Professional Capstone 3: Reflection, Analysis, and Final Presentation

Course Description

This culminating capstone course, Reflection, Analysis, and Final Presentation, guides doctoral students through the final phases of their capstone project journey as they synthesize findings, generate recommendations, engage in comprehensive reflection, and prepare their final deliverables. Building upon the implementation and observation conducted in previous seminars, students will demonstrate advanced skills in reflective practice and professional communication as they transform their experiences into scholarly contributions to the field of public safety leadership. Through action research frameworks and the collaborative Charrette feedback model, students will refine their ability to derive meaningful insights from their inquiry and articulate clear, actionable recommendations. This seminar emphasizes the integration of empirical findings with theoretical frameworks, critical reflection on practice, and effective communication strategies for diverse stakeholders. The course culminates in a final capstone report and formal presentation that demonstrates students' ability to conduct rigorous, applied research that contributes to public safety leadership practice. Pre-requisites DPSL 8400A DPSL 8400B DPSL 8431 - Finance and Budgeting for the Public Sector* (5 credits) (5 credits) Sound financial practices are crucial to managing scarce funds and making decisions in government and nonprofit organizations. Although the term "public" is synonymous with government, this course also includes nonprofit organizations because they serve a public interest. The course provides students an overview of budgeting and financial management processes in the government and nonprofit sectors from a management perspective. Students examine finance and budgeting concepts, policies, tools, and practices related to public and nonprofit organizations as well as the fiscal climate within which they operate. In addition to reading and analyzing budgets, financial statements, and reports, students also examine issues of equity, transparency, ethics, accountability, and positive social change involved in managing public finances. They develop quantitative and communication skills related to interpreting and presenting information about the financial position and performance of public and nonprofit organizations and contextualize their learning as they examine and apply budgeting tools and skills to real-world scenarios. DPSL 8450 - Strategic Context of Management and Leadership* (5 credits) (5 credits) Students in this course engage in a collaborative study of the changing strategic context of criminal justice management and leadership. Students will understand the strategic context for stakeholder relations needed while resolving issues in criminal justice. They engage in readings and practical assignments that emphasize management and leadership in a time of unprecedented and unpredictable change. Students also work toward being able to apply data and statistics to engage communities and to design program evaluations. DPSL 8540 - Strategic Planning, Management, and Leadership in a Global Context* (5 credits) (5 credits) Public policy implementation can take place in various types of organizations. This course engages learners in a collaborative study of strategic planning, management, and leadership in the context of public and nonprofit organizations. Students in this course identify, analyze, and evaluate the intricate relationships between strategic planning, management, and leadership from an international perspective. This course connects three key institutional elements: "thinking, acting, and learning" strategically. Students apply a management systems approach as they develop, adopt, manage, and lead a strategic plan for an international public or nonprofit organization with an international focus. Students will understand the strategic context for practical decision making for international public and nonprofit organizations, emphasizing the central role of the environment in the strategic planning process. The course offers a hands-on approach that tests students' ability to make effective and timely management and leadership decisions in complex and uncertain conditions. DPSL 8812 - Contemporary Cases and Issues in the Courts* (5 credits) (5 credits) Major issues in the Supreme Court continue to have an impact on public policy at the national, state and local levels. In this course, students examine major past and current U.S. Supreme Court cases related to abortion, privacy, due process, personal property, and freedom of religion and speech. They also examine major cases related to state powers, government entitlement, and powers of the judicial and federal branches of government. From this assessment, students determine how outcomes of such cases affect public policy. Students also explore and discuss individual rights, property rights, administrative law, immigration law, and foreign policy as well as contemporary issues and case studies, to which they apply legal research and verdicts.

Code

DPSL 8400C

Credits

5

Subject

Leadership