Program Admission

Degree Admission

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 M.P.A. 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.

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 semester 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. As noted above, separate applications must be filed for the M.P.A. program and any certificate programs that a student may be interested in pursuing, even if done concurrently.

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 arrange for an admission interview with the program director and submit two letters of recommendation from employers or others who can testify to the applicant’s suitability for the program. Applicants may be granted degree admission after completing at least four courses approved by the program director, with a minimum grade of 3.0 (B) in each course.

Department Information

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

Advisor Information

Rose Jindal, MPA Coordinator, 601 Pray-Harrold, 734.487.3113, rsoliven@emich.edu

Degree Requirements: 12-14 hours

• Required Courses: 8 hours

• PLSC 510 - Public Administration Concepts 3 hrs
• URP 553 - Urban and Regional Planning 2 hrs

• Select one course from the following:

• PLSC 515 - Public and Nonprofit Personnel Administration 3 hrs
• PLSC 540 - Public and Nonprofit Budgeting 3 hrs

•  

  Restricted Electives: 4-6 hours

  Select a minimum of four credit hours from the following. PLSC 580  or URP 580  may be used to satisfy this requirement, not both.

• GEOG 581 - Advanced Environmental Assessment 3 hrs
• PLSC 580 - Local Development Policy 3 hrs
• PLSC 655 - Politics of Local Planning 3 hrs
• URP 552 - Infrastructure Planning and Policy 3 hrs
• URP 555 - Comprehensive Planning 2 hrs
• URP 556 - Zoning and Land Development Regulation 2 hrs
• URP 557 - Community Development and Downtown Revitalization 3 hrs
• URP 580 - Local Development Policy 3 hrs