Master of Public Administration
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 three 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 Master of Public Administration Program
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 (jetsabe.caceres@utoledo.edu):
- An application for Early Admission (See https://www.utoledo.edu/al/pspa/pdfs/MPAEarlyAdmissionsApplication.pdf)
- A letter of interest (which may be reused in the graduate school application)
- Two letters of recommendation (from an undergraduate advisor and one undergraduate course instructor)
- 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:
| 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 | 3 |
| 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 | |
| Advocacy Groups in US Politics | ||
| Urban Policy & Administration | ||
| Environmental Policy And Administration | ||
| Ethics In Public Policy And Administration | ||
| Fundraising | ||
| Public and Nonprofit Management | ||
| Political Determinants of Health | ||
| Introduction to Nonprofits | ||
| Program Evaluation | ||
| Disability Ethics and Policy | ||
| Regional Economics | ||
| Public Finance Economics | ||
| Health Economics | ||
| Econometrics Models And Methods I | ||
| Econometrics Models And Methods II | ||
| Geographic Information Systems | ||
| Geographic Information Systems Applications | ||
| Land Use Planning | ||
| Principles Of Urban Planning | ||
| Community Planning Workshop | ||
| Urban Geography | ||
| Transportation Geography | ||
| Seminar-Urban/Regional Planning Applications | ||
| Seminar In Environment Planning | ||
| Advanced Negotiation and Conflict Management | ||
| Management and Leadership in Public Health | ||
| Public Health Assessment and Planning | ||
| Implementation of Public Health Programs | ||
| Social Marketing in Health | ||
| Introduction to Health Policy and Health Systems | ||
| Evaluation Of Health Programs | ||
| Health And Gender | ||
| Administration and Management of the Arts | ||
| Promoting the Visual and Performing Arts | ||
Other courses may be approved as electives by the MPA director if they provide a coherent public administration related area of focus. Non-MPA core courses taken as part of a graduate certificate sponsored by the Departments of Political Science and Public Administration, Geography and Planning, or Economics will be approved as elective courses in the MPA program. | ||
Combined Bachelor’s to Master’s – B.A. Political Science to Master of Public Administration (M.P.A.)
Undergraduate students accepted to the B.A. Political Science to Master of Public Administration (M.P.A.) combined bachelor’s/master’s pipeline program will be admitted to the Master of Public Administration (M.P.A.) program and may complete up to three graduate-level courses (9 credit hours) during their final year of undergraduate study. Students must apply for admission to the College of Graduate Studies for the semester in which they intend to matriculate. They will continue into the graduate program upon completion of undergraduate degree requirements.
Up to 9 credit hours of graduate coursework completed as an undergraduate will be applied to both undergraduate and graduate degree requirements. It is the joint responsibility of faculty and administrators in the undergraduate and graduate programs to monitor student progress, ensure that the 9-credit-hour limit is strictly enforced, and request that the College of Graduate Studies update the student’s matriculation from undergraduate to graduate upon completion of undergraduate degree requirements.
The following provisions apply to graduate coursework taken as part of the pipeline program:
Courses must be taken at The University of Toledo after the student is accepted into the pipeline program.
The following courses may be applied toward the approved 9 credit hours: PSC 5300, PSC 5430, PSC 5440, PSC 5560, PSC 5220, PSC 5320, PSC 5340, PSC 5360, PSC 5380, PSC 5410, PSC 5480.
Students interested in the combined program must submit a graduate application to the College of Graduate Studies.
Suggested Plan of Study with Nonprofit Management Certificate
| 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 | 3 |
| Hours | 9 | |
| Total Hours | 36 | |
Suggested Plan of Study with Municipal Administration Certificate
| 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 | 3 |
| Hours | 9 | |
| Total Hours | 36 | |
- PLO 1: lead and manage in public governance;
- PLO 2: participate in and contribute to the policy process;
- PLO 3: analyze, synthesize, think critically, solve problems and make decisions;
- PLO 4: articulate and apply a public service perspective;
- PLO 5: communicate and interact productively with a diverse and changing workforce and citizenry.