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Apr 20, 2024
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Undergraduate/Graduate Catalog 2020-2021 [ARCHIVED CATALOG] See drop-down menu above to access other catalogs.
Public Administration, MPA
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 Return to: Academic Programs
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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. To receive a conditional acceptance, MPA applicants must have a composite score of 260 on the quantitative and verbal parts of the GRE General Test.
- A resumé
- 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
*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.
*Bridgewater State University, College of Graduate Studies Current Student and Recent Alumni GRE-GMAT Waiver: Applicants are eligible for the GRE/GMAT waiver if they are a current BSU undergraduate senior or recent BSU alumni (three years or fewer) and have a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher as well as a 3.5 GPA or higher in their Political Science major. Further, they must have successfully completed POLI 279 - Introduction to Public Administration (or equivalent) with a minimum grade of “B”. If these criteria are met, the GRE/GMAT requirement will be waived as an admissions requirement for the individual.
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.
Orientation program
All MPA students must attend a department sponsored orientation program before the first fall term they enroll in classes as a matriculated student. 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.
MPA core courses (27 credits)
All students must complete the following core curriculum component of the degree program:
Exit Requirement
The MPA program offers some degree of flexibility for exit from this program. All students are required to fulfill an exit requirement, which in most cases will require developing and orally presenting a comprehensive professional portfolio. This portfolio requires students to demonstrate mastery of fundamental principles and issues covered in the core curriculum. Eligibility requires that students complete all core curriculum courses except POLI 591 - Capstone Seminar in Public Administration , during which development and presentation of the portfolio will take place. Students will have two opportunities to pass the portfolio requirement.
In appropriate circumstances, such as a student interested in pursuing further graduate work at the doctoral level, a master’s thesis (POLI 588 ) with an oral defense may be substituted for the comprehensive examination. Students approved for this option must complete the full 39-credit program. The master’s thesis will carry an additional six hours of graduate credit. Credit for a public service internship is granted under this option if the student completes both an internship and a thesis plus 39 hours of course work for a total of 51 hours of credit. The thesis option is especially appropriate for students wishing to pursue a doctorate after completing the MPA, but is open to all students who meet the criteria established by the department. Departmental standards require the student to work closely with their advisor and to phase the work so that the project proposal is carefully designed and approved before the student advances to the next stage.
Total minimum credits: 39
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