Program Learning Goals- Financial Literacy
1.1 Interpret financial statements, budgets, and accounting reports.
1.2 Understand and critique expert technical reports, analysis, and proposals
1.3 Describe major features of public revenue and expenditure systems.
1.4 Identify types of debt and revenue instruments used in financing public affairs
1.5 Understand the underlying financial transactions that make up the financial statements
1.6 Identify legal frameworks affecting financial decision making and policy
Program Learning Goals- Financial Analysis Skills
2.1 Apply analytical frameworks for evaluating tax and expenditure policy
2.2 Compare policies under alternative decision criteria
2.3 Design a budget to aid in decision making for programmatic, managerial, or evaluative purposes
2.4 Construct relevant financial indicators using professionally accepted concepts
Program Learning Goals- Program and Policy Evaluation
3.1 Set performance measures and targets for agencies
3.2 Identify managerial options from financial data
3.3 Provide informed recommendations rationalized from widely accepted policy criteria
Program Learning Goals- Comparative Perspective
4.1 Analyze policy from multiple perspectives
4.2 Identify ethical concerns and considerations in financial policy-not assessed
4.3 Adapt to differences in actors in for-profit, nonprofit, and public sectors
4.4 Explain the differences and understand why accounting rules are different for for-profit, nonprofit, and public sectors
Program Learning Goals- Communication
5.1 Engage ethically in successful rhetoric that persuades a broad range of stakeholders from laymen to policy makers and experts of analytical conclusions
5.2 Convey financial information using tables and figures
5.3 Write and present analyses in formats such as advisory memos, position papers, and white papers
5.4 Write and speak clearly, concisely, and accurately with professionally appropriate grammar and spelling
Requirements (Five courses)
The following four courses:
- SPEA-V 186 Introduction to Public Budgeting and Finance for Public Affairs
- SPEA-V 246 Elements of Governmental and Nonprofit Financial Accounting Cycle (3 cr.) (P: SPEA-V 186)
- SPEA-V 361 Financial Management (3 cr.) (P: SPEA-V 246 or BUS-A 201)
- SPEA-V 374 Intermediate Public Budgeting and Finance (3 cr.) (P: SPEA-V 186)
One of the following courses:
- SPEA-V 346 Introduction to Government Accounting and Financial Reporting (3 cr.) (P: SPEA-V 246)
- SPEA-V 371 Financing Public Affairs (3 cr.) (P: SPEA-V 202)
- SPEA-V 401 Financial and Cost-Benefit Analysis (3 cr.) (P: SPEA-V 202)required for major
- SPEA-V 439 Debates in Public Finance (3 cr.) (P: SPEA-V 202)