Are you ready to be the face of change and gain an understanding of social issues and strategies? In Southern New Hampshire University's online Bachelor of Science (BS) in Business Administration with a concentration in Public Administration, you'll learn how administrators make policy and enforce programs to help build and strengthen communities and society. This online degree gives you a solid business foundation and develops your knowledge of government structure, administrative management, fiscal budgeting, community dynamics, politics, and public policy.

After completion of the program, you'll be prepared to pursue a career path or advance your current career in public service. The BS in Business Administration with a concentration in Public Administration is a unique field of study that incorporates tools and theories from diverse disciplines, such as public policy, political science, organizational management, and business administration. The tools of public administration are similar to those in business-related fields, but its goals are uniquely the public good and public welfare.

In the public administration concentration, you'll learn how to:

- Justify the development and maintenance of public policy and programs

- Analyze quantitative and qualitative data

- Utilize appropriate communication tactics to inform, negotiate with and persuade constituents on public programs

With a public administration degree, you'll strengthen the skills that help you make informed recommendations for policies and programs based on the best interest of stakeholders such as the community, constituents, and businesses. Your public administration degree will prepare you to back up your ideas for policies and programs through an analysis of quantitative and qualitative data. It will also give you the tools to communicate strategies for informing, negotiating with, and persuading constituents on public programs. In the coursework for this program, you'll develop skills and strategies to make informed recommendations for policies and programs based on the best interest of the community, constituents, and businesses.

The emphasis in this program is placed on intentional communication, working within constraints, and managing external influences in the decision-making process. The courses for SNHU's public administration degree online include Policy Analysis and the Role of the Public and American Politics and Public Fiscal Management. The business core, in addition to your 5 concentration courses, can also set you up for success in this life-changing and personally fulfilling field. This concentration also includes authentic projects and interactive activities that have been developed and delivered by experienced public administrators who demonstrate an ability to connect aspects of the public administrator role to various real-world scenarios.

"Coursework builds from analyzing key theories of the role of government and regulation in developing public policy, to program development and evaluating its success, says Dr. Caron. In this program, you'll discover how ethics drive conduct in the public administration field and analyze the processes and techniques used to secure and manage public funds. You'll also utilize scholarly sources to support your ideas and inspire new ones."

"The takeaway I refer to most often is to do your research," said Michael Ramella '20. "I instill it in my college freshman son and high school junior daughter as well. It's not good enough to just have an opinion. You need to be able to show that there is some basis of scholarly evidence that lead you to your decision." Ramella noted the value in being taught by instructors who care about the success of their students. "The instructors have been great with providing guidance and direction along the course of my 4 years and 2 degrees at SNHU," he said. "I don't necessarily like a lot of 'hand holding' and they were able to quickly determine what the right amount of intervention was for my needs. The consistent feedback helped to form the skills I needed to finish the coursework."

Learning online also gave Ramella the opportunity to learn from professionals of diverse backgrounds.

"Being able to interact with professors from all around the country helped to provide different views and considerations that I wouldn't have had in a regional classroom," he said. "Having the resource of professors serving in a variety of different institutions helped make my education of higher ed stronger." Chris Insco '21 similarly applauded the support he received from his instructors. "Every instructor I had at SNHU was amazing," he said. "Some pushed me harder than others but I think that is to be expected because they see the full potential that each student has and brings to the class." Ultimately, this push was what Insco needed to excel as an online student. "Studying online was a new venture for me versus being in a classroom but it was good to get that kind of exposure of having to be self-efficient and having the self-discipline to be able to complete the assignments and tasks on time," he said.

Expanding access to quality higher education means removing the barriers that may stand between you and your degree. That's why you can apply at any time and get a decision within days of submitting all required materials:

- Completed free undergraduate application

- Prior transcripts, which we can retrieve at no cost to you

- Test scores are not required as part of your application Acceptance decisions are made on a rolling basis throughout the year for our 6 (8-week) undergraduate terms.

$150 Graduation Fee, Course Materials ($ varies by course)