Apr 08, 2025  
2015-2016 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
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2015-2016 Undergraduate Catalog This is not the most recent catalog version; be sure you are viewing the appropriate catalog year.

Combined Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science and Master’s of Public Administration Degree

The Combined Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science (PLPA) and Master’s of Public Administration Degree is an accelerated five year program in which exceptional students will earn both undergraduate and graduate degrees. Students will spend their first three years engaged in undergraduate studies and their final two completing the graduate program. The total number of credits needed for the program will be 150. At the undergraduate level, students will complete their General Education requirements, a minor and an abbreviated version of the undergraduate Political Science major. Starting their fourth year, students will complete all 40-46 hours of the M.P.A. program, and a portion of the credits will double count toward the undergraduate B.S. degree.

The curriculum requires two internships, one as part of the undergraduate major, the second in the M.P.A. portion. Thus, students will have substantial field experience in public administration upon completing the full B.S./.M.P.A. program.

http://www.emich.edu/polisci/Internship/undergrad_majors.html

Admission
Students will be invited to apply to the Combined Degree Program by Feb. 1 of their junior year, and will be offered admission by March 1 of their junior year. Applications will require letters of recommendation, a personal statement focusing on career goals and reasons for applying to the program, and an interview with the M.P.A. Director (or a designate). A minimum 3.3 grade-point average will be required for entry to this program.

Department Information:

Political Science - College of Arts & Sciences

Arnold Fleischmann, Ph.D.
Department Head

601 Pray Harrold
(734) 487-3113
afleisch@emich.edu

Department Website

Advisor Information:

Jeffrey Bernstein, Ph.D.

601 Pray Harrold
(734) 487-3113
jbernstei@emich.edu

General Education Requirements:

For specific requirements refer to the General Education Program .

Additional Requirements: 3 hours

One course from the following:

Undergraduate Major Requirements: 30 hours

Required Core Courses: 9 hours

Restricted Electives: 6 hours

Two courses from the following:

Distribution Requirements: 9 hours

Three courses from the groups listed below, including at least one course from each group:

Each student must choose a writing intensive course as part of major completion requirements.

Graduate Courses Toward Undergraduate Major: 6 hours

Minor Requirement:

This program requires a minor. Please contact your program advisor for a list of possible minors.

Program Total:

Students must earn a minimum total of 124 credits at the 100-level or above.

Beginning in Fall 2022, all baccalaureate degree programs for all undergraduates (regardless of catalog year) will require a minimum of 120 credit hours for completion.

Graduate Courses Toward MPA Only: 34-40 hours

Critical Graduation Information:

Each undergraduate student will be responsible for the fulfillment of the requirements or their equivalents of the Eastern Michigan University catalog in force at the time of their initial registration at a college or university or a subsequent catalog including the one in effect at the time of their graduation.

In the event an undergraduate student does not complete the degree requirements within seven years of the date of their original registration at a college or university, the student may be required to have their credits re-evaluated by the academic department(s) of their major/minor in keeping with catalog requirements in force during the year of their graduation.

The following are minimum requirements for all bachelor’s degrees awarded by Eastern Michigan University. Some majors and minors require more than the minimum in one or more of the areas below; students are urged to consult the online catalog for the requirements of their particular programs.

  • Earn a minimum total of 124 credits at the 100-level and above. Courses with numbers below 100 will not be counted toward this degree requirement. At most 8 credit hours of physical education (PEGN) activity courses will be counted toward this requirement. A Bachelor of Arts degree requires completion of one year of college credit in a world language.
  • Meet the requirements of the General Education program (see information below).
  • Complete a Writing Intensive (WI)  Course in your major.
  • Earn a minimum of 60 credits from a four-year college or university; courses taken at community colleges cannot be used to meet this requirement. (Some formal program-to-program articulation agreements modify this requirement. See specific agreements for details.)
  • Earn a minimum of 30 credits from courses taken at EMU.
  • Complete 10 of the last 30 hours for the degree from courses taken at EMU.
  • Have a minimum of 30 unique credit hours in their major and 20 unique credit hours in their minor for a total of at least 50 unique credit hours between them. Some majors that require 50 or more hours themselves do not require a minor; students should check requirements of the selected major in the undergraduate catalog to see if a minor is required.
  • Earn no more than 60 credit hours in one subject area (prefix). Credits in excess of the 60 maximum will not be counted toward the minimum of 124 credits required for a bachelor’s degree.
  • Earn the minimum number of credits in 300-level and above courses in each major and minor as specified below - these credits must be earned in distinct courses; that is, no course can be used to fulfill this requirement in more than one major or minor.
    • Earn a minimum of 6 credits in 300-level or higher courses at EMU in each minor
    • Earn a minimum of 9 credits in 300-level or higher courses at EMU in each major that requires a minor.
    • Earn a minimum of 15 credits in 300-level or higher courses at EMU in each major that does not require a minor
  • Transfer credit will be awarded for courses taken at colleges and universities that are accredited by one of the recognized regional accrediting bodies only if the courses are college-level (equated to 100-level or above at EMU) and the student earned a “C” (or 2.0 on a 4 point scale) or better. Transfer credit may be awarded on a case-by-case basis for college-level courses in which a “C” (2.0) or better was earned at institutions outside the U.S. or at non-accredited U.S. institutions; the internal review of such courses is conducted by individual departments/schools within EMU, and additional documentation may be required. Please note: EMU awards only credits for transferred courses; grades are not used in the calculation of an EMU GPA.
  • Earn a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 in courses taken at EMU in order to graduate. In addition, a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 must be reached in each major and minor. Only courses taken at EMU and those applied to a student’s major or minor, will be used in the calculation of their major and minor cumulative GPAs. (Note: some programs may require a higher GPA - check with your program advisor.)
General Education Requirements:

EMU’s General Education Program requires students to choose from a menu of approved courses in several different areas; do not assume that other courses in the same department or with similar names will fulfill these requirements. Please see General Education  for a detailed description of requirements.

Students who transferred to EMU may have modified general education requirements based on Michigan Transfer Agreement (MTA) or articulation agreements; consult your academic advisor for additional information.