Mar 28, 2024  
2018-2019 Graduate Catalog 
    
2018-2019 Graduate Catalog This is not the most recent catalog version; be sure you are viewing the appropriate catalog year.

Combined Political Science BA + MPA (PLPA)


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The combined Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Master 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.A. 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.A./M.P.A. degrees (website).

Program 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.

Applicants must have:

  1. An undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or 3.25 in the last half of the undergraduate program; the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is not required.
  2. A 250-word description of the applicant’s academic and professional history and professional goals in public administration.
  3. A personal interview with the program director is recommended if there are any questions about admission under the criteria above.
  4. Applicants whose native language is not English must achieve EMU Graduate School minimum scores on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), IELTS, or the Michigan English Language Assessment Battery (MELAB). Students with scores below the minimum must take English as a Second Language (ESL) courses at EMU to raise their English proficiency to a satisfactory level before beginning courses in the MPA program. These students may be admitted on a conditional basis, subject to successful completion of the ESL requirements. See the Admissions website for minimum scores.

International Transcripts - Post-secondary transcripts from a non-U.S. institution must be submitted directly to one of four approved evaluation services for a detailed, course by course report. See International Admission Checklist for additional information. Applicants should allow 2-6 weeks for the evaluation to be completed.

Application Process

Application information and materials can be obtained from EMU’s Office of Admissions or at graduate.admissions@emich.edu or international.admissions@emich.edu. Qualified applicants will be admitted to Fall and Winter semesters on a rolling basis until the start of the term, but desired classes may not be available for students and delays in securing official transcripts may also delay admission decisions.

Department Information


Political Science, College of Arts & Sciences

David Klein, Ph.D. | Department Head | 601 Pray-Harrold | 734.487.3113 | dklein2@emich.edu

Advisor Information


Jeffrey L. Bernstein, Ph.D. | 601 Pray-Harrold | 734.487.6970 | jeffrey.bernstein@emich.edu

General Education Requirements:


For specific requirements, please see the Undergraduate Catalog or print a General Education Worksheet .

Undergraduate Major Requirements: 30 hours


Restricted Electives: 6 hours


Choose two courses from the following

At least one course from Political Theory and Methods

Comparative Politics and International Relations

Political Theory and Methods

Minor Requirement:


This major requires a minor

Please see the Undergraduate Catalog for a list of Minors

Undergraduate Degree Total:


For the undergraduate portion of this program, students must earn a minimum total of 124 credits at the 100-level or above.

Graduate Degree Requirements: 27 hours


Concentration: 15 hours


Select one concentration (specific courses to be determined with graduate advisor and identified below)

Combined Program Total: 151 hours


Critical Graduation Information


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 on-line 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.
  • Meet the requirements of the General Education program (see information below).
  • Complete a Writing Intensive (WI) Course in your major.
  • Earn a minimum of 45 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. A detailed description of General Education requirements is available on the General Education section of the undergraduate catalog.

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.

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