Admission Requirements

Deadlines

Fall Semester Admission: April 1

Spring Semester Admission: November 1

Academic requirements

Applicants are considered either as pre-service (bachelor's degree awarded less than 5 years ago) or in-service (with 5 or more years of professional work experience).

Applicants are considered on a sliding scale of GPA/GRE with the targets of 3.0 (pre-service) or 2.7 (in-service) / 1000 (verbal & quantitative) and other required materials.

Applicants must submit the following application materials

• Official academic transcripts from all previously attended colleges or universities must be submitted directly from the colleges or universities to the Office of Graduate Admission Processing. Hand-carried transcripts, official copies marked Issued to Student and unofficial copies are not accepted.
• GRE test score for the general exam.
• Resume.
• Three letters of recommendation from professors (pre-service) or employers (in-service).
• A career trajectory statement addressing why you think you would be a successful candidate for the MPA program, what has led you to pursue a master's degree in public administration, your career aspirations, and how you think this degree will help you reach them.
• An academic paper (pre-service) or work product/report (in-service) demonstrating your writing abilities.
• Additional requirements apply for international students.

Additional information

A limited number of graduate assistantships are available. Learn more from the Graduate Admissions link at right, or contact the program office.