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.

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 (19 required and 18 elective).  Students pursuing the dual degree should plan to enroll in course work for 2, and in some instances 3, summers.

The MPA degree is awarded upon successful completion of credits required and the final written examination.  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.

MPA Degree Requirements
The Master of Public Administration (MPA) degree is awarded after successful completion of 43 credit hours of course work. This includes 19 hours (6 courses) of required core courses (including the student’s choice of an experiential learning course to serve as a final reflective course) that all students complete, 18 hours (6 courses) tailored to the student's interests and/or track (fellow or MPA track), and 6 hours (2 courses) from the School of Law.  Once a student begins the program, all degree requirements must be completed within 7 years.

MPA track students will complete the required core courses and select a graduate certificate within the School of Public Affairs & Administration to complete 6 electives (18 hours) to complete the program. Graduate certificates only require 12 credits, so there is additional flexibility in elective content for MPA track students.

Core Course Work
The MPA core course work includes the following courses (19 credit hours):

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
PUAD 824	Creating Good Public Policy	3
PUAD 835	Managing Public Money	3
PUAD 836	Data Informed Decision-Making	4
PUAD 841	Context, Ethics and Legal Environment of Public Administration	3
PUAD 845	Managing Public Organizations	3
PUAD 898	Leading to Create a Culture for High Performance	3
or PUAD 895	Professional Development Seminar II: Leading to Create a Culture for High Performance

Track Course Work
Students may either apply for the MPA track or the City/County Management Fellows track to complete course work toward the MPA degree. 

MPA track students will select a graduate certificate within the School of Public Affairs & Administration and additional elective coursework totaling 18 credit hours to complete the program. Graduate certificates only require 12 credits, so there is additional flexibility in elective content for MPA track students.  Please see here for a list of SPAA Graduate Certificates.

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

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
PUAD 825	Urban Policy and Administration	3
PUAD 834	Human Resource Management	3
PUAD 837	Advanced Public Budgeting and Finance	3
PUAD 851	Infrastructure Management	3
PUAD 892	Internship Experience in Local Government Administration	3
PUAD 894	Professional Development Seminar I: Public Admin Contemporary Issues & Competency Assessment	3

Final Exam
All students must pass a written master's examination (final paper) to complete the requirements for the MPA degree.