University of Pennsylvania Certificate in Public Finance
http://www.fels.upenn.edu/public-finance-courses
The Public Finance Certificate offers current and aspiring financial management leaders a practical education. The graduate level certificate can be completed in one year of part-time study as a stand-alone program, or can be combined with another graduate program, including the MPA.
The certificate has a broad-based curriculum and covers the fundamental competencies of financial management. The three core classes provide students with foundational skills including:
Public Sector Economics (pre-requisite)
Financial Management
Advanced Public Sector Budgeting
Public Investment Banking
A choice of two electives rounds out the certificate and can be chosen in areas such as contracting, auditing, nonprofit financial management, and treasury management. Upon completing the certificate, students will be prepared to work in a wide range of environments ranging from governmental budget, controller, and treasury offices to public sector consulting to rating agencies.
Advanced Budgeting
Course Number: GAFL 719
Offerings
Fall 2011
Course Section: 001
Wednesday 6:00-9:00 pm
Instructor:
Auditing Government Performance
Course Number: GAFL 652
Topics covered in this course include auditing principles, performance audits, and financial audits. Students will become familiar with generally accepted government auditing standards, what they mean, how they are applied, and the value they bring to the public.
This course satisfies an elective requirement in the Master of Public Administration program and an elective requirement in the Certificate in Public Finance program.
Contracting for Public Services
Course Number: GAFL 792
This course examines how different strategies of ownership affect the performance of programs. The course explores the different forms of privatization, including asset sales, deregulation, and public-sector contracting; ownership and managerial behavior; state-owned enterprises and mixed-ownership enterprises; US and overseas experience; and techniques and politics of privatization. This course satisfies an elective requirement in the Master of Public Administration, Certificate in Public Finance, and Certificate in Economic Development and Growth.
Offerings
Spring 2011
Course Section: 001
Monday 6:00-9:00 pm
Instructor: Eric C. Neiderman
Economic Analysis in the Public Sector
Course Number: GAFL 621
This course provides students with the knowledge required to understand government operations in relation to the market economy. In theory of supply and demand, students explore the pricing mechanism, price elasticity, and the effects of price controls on markets. Efficiency is examined in connection with competition and again in connection with equity, and market failure is considered as a reason for government intervention. Cost-benefit analysis is examined in the context of selecting among public investment alternatives. The course also assists students in addressing issues connected with local public goods and economic development.
This course is a core requirement in the Master of Public Administration program and a pre-requisite requirement for the Certificate in Public Finance and the Certificate in Economic Development and Growth.
Offerings
Summer 2011
Course Section: 900
Saturday 9:30am-1:00pm
Instructor:
Fall 2011
Course Section: 001
Monday Wednesday 1:30-3:00 pm
Instructor: Janice F. Madden
Financial Management of Nonprofit Institutions
Course Number: GAFL 729
The course is designed to provide the student with an understanding of the primary financial management issues and decisions that confront senior management in nonprofits and government. Students will examine financial analysis techniques from both a practical and strategic perspective as they examine operating and capital decisions. The objective of the course is to allow the student to understand how managers integrate the various discrete financial decisions within a broader framework that allows them to analyze, develop and execute a coherent overall financial strategy.
This course satisfies a core requirement in the Certificate in Nonprofit Administration program and an elective requirement in the Master of Public Administration and Certficate in Public Finance programs.
It is also an approved elective in PennDesign’s Certificate in Urban Development.
Offerings
Spring 2011
Course Section: 001
Wednesday 6:00-9:00 pm
Instructor: Concetta Anne Bencivenga
Syllabus
Managing Public Funds: The Treasury Function
Course Number: GAFL 727
This course will focus on the theory and practice of managing public sector investment assets. The course will examine cash management, pension fund management, project and construction fund investment vehicles, longer-term asset management and other aspects of treasury management.
This course satisfies an elective requirement in the Master of Public Administration and Certificate in Public Finance programs.
Offerings
Fall 2011
Course Section: 001
Monday 6:00-9:00 pm
Instructor: Folasade Olanipekun-Lewis
Public Financial Management
Course Number: GAFL 783
This course will introduce students to the fundamentals of budgeting and accounting for government and nonprofit managers. The course is divided into two units. The first unit covers budgeting concepts and skills, culminating in a real-world budget simulation. The second unit will cover basic accounting principles and financial statement literacy, so that students are able to evaluate the fiscal health of public sector organizations. The unit culminates with a final project requiring students to analyze the City of Philadelphia's CAFR (Comprehensive Annual Financial Report). This course satisfies a core requirement in the Master of Public Administration, Certificate in Public Finance, and Certificate in Economic Development and Growth programs.
Offerings
Spring 2011
Course Section: 001
Thursday 9:00 am-12:00 pm
Instructor: Stephen Mullin
Syllabus
Fall 2011
Course Section: 001
Saturday 2:00-5:30 pm
Instructor:
Quantitative Methods for Fiscal Decision-Making
Course Number: GAFL 517
The purpose of the course is to study the theory and application of certain key quantitative methods utilized in financial and fiscal decision-making in state and local governments: defining and measuring efficiency and equity; statistical analysis, multivariate analysis, linear and multiple regression; inter-temporal decision-making; and cost-benefit analysis. Primary emphasis will be on understanding the context and quantitative basics of these methods to prepare students for effective careers in state and local governments. Each student should have a basic understanding of market economics, the roles of government in our market economy, accounting/budgeting basics, and the Philadelphia metro area economy and government.
Offerings
Fall 2011
Course Section: 001
Saturday 9:30 am-1:00 pm
Instructor: Stephen Mullin
The Business of Public Finance Investment Banking
Course Number: GAFL 515
The purpose of the course is to provide a detailed understanding of finance in the public sector with a focus on investment banking. The course provides students with a broad-based and technical overview of public finance and municipal bonds as well as a thorough understanding of the business aspects of public finance. This course satisfies an elective requirement in the Master of Public Administration program and a core requirement in the Certificate in Public Finance program.
Offerings
Spring 2011
Course Section: 001
Tuesday 6:00-9:00 pm
Instructor: Brett Matteo
Syllabus