Program Admission
Admit Terms and Deadlines
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis; students may start the program in the Fall or Winter. See Application Deadlines.
Submitting the application early ensures that desired classes are available for students. Please account for delays in securing an official transcript to avoid delayed admission decisions. If pursuing the MPA program in addition to this certificate, please note that a separate application needs to be submitted for the MPA program, even if done concurrently.
Minimum Graduate School Requirements
For full admission, applicants must have 1) Earned a four-year baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited U.S. institution or an equivalent degree from a non-U.S. institution, 2) a minimum cumulative undergraduate grade point average of 2.7 on a 4.0 scale, or 3.0 in the last half of the undergraduate program. Conditional admission may be available to applicants not meeting minimum admission requirements.
Program Requirements
Applicants must also meet the following program requirements. Requirements may be more stringent than the minimum graduate school requirements.
- An undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or 3.25 in the last half of the undergraduate program
- A 250-word description of the applicant’s academic and professional history and professional goals in public administration.
Applicants are encouraged to contact the program advisor before submitting their application if they have any questions about admission under the criteria above.
Conditional Admission Promising applicants with a minimum of five years of administrative experience who do not meet the GPA requirements for regular degree admission and who have a GPA between 2.75 and 3.0 may be granted conditional admission. Such applicants must contact the program advisor before submitting their application. Applicants will be granted degree admission after completing at least three courses, two of which must be required courses for the program, with a minimum grade of 3.0 (B) in each course.
Application
Your application will be submitted using GradCAS, a Centralized Application Service (CAS) hosted by Liaison. After reviewing the admission requirements, please review the application instructions and select the appropriate application.
- Go to 2023-2024 GradCAS to apply to a program beginning in Summer 2024, Fall 2024, or Winter 2025.
- Go to 2024-2025 GradCAS to apply to a program beginning in Summer 2025, Fall 2025, or Winter 2026.
Domestic Applicants Within the application, follow the instructions to submit an official transcript from all previously attended institutions.
International Applicants Before applying, applicants must review the international application/process deadlines at emich.edu/international as they may differ from general program requirements.
For additional information regarding the application process, please see Graduate Admissions or International Admissions.
