Admission Requirements

Detailed information about admission is provided in the Admission-Graduate  section of the catalog.

• A bachelor’s degree from a four-year accredited college or university; if the degree has not yet been awarded at the time of application, the successful applicant must be nearing completion of the bachelor’s degree
• A minimum undergraduate GPA of 2.75, an acceptable GRE score and an interview with the MPA program faculty. To receive a clear admit status, MPA applicants must have a composite score of 290 or greater on the quantitative and verbal parts of the GRE General Test if taken on or after August 1, 2011 or a composite score of 900 on the quantitative and verbal parts of the GRE General Test if taken before August 1, 2011. To receive a conditional acceptance, MPA applicants must have a composite score of 700-899 on the quantitative and verbal parts of the GRE General Test if taken before August 1, 2011 or a comparable composite score on the quantitative and verbal parts of the GRE General Test if taken on or after August 1, 2011.
• A résumé
• Three letters of recommendation should come from professors or practitioners familiar with the student’s academic ability
• Official transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate course work

The MPA graduate coordinator may waive the GRE requirement for qualified political science majors in their senior year who meet the following criteria: 

• graduation at the end of the term from BSU or another college or university that has an articulation agreement with the BSU Political Science Department;
• a cumulative GPA of 3.50 or higher and a GPA in the Political Science major of 3.50 or higher; and
• successful completion of 
  POLI 279 - Introduction to Public Administration
    (or equivalent) with a grade of “B” or higher.

Applicants with five or more years of public administration supervisory experience AND a minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.5 from an accredited institution may request a waiver of the GRE requirement for application to the Master of Public Administration program.

Students failing to meet the standard graduate admission criteria may also be considered on a conditional basis of acceptance. Students who are admitted to the MPA program on a conditional basis will work with the Writing Fellows Program until writing proficiency is demonstrated to the satisfaction of the graduate program coordinator. Students with a score of less than 450 on the quantitative portion of the GREs will successfully complete the quantitative skills module before enrolling in POLI 521 - Public Finance . With consent of instructor and graduate coordinator, students may take the quantitative skills module in the same term as POLI 521. 

Contact the Office of Graduate Admission to receive application materials.

Grade Requirement

Students in the MPA program must maintain a 3.0 GPA. Students in the MPA program may not repeat courses which they have already completed, regardless of the grade they have earned for that course. Students who successfully graduate in the program may earn no more than one grade for a course that is less than a “B-” — that is,  a “C” or better. Students who earn more than one grade lower than a “B-” will be subject to separation from the program.

Program of Study

Students follow one of three tracks when meeting MPA requirements.

• Pre-Career I students have no professional work experience and are required to complete a 45-credit program, including six hours of professional internship.
• Pre-Career II students have some professional work experience, but less than three years’ full-time management experience and are required to complete a 42-credit program.
• In-Career professionals are required to complete a 39-credit program.