PUBPOL 5443

Systems Thinking for Executives I

Course Description

Course information provided by the 2024-2025 Catalog. Courses of Study 2024-2025 is scheduled to publish mid-June.

This course serves as an introduction to systems thinking methods and technical tools that are foundational to all other advanced Executive Master of Public Administration (EMPA) coursework. This course focuses on answering three essential questions: (1) Why does systems thinking exist (i.e., its promise and popularity)? (2) What is systems thinking? (3) How do we do systems thinking? We also explore two subsequent questions: (4) How do we apply systems thinking to personal mastery and professional development? (5) How do we apply systems thinking to the social and policy challenges we face?

Permission Note Enrollment limited to: Executive Master of Public Administration (EMPA) students.

Last 4 Terms Offered 2025SP, 2024FA, 2024SP, 2023FA

Outcomes

• Students will demonstrate a deep understanding of systems thinking and its application to public sector planning and management issues.
• Students will demonstrate proficiency with systems thinking modeling techniques.
• Students will be able to tackle complex problems from multiple perspectives that can get in the way of policy analysis, planning, evaluation, leadership, and management.

Distribution Category (KCM-HE)

When Offered Spring.

View Enrollment Information