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

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./JD Dual Degree Admission

Applicants for the M.P.A./JD dual degree program will apply for the M.P.A. and J.D. separately. Please visit the M.P.A. Admissions page for complete M.P.A. application and admission 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 essay describing your background and career goals and clearly indicating how the M.P.A. 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, May 1 and November 1 for the MPA, but dual J.D./MPA applicants traditionally begin in the Fall semester.

J.D./MPA Dual Degree Program

Students must complete 115 total credit hours: 78 credit hours in the School of Law (42 required and 36 elective) and 37 credit hours in the School of Public Affairs and Administration (16 required and 21 elective).  Students pursuing the dual degree should plan to enroll in course work for 2, and in some instances 3, summers.

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.

MPA Degree Requirements

The Master of Public Administration (MPA) degree is awarded after successful completion of 40 credit hours of course work. This includes 15 hours (5 courses) of required core courses, 21 hours (7 courses) tailored to the student's interests (in either the MPA or MPA City Management Fellowship), 1 hour of a competency and professional standards course, and 3 hours (1 course) from the School of Law.  Once a student begins the program, all degree requirements must be completed within 5 years for the dual degree.

Core Course Work and MPA Final Course Requirements
The MPA core work requirements that are completed by all MPA students in the dual degree includes:

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
PUAD 824	Creating Good Public Policy	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
PUAD 899	Excelling in the Practice of Public Administration	1

Students may either apply for the MPA or the MPA City/County Management Fellowship to complete course work toward the MPA degree. 

MPA students will complete the required core courses and select a graduate certificate within the School of Public Affairs & Administration while completing the 7 electives (21 hours) to complete the program. Graduate certificates only require 12 credits, so there is additional flexibility in elective content.  Please see here for a list of SPAA Graduate Certificates.

MPA City/County Management Fellows take the following courses and will complete the City/County Management graduate certificate within their dual degree program:

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
PUAD 892	Reflections on Practice	3
PUAD 894	Professional Development Seminar I: Public Admin Contemporary Issues & Competency Assessment	3
PUAD 895	Professional Development Seminar II: Leading to Create a Culture for High Performance	3

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 
• Urban Planning 

Elective Course Options

Elective Courses allow students to broaden perspective and explore other sectors of public administration.  MPA students must complete 9 credit hours of elective course work to complete the requisite 40 credits for MPA degree completion.  Some options for completing these credits include:

• public administration-adjacent courses in other disciplines with approval of the Director of Graduate Studies
• 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.