Public Affairs 6045: Fundamentals of Budgeting and Financial Administration
This is a sample syllabus to provide general information about the course and it's requirements. Course requirements are subject to change. This syllabus does not contain all assignment or course detail and currently enrolled students should reference the syllabus provided by their instructor. For a specific syllabus, please email us a request.
Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of the course, students should understand:
- The components of a budget and the different types of budget formats.
- The benefits and implications of each type of budget format.
- The political budgeting process and its impact on policy.
- How leaders can use budgets to manage resources and accomplish goals.
Upon completion of the course, students will be able to:
- Use spreadsheets effectively for budgeting.
- Create a budget from the ground up and analyze impacts of prospective changes to a budget.
- Identify the key components an administrator should look for in a budget to diagnose a government or organization’s financial strengths and weaknesses.
- Conduct a simple Cost Benefit Analysis to evaluate the impacts of both quantified and unquantified costs and benefits.
- Understand the politics and budgeting cycles well enough to know when they can effect change in the process.
- Perform basic analyses of financial information, including budgetary calculations, cost allocation techniques, capital planning, and operational needs.
- Communicate basic financial information to leadership, a legislative body, and community stakeholders.
Requirements and Expectations
A textbook may be required for this course. Please consult your instructor's syllabus for detail.
Video Introduction to Your Colleagues, 10 points
Budget Process Explanation Assignment, 25 points
Performance Measures Development Assignment, 25 points
Cost Allocation Assignment, 25 points
Budget Rating Assignment, 50 points
Virtual Work Group Meeting Participation (15 points each), 30 points
TOTAL: 165 Points
Description: Students are required to post a brief video introduction of themselves using the video recording tool in a discussion forum. The discussion forum provides instructions about the video and posting a video in a discussion forum.
Description: Students are required to complete the following individual assignments:
- Budget process explanation assignment requiring students to draw on the course materials to outline and explain the entire budget process for: (1) their own organization or (2) a suitable government agency or nonprofit organization of the student’s choosing to identify the key organization actors and stakeholders and their roles, friction points where the process may slow down, and strategies for successfully negotiating the process.
- Performance measures development assignment requiring students to develop performance measures for a program in their own organization or a suitable government or nonprofit program of the student’s choosing and develop all the following for the program: (1) program mission; (2) program goals; (3) program objectives; (4) program inputs; (5) program outputs; and (6) program outcomes.
- Cost allocation assignment requires students to perform cost allocation and estimate the full cost of a government agency using data provided by the instructor.
These individual assignments allow students to work on managerial and policy issues or problems relating to topics, concepts, and methods covered during a weekly module. The assignments require students to submit a memo covering the topic of the assignment. Each assignment includes instructions and a grading rubric to guide student performance. The lowest budgetary methods assignment grade will be increased by 30% up to the 25-point maximum.
Description: Students are required to complete an assignment analyzing and rating a budgetary document of an Ohio local government based on the budget rating system of the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA). The government budgets and GFOA rating rubrics will be supplied by the instructor. Students must submit a memorandum summarizing their results and findings.
Description: Attendance and participation in virtual work group meetings during the course is required. At the beginning of the course students will be randomly assigned to work groups for the duration of the course. The work groups will meet on Zoom to discuss the performance measures assignment during Week 2-3 and the cost allocation assignment during Week 4-5. Work group meeting dates and times will be set by the group and held when all members can attend. Work group meetings will allow students to interact and discuss their work on a particular assignment, advance understanding of pertinent concepts and methods, and improve performance on assignments. Work groups are required to produce and submit minutes of each meeting. Each of these assignments includes instructions for the meeting and meeting minutes.