Master of Public Administration and Juris Doctor
M.P.A./J.D. Dual Degree Program
The dual degree program is designed for the student who intends to combine career preparation in law and public administration. Examples of career objectives for this degree are the practice of law in communities (for example, a city attorney, who may be called upon to perform legal services for a municipality) and for city managers (who may need to deal with legal questions and interact with legal professionals). The program combines into 4 years the normal 3-year Juris Doctor program offered by the School of Law and the 2-year M.P.A. program offered by the School of Public Affairs and Administration.
Admission to Graduate Studies
Admission Requirements
- All applicants must meet the requirements outlined in the Admission to Graduate Study policy.
- Bachelor’s degree: A copy of official transcripts showing proof of a bachelor's degree (and any post-bachelor’s coursework or degrees) from a regionally accredited institution, or a foreign university with equivalent bachelor's degree requirements is required.
- English proficiency: Proof of English proficiency for non-native or non-native-like English speakers is required. There are two bands of English proficiency, including Admission and Full proficiency. For applicants to online programs, Full proficiency is required.
M.P.A./JD Dual Degree Admission
Students must apply and be admitted to the J.D. in the School of Law and the Master of Public Administration degree separately. Please visit the M.P.A. Admissions page for complete M.P.A. application deadlines and admission information. Refer to the School of Law website for complete information about J.D. application requirements and deadlines.
A completed M.P.A. application includes:
- Online Graduate Studies application.
- A nonrefundable application fee, submitted online with the application form.
- 1 official transcript from the degree-granting college or university and any post-graduate college or university attended.
- 3 letters of recommendation. If possible, at least 1 should be an academic reference.
- A 750-1250-word reflective essay describing your background and career goals. Clearly indicate how the M.P.A. degree fits those goals. Please describe how your personal background has influenced your decision to pursue a career in public service. For example, you may discuss any educational, economic, cultural, or social experiences that shape you as a candidate. If there are any academic deficiencies in your record, please address them in your statement.
- A current résumé.
- 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.
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Non-native speakers of English must meet Graduate Studies English proficiency requirements.
J.D./MPA Dual Degree Program
Students must complete the J.D./MPA Dual Degree through the completion option of a Lawrence Campus MPA degree or via the MPA Local Government Concentration as an MPA City & County Management Fellow.
The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences requires a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA. Only courses completed with a grade of C or higher will count toward the MPA degree. Please see the current Law School Catalog and School of Law Dual Degree page for details and degree requirements. While completing the MPA degree requirements, graduate students are expected to understand and follow Office of Graduate Studies policies relevant to their student status and academic standing.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| MPA Core Course Work | ||
| PUAD 824 | Creating Good Public Policy (MPA Core Course Work) | 3 |
| PUAD 835 | Managing Public Money | 3 |
| PUAD 836 | Data Informed Decision-Making | 3 |
| PUAD 841 | Context, Ethics and Legal Environment of Public Administration | 3 |
| PUAD 845 | Managing Public Organizations | 3 |
| School of Public Affairs & Administration Certificate | 12 | |
| One School of Public Affairs & Administration graduate certificate (City & County Management, Public/Nonprofit Management, Public Policy, Performance Management, or Urban Planning). | ||
| City & County Management Fellows in the Local Governement Concentration complete the City & County Management Graduate Certificate. | ||
| Elective Course Work | 9 | |
| Graduate course work either from the School of Public Affairs & Administration, or outside the School in chosen in consultation with the program coordinator and approval from the program director. | ||
| City & County Management Fellows in the Local Governement Concentration complete the following courses to fulfill MPA electives: | ||
| Reflections on Practice | ||
| Professional Development Seminar I: Public Admin Contemporary Issues & Competency Assessment | ||
| Professional Development Seminar II: Leading to Create a Culture for High Performance | ||
| MPA Final Required Course | ||
| PUAD 899 | Excelling in the Practice of Public Administration | 1 |
| School of Law Required Course Work | 42 | |
| School of Law Electives | 36 | |
| Total Hours | 115 | |
School of Public Affairs & Administration Graduate Certificates
The graduate certificate is a way to delve into specific areas of public administration theory and practice. They are structured to provide a condensed version of skills and knowledge to advance in particular professional fields. Certificate options and courses included in the 12-credit hour certificates include:
- City & County Management
- Performance Management
- Public/Non-profit Management
- Public Policy
- Urban Planning
MPA Elective Course Options
Elective Courses allow students to either broaden perspective and explore other sectors of public administration or complete additional course work toward a specific sector of the public service profession. Some options for completing these credits include:
- a second SPAA graduate certificate,
- a graduate certificate outside the program with approval of the Director of Graduate Studies,
- public administration-adjacent courses in other disciplines with approval of the Director of Graduate Studies,
- specific professionalization seminars in local government (for City & County Management Fellows),
- or any PUAD and UBPL graduate-level courses in SPAA.
MPA Degree Final Course Requirement
All MPA degree students 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 Dual J.D./MPA degree.
School of Public Affairs & Administration Courses
The following courses may be counted as electives toward the student's degree so long as they are not being counted toward completion of a School of Public Affairs & Administration Graduate Certificate.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| PUAD 703 | Foundations of the Nonprofit Sector | 3 |
| PUAD 708 | Collaboration in Public Administration | 3 |
| PUAD 825 | Urban Policy and Administration | 3 |
| PUAD 828 | Nonprofit Management and Policy | 3 |
| PUAD 834 | Human Resource Management | 3 |
| PUAD 837 | Advanced Public Budgeting and Finance | 3 |
| PUAD 839 | Topics in Public Administration: _____ | 3 |
| PUAD 851 | Infrastructure Management | 3 |
| PUAD 853 | Policy Analysis | 3 |
| PUAD 854 | Innovation and Organizational Change | 3 |
| PUAD 857 | Performance Management and Governance | 3 |
| PUAD 858 | Performance Audit | 3 |
| PUAD 861 | Data Analytics | 3 |
| PUAD 862 | Emergency Management in the United States: Theory and Practice | 3 |
| PUAD 863 | Program Evaluation | 3 |
| PUAD 892 | Reflections on Practice | 1-3 |
| PUAD 893 | Directed Readings | 1-3 |
| PUAD 894 | Professional Development Seminar I: Public Admin Contemporary Issues & Competency Assessment | 3 |
| PUAD 898 | Leading to Create a Culture for High Performance | 3 |
| PUAD 930 | Research Seminar in Public Administration and Democracy | 3 |
| PUAD 931 | Research Seminar in Public Management | 3 |
| PUAD 932 | Seminar in the Intellectual History of Public Administration | 3 |
| PUAD 934 | Research Methods in Public Administration | 3 |
| PUAD 935 | Advanced Quantitative Methods for Public Administration | 3 |
| PUAD 936 | Policy Analysis and Program Evaluation | 3 |
| PUAD 937 | Qualitative Methods in Public Administration | 3 |
| PUAD 939 | Topics in Public Administration: _____ | 1-3 |
| PUAD 943 | Constitutional Foundations of Public Administration | 3 |
| PUAD 949 | Law, Courts, and Public Policy | 3 |
| UBPL 701 | Directed Readings | 1-6 |
| UBPL 705 | Urban Economic Theory and Analysis | 3 |
| UBPL 710 | Housing Policy and Planning | 3 |
| UBPL 715 | Community and Neighborhood Revitalization | 3 |
| UBPL 720 | Sustainable Land Use Policy and Planning | 3 |
| UBPL 725 | Environmental Planning Techniques | 3 |
| UBPL 730 | City and County Planning | 3 |
| UBPL 735 | Site Planning and Design | 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 750 | Transportation Policy and Planning | 3 |
| UBPL 756 | Data Driving Transportation | 3 |
| UBPL 758 | Transportation for Livable Cities | 3 |
| UBPL 763 | Politics and Planning | 3 |
| UBPL 764 | Real Estate Development | 3 |
| UBPL 767 | Creative Placemaking | 3 |
| UBPL 777 | Equity, Justice, and American Cities | 3 |
| UBPL 780 | Climate Change and Hazards Planning | 3 |
| UBPL 785 | History and Theory of Planning | 3 |
| UBPL 802 | Special Topics in Urban Planning: ______ | 3 |
At the completion of this program, students will be able to:
- Lead and manage in public governance.
- Participate in and contribute to the public policy process.
- Analyze, synthesize, think creatively, solve problems, and make decisions.
- Articulate and apply public service perspectives.
- Communicate and interact productively with a diverse and changing workforce and citizenry.
- Acquire Knowledge and understanding of substantive and procedural law.
- Develop legal analysis and reasoning, legal research, problem-solving, professional skills, and written and oral communication in the legal context.
- Exercise proper professional and ethical responsibilities to clients and the legal system.