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The Master of Public Administration (MPA) is a professional degree for those pursuing administrative careers in government and nonprofit organizations. The program serves part-time and mid-career, as well as full-time students.

Applicants to the MPA program must satisfy the following requirements:

1.     An undergraduate degree with a minimum GPA of 2.5 calculated on a 4.0 basis or 5 years of relevant work experience;

2.     GRE and TOEFL scores: GRE scores are not required. However, in addition to the requirements for regular admission, all applicants from non-English speaking countries must take either the Test of English as a Foreign Language Internet-Based Test (TOEFL iBT) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). Admission to graduate study in the Department of Political Science and Public Administration requires a TOEFL iBT score of at least 100 or a IELTS score of at least 7.0 overall;

3.     Three letters of recommendation, which must be academically or employment related. These should be from individuals familiar with the applicant’s academic abilities and professional goals. Applicants who obtained their undergraduate degrees in the last five years must submit at least one academic letter;

4.     A thoughtfully drafted statement of purpose; and

5.     Official transcripts from all previous colleges or universities you have attended (both graduate and undergraduate).

Early Admission to M.A. in Political Science and Master of Public Administration Programs

Applicants to the MPA program must satisfy the following requirements:

1. An undergraduate degree with a minimum GPA of 2.5 calculated on a 4.0 basis or 5 years of relevant work experience;

2. GRE and TOEFL scores: GRE scores are not required. However, in addition to the requirements for regular admission, all applicants from non-English speaking countries must take either the Test of English as a Foreign Language Internet-Based Test (TOEFL iBT) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). Admission to graduate study in the Department of Political Science and Public Administration requires a TOEFL iBT score of at least 100 or a IELTS score of at least 7.0 overall;

3. Three letters of recommendation, which must be academically or employment related. These should be from individuals familiar with the applicant’s academic abilities and professional goals. Applicants who obtained their undergraduate degrees in the last five years must submit at least one academic letters;

4. A thoughtfully drafted statement of purpose; and

5. Official transcripts from all previous colleges or universities you have attended (both graduate and undergraduate).

Description

The Early Admission option allows advanced undergraduates to enroll for graduate level-credit in up to 9 hours of 5000-level classes that will simultaneously contribute towards their bachelor's degree and their Master of Public Administration degree. Students accepted in the Early Admission Program receive both graduate and undergraduate credit for these classes; undergraduate instructional fees will apply to these courses.

Eligibility

To be eligible for the Early Admission program, students must:

• Major in any social science bachelor's degree program and/or be enrolled in another bachelor's degree program and minor in political science or public administration.
• Grade point average: For students majoring or minoring in Political Science or minoring in Public Administration a minimum GPA of 3.0 and a 3.2 GPA within the major/minor is required.  For other social science majors, a cumulative GPA of 3.2 is required.  Grade point average shall be calculated solely on University of Toledo earned credits.
• Undergraduate advisor's approval
• Permission of the Political Science department chair
• Permission of the MPA program director
• Have at least junior standing when applying for the program.

Application Process

To apply for the Early Admission program, students should submit to the Chair of the Department of Political Science and Public Administration (email: sam.nelson@utoledo.edu):

1. An application for Early Admission (See https://www.utoledo.edu/al/pspa/pdfs/MPAEarlyAdmissionsApplication.pdf)
2. A letter of interest (which may be reused in the graduate school application)
3. Two letters of recommendation (from an undergraduate advisor and one undergraduate course instructor)
4. After initial approval from the Chair of the Department of Political Science and Public Administration and MPA Director, students must also apply for admission to the College of Graduate Studies for the semester in which they intend to matriculate. See https://www.utoledo.edu/graduate/apply/

Students accepted into this option will initially be granted provisional graduate admission to allow them to enroll in 5000-level courses that are approved for the MPA program. To receive dual (undergraduate and graduate) credit, the following conditions apply:

• Courses must be taken at The University of Toledo after acceptance into the Early Admission option.
• Only 5000-level courses that are approved for the MPA program may be taken.
• Students must complete all graduate-level requirements in the course and be evaluated by the same criteria as graduate students.
• Students complete a graduate plan of study indicating courses that will receive graduate and undergraduate credit.

Degree Requirements

The MPA is a graduate program comprised of 36 hours.  21 hours of required courses are:

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
PSC 5300	Principles of Public Administration	3
PSC 5430	Human Resources Management in Public and Nonprofit Organizations	3
PSC 5440	Budgeting And Financial Administration	3
PSC 5560	Law And Public Administration	3
PSC 6110	Public Policy Methods and Analysis	3
PSC 6430	Public Policy Process	3
PSC 6490	Public Administration Capstone	2
PSC 6940	Professional Experience	1
Electives (15 hours of 5000 or 6000 MPA related electives) from the list of MPA electives. Students develop a coherent area of focus with courses selected in consultation with the MPA director:		15
PSC 5220	Advocacy Groups in US Politics
PSC 5320	Urban Policy & Administration
PSC 5340	Environmental Policy And Administration
PSC 5360	Ethics In Public Policy And Administration
PSC 5380	Fundraising
PSC 5410	Public and Nonprofit Management
PSC 5480	Introduction to Nonprofits
PSC 6420	Program Evaluation
DST 6600	Disability Ethics and Policy
ECON 5620	Regional Economics
ECON 5660	Public Finance Economics
ECON 5750	Health Economics
ECON 5810	Econometrics Models And Methods I
ECON 5820	Econometrics Models And Methods II
GEPL 5110	Geographic Information Systems
GEPL 5180	Geographic Information Systems Applications
GEPL 5210	Land Use Planning
GEPL 5530	Principles Of Urban Planning
GEPL 5700	Community Planning Workshop
GEPL 5710	Urban Environments
GEPL 5750	Transportation Geography
GEPL 6530	Seminar-Urban/Regional Planning Applications
GEPL 6550	Seminar In Environment Planning
GEPL 6570	Seminar In Neighborhood Revitalization
GEPL 6580	Urban Development And Housing
HEAL 6280	Health Communication
HURM 6720	Advanced Negotiation and Conflict Management
MKTG 5170	Marketing For Non-Profit Organizations
PUBH 6020	Management and Leadership in Public Health
PUBH 6310	Public Health Assessment and Planning
PUBH 6320	Implementation of Public Health Programs
PUBH 6420	Social Marketing in Health
PUBH 6620	Introduction to Health Policy and Health Systems
PUBH 6630	Public Health Advocacy
PUBH 6800	Evaluation of Health Programs
SOC 5160	Health And Gender
THR 5250	Administration and Management of the Arts
THR 5260	Promoting the Visual and Performing Arts
Other related course approved by the MPA director.

Suggested Plan of Study with Nonprofit Management Certificate

Plan of Study Grid

First Term		Hours
PSC 6110	Public Policy Methods and Analysis	3
PSC 5300	Principles of Public Administration	3
PSC 5480	Introduction to Nonprofits	3
	Hours	9
Second Term
PSC 5560	Law And Public Administration	3
PSC 5440	Budgeting And Financial Administration	3
PSC 5380	Fundraising	3
	Hours	9
Third Term
PSC 6430	Public Policy Process	3
PSC 5430	Human Resources Management in Public and Nonprofit Organizations	3
PSC 5320	Urban Policy & Administration	3
	Hours	9
Fourth Term
PSC 5410	Public and Nonprofit Management	3
PSC 5220	Advocacy Groups in US Politics	3
PSC 6490	Public Administration Capstone	2
PSC 6940	Professional Experience	1
	Hours	9
	Total Hours	36

Suggested Plan of Study with Municipal Administration Certificate

Plan of Study Grid

First Term		Hours
PSC 6110	Public Policy Methods and Analysis	3
PSC 5300	Principles of Public Administration	3
GEPL 5110	Geographic Information Systems	3
	Hours	9
Second Term
PSC 5560	Law And Public Administration	3
PSC 5440	Budgeting And Financial Administration	3
PSC 5410	Public and Nonprofit Management	3
	Hours	9
Third Term
PSC 6430	Public Policy Process	3
PSC 5430	Human Resources Management in Public and Nonprofit Organizations	3
PSC 5320	Urban Policy & Administration	3
	Hours	9
Fourth Term
GEPL 5210	Land Use Planning	3
PSC 5220	Advocacy Groups in US Politics	3
PSC 6490	Public Administration Capstone	2
PSC 6940	Professional Experience	1
	Hours	9
	Total Hours	36

At the end of the program, students will be able to:
• lead and manage in public governance;
• participate in and contribute to the policy process;
• analyze, synthesize, think critically, solve problems and make decisions;
• articulate and apply a public service perspective;
• communicate and interact productively with a diverse and changing workforce and citizenry.