Admission Requirements

The application process is the same as for the traditional MPA degree except that completion of the bachelor’s degree is not required. The following requirements must be met before an individual can be admitted to the program.

• The student must be seeking a bachelor’s degree in Political Science.
• The student must have completed a minimum of 90 credit hours towards the bachelor’s degree in Political Science.
• The student’s cumulative undergraduate GPA and their GPA in Political Science courses must be at least 3.0.

Admission Process

Required in the admission process are the following:

• A completed KSU online Graduate School application.
• An application fee submitted with the application.
• A statement of objectives indicating professional goals relative to the MPA degree.
• Three letters of recommendation – at least two from faculty.
• One official transcript of all previous higher education courses.

Program Guidelines

• The program requires a total of 160 credit hours including 120 undergraduate hours and 40 graduate hours.
• However, a maximum of 9 credit hours from the graduate degree can also be counted towards the undergraduate degree, effectively reducing the total number of hours to 151.
• The 9 credit hours to be counted for both undergraduate and graduate credit must be chosen from among the “core courses” described below.
• Graduate courses must be completed with an overall GPA of at least a 3.0 GPA.
• At least 24 of the hours on the graduate program of study must be at the 700 or above level.
• The bachelor’s degree may be awarded at any time following the completion of undergraduate degree requirements. Alternatively the BA/BS and MPA degrees may be awarded concurrently.
• In the event that a student enters the program but does not wish to finish the Master’s degree, he/she must change the nine credit hours of graduate credit and then will receive a bachelor’s degree once all other requirements are met.

MPA Core Courses

Eligible for concurrent credit.

• POLSC 700 - Research Methods in Political Science Credits: (3)
• POLSC 702 - Public Administration and Society Credits: (3)
• POLSC 708 - Public Personnel Administration Credits: (3)
• POLSC 710 - Policy Analysis and Evaluation Credits: (3)
• POLSC 735 - Public Organization Theory Credits: (3)
• POLSC 737 - Public Budgeting Credits: (3)
• POLSC 738 - Public Finance Credits: (3)