M.P.A./M.U.P. Combined Program

This program is designed for the student with career goals that center on assuming administrative and management responsibilities in urban planning and urban affairs. It combines into 3 years (excluding the 1-year internship required for the M.P.A. City and County Management Fellows curriculum) the normal course work required for the 2-year Master of Urban Planning degree and the 2-year Master of Public Administration degree. The program offers students experience not only in public policy management, but also in administration with particular expertise in planning the sustainability of communities.

A student must meet admission requirements of both programs, but only needs to submit one application. The M.P.A./M.U.P. dual degree program is open to those who have earned baccalaureate degrees and whose undergraduate academic records indicate that they have the capacity to complete these graduate programs.

Contact the School of Public Affairs and Administration for more information.

Admission to Graduate Studies

An applicant seeking to pursue graduate study in the College may be admitted as either a degree-seeking or non-degree seeking student. Policies and procedures of Graduate Studies govern the process of Graduate admission. These may be found in the Graduate Studies section of the online catalog.

Please consult the Departments & Programs section of the online catalog for information regarding program-specific admissions criteria and requirements. Special admissions requirements pertain to Interdisciplinary Studies degrees, which may be found in the Graduate Studies section of the online catalog.

M.P.A./M.U.P. Admission

Please visit the School of Public Affairs & Administration M.P.A. / M.U.P. dual degree page for complete admissions information.

For all applicants, a completed application includes:

1. Online Graduate Studies application.
2. A nonrefundable application fee, submitted online with the application form.
3. 1 official transcript from the degree-granting college or university and any post-graduate college or university attended.
4. 3 letters of recommendation. If possible, at least 1 should be an academic reference.
5. A 3 to 5 page describing your background and career goals and clearly indicating how the M.P.A./M.U.P. dual degree fits into those goals and addressing any deficiencies in your academic preparation.
6. A current résumé.
7. A writing sample that is at least 5 pages long. It should be a well-cited work in which you critically analyze (not just summarize) an issue.
8. Non-native speakers of English must meet Graduate Studies English proficiency requirements. 

Deadlines

Application deadlines are February 1 and May 1.

This program combines into 73 credit hours the normal course work required for the Master of Urban Planning (42 credit hours) and the Master of Public Administration (40 credit hours) by requiring 36 credit hours for the M.U.P. and 37 credit hours for the MPA. A student pursuing the degrees separately would require four years of course work. The dual degree requires three years of full-time enrollment to complete, including summers. Admission to the dual degree is only available for Summer and Fall semesters.  Students in the dual degree program will not be eligible for the Urban Planning graduate certificate in addition to the credentials earned for the dual degree but may pursue another School of Public Affairs & Administration graduate certificate as elective scheduling concurrent to required MPA and MUP course work allows.

While completing the following degree requirements, graduate students are expected to understand and follow Office of Graduate Studies policies relevant to their student status and academic standing.

MPA Curriculum 

The Master of Public Administration curriculum requires 37 credit hours.  These hours are fulfilled by completing 12 hours of Core Courses, one School of Public Affairs & Administration Graduate Certificate (12 hours), 12 hours of electives, and PUAD 899 Excelling in the Practice of Public Administration (1 hour).

MPA Core Course Requirements

The MPA core provides students with knowledge and skills foundational to advanced educational and professional engagement in public affairs and administration fields.  They provide an important underpinning for the MPA certificates and are transferable across a range of public service professions.

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
PUAD 824	Creating Good Public Policy	3
PUAD 835	Managing Public Money	3
PUAD 841	Context, Ethics and Legal Environment of Public Administration	3
PUAD 845	Managing Public Organizations	3
Total Hours		12

School of Public Affairs & Administration Graduate Certificate Options

The graduate certificate is a way to delve into specialized areas of public administration theory and practice.  They are structured to provide a condensed version of the specific skills and knowledge to advance in particular professional fields.

• City & County Management
• Performance Management
• Public/Non-profit Management
• Public Policy

Elective Credit Hour Options

Elective Credits (12 credit hours) allow students to broaden perspective and explore other sectors of public administration.  Some options for completing these credits include:

• Public administration-adjacent courses in other disciplines with approval of the MPA Director of Graduate Studies,
• or PUAD graduate level courses in SPAA.

MPA Degree Final Course Requirement

All MPA degree students will complete the 1-credit course PUAD 899 Excelling in the Practice of Public Administration in their final semester of the program.  This course serves as a culminating review and reapplication of the core competencies and learning objectives emphasized throughout the MPA curriculum.  Students will be eligible for degree conferral upon completion of this course and the other requirements toward the MPA/MUP dual degree.

M.U.P Curriculum

The Master of Urban Planning curriculum requires 36 credit hours.  These hours are fulfilled by completing 24 hours of Core Courses, one Urban Planning area of specialization via 4 elective courses (12 hours), and a final exam in the final semester of the program.

M.U.P. Core Courses 

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
UBPL 705	Urban Economic Theory and Analysis	3
UBPL 736	Planning Law and Institutions	3
UBPL 741	Foundations of Compassionate Critical Thinking	3
UBPL 742	Applied Data and Spatial Analysis	3
UBPL 785	History and Theory of Planning	3
UBPL 763	Politics and Public Management	3
UBPL 777	Equity, Justice, and American Cities	3
UBPL 780	Climate Change and Hazards Planning	3
Total Hours		24

M.U.P. Electives

Elective coursework can be selected from the department’s graduate course offerings focusing in the areas of housing, transportation, or sustainable land use. Additional detail of elective courses and completion requirements can be found on the MUP Degree Requirements page.  Students are encouraged to consult the UBPL Program Director when choosing elective courses.

M.U.P. Final Exam 

The Master's final examination is the main culminating experience before students graduate. The examination provides a learning experience that encourages the student to synthesize the knowledge gained through course work and tests the student’s competence as a generalist/specialist planner.

The examination consists of the student responding to a scenario or case study in which they are asked to synthesize knowledge gained in their course work and apply it within a particular context.  Two Urban Planning faculty members assess and grade the exam with Honors, Pass, or Retake.  Up to two retake attempts are permitted.  The department will determine an appropriate minimum interval between exam attempts