PA 8120 Analysis and Decision Making

Course Description

Decision-making supported by quantitative analysis is becoming increasingly important in the public and
nonprofit sectors. As a result, managers are expected to be fluent in quantitative analytical skills. This course
is a graduate level, introductory statistics and research methodology course. It will focus on applied
quantitative analysis for public/nonprofit management and policy. The goal of the course is two-fold: (1) to
train you to apply the concepts presented and use them to inform real world decision-making in the public
and nonprofit sectors and (2) to prepare you to successfully complete your capstone project.

Course Objectives

Upon successful completion of this course, students should be able to:

1. Identify and define key theories and concepts of research design, descriptive and inferential statistics,
   multiple regression.
2. Design and execute an analytical research project.
3. Demonstrate proficiency regarding data collection, analysis, and evaluation.
4. Critically evaluate research designs and methods presented in applied and academic sources.
5. Correctly select and apply the appropriate analytical tool for the problem and data at hand.
6. Understand and evaluate the ethical issues surrounding data collection, analysis, and evaluation.

Student progress on these learning objectives will be measured through a combination of homework
assignments, class discussion, and a course paper.