Program Admission (Graduate)
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.
Minimum Graduate School Requirements
Applicants must have a minimum cumulative undergraduate grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale and be previously admitted to the undergraduate portion of the combined program.
Applicants must confirm with their advisor that they have completed enough undergraduate credits before applying to the graduate portion of the program. A student must complete a minimum of 120 credit hours before being fully admitted to the graduate portion of the program.
Program Requirements
Applicants must also meet the following program requirements. Requirements may be more stringent than the minimum graduate school requirements.
Students must consult with their undergraduate academic advisor before applying.
- An undergraduate GPA of 3.3
- A 250-word description of the applicant’s academic and professional history and professional goals in public administration.
- Two letters of recommendation.
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.
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.
Undergraduate Degree -
The requirements listed below will appear on a student’s undergraduate transcript.
According to university policy, students must earn a minimum of 120 credit hours at the 100-level or above for a bachelor’s degree. Completing this combined program’s minimum credit hour total (Undergrad + Grad) will likely require students to complete more than 120 credit hours as an undergraduate.
Graduate Degree
The requirements listed below will appear on a student’s graduate transcript.
Students must ensure they have completed the necessary graduate credit hours that, when combined with those taken as an undergraduate, equal or exceed the minimum number of credit hours required for this combined program. Sometimes, a student may need additional coursework beyond the minimum requirements listed below to meet the total hour requirement.
Local Government: 12 hours
Choose 12 hours from the following, including at least one courses selected from the Political Science Electives list. A maximum of three courses may be chosen from the Interdisciplinary Electives list. Students must have taken PLSC 565 as part of the undergraduate program for this focus area.
Nonprofit Management: 12 hours
Choose 12 hours from the following, including at least one course selected from the Political Science Electives from the list. A maximum of three courses may be chosen Interdisciplinary Electives list. Students must have taken PLSC 544 as part of the undergraduate program for this focus area.
General Public Administration: 12 hours
We welcome students who want to tailor their program to their career interests rather than specialize in the abovementioned focus areas.
Students in the General Public Administration Focus Area may take courses in political science (PLSC), accounting (ACC, TAX), arts management (AMA), economics (ECON), educational leadership (EDLD), geography (GEOG), historical preservation (GHPR), health administration (HLAD), management (MGMT), marketing (MKTG), sociology (SOCL), social work (SWRK, SWKE), urban and regional planning (URP), and other subjects with the approval of the MPA advisor.
Students must have taken either PLSC 565 or PLSC 544 (or an alternate 500-level PLSC elective with advisor approval in addition to at least one other graduate PLSC elective.
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