Department of Public Administration & Policy

Combined Bachelor’s and Master of Public Policy

This program enables qualified students to earn, in a continuous plan of study, both a bachelor’s degree with a major in any related discipline and the Master of Public Policy (M.P.P.).

Admission to the Program

Admission to the combined bachelor’s/M.P.P. program requires junior standing, a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0, a completed application form, available from the Department of Public Administration and Policy (DPAP), a written faculty recommendation, an essay on the student’s interests and abilities in public policy, and an interview with an academic advisor.

Acceptance and participation in the combined bachelor’s/M.P.P. program does not automatically guarantee acceptance into the graduate program, but once admitted to the combined program, a student may not be denied entry into the M.P.P. if that student completes the bachelor’s program in good standing and meets university and department minimum standards for admission to the M.P.P.

Students must apply for admission to the graduate program through the Office of Graduate Admissions no later than the last undergraduate semester.

Requirements

All requirements for a bachelor’s degree with a major in any related discipline.

Undergraduate students may apply up to 12 credit hours of approved graduate-level course work to satisfy the requirements for both degrees. Students take courses in statistics, public policy, economics, and other courses approved by DPAP.

In addition to these shared credits, undergraduate students in the BA/MPP program may be able to reserve specific courses so that they count only toward the MPP degree requirements. This reserved course work will not count toward the bachelor’s degree. Any reserved courses do not affect the student’s undergraduate GPA, nor do the credits count toward a student’s full-time enrollment status in a given term. The student’s official university transcript will note which courses are reserved for graduate credit only.

All requirements for the Master of Public Policy, including a minimum of 18 credit hours completed in residence in graduate status after the undergraduate degree has been awarded.