational context, and will demonstrate understanding
of the structure and development of such budgets.
Student Expectation Statement
- Interaction will take place primarily via the course discussion board
supported by email as needed. Weekly postings are required to the discussion
board in response to posted assignments. I will respond to each posting and
provide general responses to the class.
- In addition to instructor-student interaction, student to student interaction
is expected in the discussion board, and specific group assignments will be
posted that require such interaction. I assess that interaction by reviewing
the group discussion board I will create for each group.
- Students are to participate in this course by following the guidelines of
this syllabus and any additional information I will provide during the term.
- The student is expected to remain in regular contact with the instructor and
class via email or other communication means by participating in the discussion
forums, submitting assignments, and taking exams.
- TROY requires instructors to respond to students’ emails within 24 hours
Monday-Thursday and 48 hours Friday-Sunday, but I normally respond to all questions
or issues within 24 hours, and usually faster.
- As the instructor, I will communicate on the Blackboard.com Announcements
page, in the discussion board for the appropriate week and/or via email. Be
sure to check your TROY email, the announcements section of Blackboard and
especially the discussion board area frequently.
Internet Access
Since this is an on-line class, students must have access to a working computer and access to the internet. Not having a computer or computer crashes are not acceptable excuses for late work. Have a backup plan in place in case you have computer problems.
Useful Web Sites for This Course:
See the External Links section in Blackboard.
TEXTBOOK(S) AND/OR OTHER MATERIALS REQUIRED
Lee, R.D. Jr., Johnson, R.W. & Joyce, P.G. (2013). Public budgeting systems (9th ed.).Sudbury, MA: Jones & Bartlett. (ISBN: 978-1-4496-2790-4)
The official bookstore for Troy University is Barnes and Noble (B&N). Students can now order textbooks within Canvas, Trojan Web Express or on the B&N website at http://shoptroytrojans.com/. For further instructions on how to order your course materials go to “How to Order Textbooks”. Students should have their textbook by the first week of class. Not having your textbook is not an acceptable excuse for late work.
Students should have their textbook by the first week of class. Not having your textbook(s) will not be an acceptable excuse for late work. Students who add this course late should refer to the “Late Registration” section of the eTROY Policies and Procedures for further guidance.
You are required to apply concepts from the core courses in PA 6699. Accordingly retain your textbooks from this course to support work in the PA6699 Capstone in Public Administration Course.
Attendance Policy
In addition to interaction via Canvas and email contact, you are required to contact the instructor via email by the first day of the term. Although physical class meetings are not part of this course, participation in all interactive, learning activities is required.
Make-Up Work Policy
Missing any part of this schedule may prevent completion of the course. If you foresee difficulty of any type (e.g., an illness, employment change, etc.) which may prevent completion of this course, notify the instructor as soon as possible. Failure to do so will result in failure for an assignment and/or failure of the course. If I have not heard from you by the deadline dates for assignments, exams, or forums, no make-up work will be allowed (unless extraordinary circumstances exist, such as hospitalization). Requests for extensions must be made in advance and accompanied by appropriate written documentation. “Computer problems” is not an acceptable excuse.
Incomplete Grade Policy
Missing any part of the Course Schedule may prevent completion of the course. If circumstances will prevent the student from completing the course by the end of the term, the student should complete a request for an incomplete grade. Note: A grade of incomplete or “INC” is not automatically assigned to students, but rather must be requested by the student by submitting a Petition for and Work to Remove an Incomplete Grade Form. Requests for an incomplete grade must be made on or before the date of the final assignment or test of the term. The form will not be available after the last day of the term. A grade of “INC” does not replace an “F” and will not be awarded for excessive absences. An “INC” will only be awarded to student presenting a valid case for the inability to complete coursework by the conclusion of the term. It is ultimately the instructor’s decision to grant or deny a request for an incomplete grade, subject to the policy rules below. Policy/Rules for granting an Incomplete (INC). An incomplete cannot be issued without a request from the student. To qualify for an incomplete, the student must:
Have completed over 50% of the course material and have a documented reason for requesting incomplete (50% means all assignments/exams up to and including the mid-term point, test, and/or assignments.)
Be passing the course at the time of their request.
If both of the above criteria are not met an incomplete cannot be granted. An INC is not a substitute for an “F”. If a student has earned an “F” by not submitting all the work or by receiving an overall “F” average, then the “F” stands. All work must be completed in sufficient time for grading and submission prior to the next term.
Required Additional Reading
None
Recommended Additional Reading
Students should have access to a complete APA Style manual for all writing assignments.
Visit Federal Agency Web pages, particularly the Office of Management and Budget the Congressional Budgeting Office and the Government Accountability Office Web sites, which are provided as links in the course.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
Assignments:
a. Class Preparation and Participation: Students are expected to read all assigned material and to participate in class discussion. Active participation will enhance understanding of the course material. Weekly Participation is required and failure to submit weekly discussions on time will result in significant grade reduction.
b. Budget Project/Case Analysis Term Project: As the term writing project, students using case analysis concepts and methods will obtain and analyze the designated local budget provided via a provided link in Blackboard. The budget will be used to prepare the required written assignment in which students will be required to analyze the selected budget by answering specific questions, and as their case analysis assignment, complete a budget cutting exercise with accompanying written description and justification. The budget project instructions may be accessed at this link: Budget Project .
c. Examinations: An examination, designed to measure students' understanding of and ability to integrate course material will be administered during week eight of the term. Specific dates, times, and access information will be posted once the course is underway.
Examination Schedule and Instructions: A three to four hour closed book final examination will be administered during Week 8 of the course and will consist of complex essay questions to explain and apply course concepts and case analysis methodology. The course final examination will not require a proctor, but it will be an online examination to be completed in Blackboard with security arrangements to be detailed during the course.
METHOD OF EVALUATION AND ASSIGNMENT OF GRADES:
The course grade is a compilation of scores achieved on the four course
elements noted under the grading scale below. All work is graded on a 100 point
scale. Those scores are then multiplied by the percentage weights noted below.
Weekly homework is valued at a maximum of 100 points per week, with the
participation grade being an average of the scores for the seven weeks of weekly
discussion requirement. Late work is assessed a penalty of at least 10 points
per day, and a zero value will be awarded for assignments later than day 3.
Weekly homework scores are not computed into the course grade book total
weighted score until after all weekly work due dates have passed. Students can
view their progress in the Blackboard grade book at any time. The final course
weighted score will tell students what their course grade will be in accordance
with the grading standard below.
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a. Grading Standard: |
b. Weighted
Percentages: |
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90-100 = A |
Class
Participation/Attendance 30%
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80 - 89 = B
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Term Project 40%
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70 - 79 = C
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Course Examination 30%
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60 - 69 = D
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Below 60 = F
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Please note a grade of“FA” indicates the student failed
due to attendance (including non-participation). This grade is given to any student who disappears from the
course for three or more weeks, and impacts grade point averages the same as an "F" grade.
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COURSE POLICIES:
Submitting
Assignments
Weekly assignments must be posted to the discussion board by the submission
deadline. Weekly discussion text should
be pasted or typed directly into the discussion board submission to allow me and your
classmates to read the material online without opening another program, but attaching a copoy of your Word document is advised so I can verify formatting if needed. The weekly
assignments will be the primary interaction mechanism for the course.
Instructor comments and discussion of student submissions will be provided each
week. These assignments will assist the student in preparing for the
examination, all portions of which will have been discussed in this manner.
Submit papers in Standard English using a 12-point format, 1-inch margins, and
double spacing in MS-Word format. The American Psychological Association (APA)
guidelines are the standards for writing and referencing papers in the MPA
program. Use the APA Research Style guidelines found at: http://www.troy.edu/writingcenter/resources.html
Failure to submit assignments on time will result in a minumim of a ten point per day deduction. Work submitted more than 72 late will not be accepted and will result in a zero grade for the week. Assignments should be posted to the appropriate discussion board area for the week by Sunday evening at 8:00 PM unless otherwise instructed. (note: Canvas and I operate on US Central Time).
TROY Online Policies and Procedures
Click on the Syllabus tab in Canvas and follow appropriate links to important eTROY Policies and Procedures:
COURSE SCHEDULE/CALENDAR OF WEEKLY ASSIGNMENTS
(Weekly discussion questions and any additional instructions will be posted in the appropriate Weekly Learning Module in Blackboard)
Week
One: Introduction to Budgeting, the Public Sector, Government &
the Economy
Read Lee & Johnson Chapters 1 - 3, review the corresponding chapter slides
in the Week 1 Learning Module of the course, and in the
discussion board respond to the questions posted in the Week 1 Module. NOTE:
Weekly postings are due by 8:00 PM Sunday evening of each week unless otherwise
instructed.
Week
Two: Introduction to Budgeting, the Public Sector, Government &
the Economy (Continued)
Review Lee & Johnson Chapters 1 - 3, review the corresponding chapter
slides in the Week 1 Learning Module of the course, and in
the discussion board respond to the questions posted in the Week 2 Module.
Week Three: Budget Cycles and Revenue
Read Lee & Johnson Chapters 4 - 6, review the corresponding chapter slides
in the Week 1 Learning Module of the course, and in the
discussion board respond to the questions posted in the Week 3 Module.
Week Four: Budget Preparation
Read Lee & Johnson Chapters 7 & 8, review the corresponding chapter
slides in the Week 4 Learning Module of the course, and in
the discussion board respond to the questions posted in the Week 4 Module.
Week Five: Budget Approval
Read Lee & Johnson Chapters 9 & 10, review the corresponding chapter
slides in the Week 4 Learning Module of the course, and in
the discussion board respond to the questions posted in the Week 5 Module.
Week Six: Budget Execution & Financial Management
Read Lee & Johnson Chapters 11 & 12, review the corresponding chapter
slides in the Week 4 Learning Module of the course, and in
the discussion board respond to the questions posted in the Week 6 Module.
Week Seven: Capital Budgeting & Finance;
Intergovernmental Relations
Read Lee & Johnson Chapters 13 - 15, review the corresponding chapter
slides in the Week 7 Learning Module of the course, and in
the discussion board respond to the questions posted in the Week 7 Module.
The final exam will be available at the end of Week Seven for completion during week eight.
Week Eight: There are no discussion questions for this week to allow students to complete the final exam, unless there is a need for make-up work.
Week Nine: There will be no weekly postings required to allow students to complete their course project, and for class discussion of the projects.
(Budget projects are due by 8:00 PM, Wednesday evening of week nine to allow for grading and discussion)