Requirements

Program-Specific Admission Requirements

GRE General or GMAT
- Waiver Policy
  - All applicants for either the combined or accelerated bachelor/master of public administration programs
    - Applicants to the UND Master of Public Administration (MPA) program may be granted a waiver from the GRE requirement, under one or more of the following circumstances.
    - The applicant has previously received a germane graduate or terminal degree from a regionally-accredited U.S. institution of higher education.
    - The applicant has GMAT or LSAT scores fewer than five years old.
    - The applicant has demonstrated a record of success in one of the four certificate programs offered by the MPA program (Public Administration, Policy Analysis, Health Administration, or Social Entrepreneurship). A record of success is defined as having completed at least two courses in the certificate program with a minimum Grade Point Average of 3.25 and no less than a B in any course.
    - The applicant is enrolled in the UND Law School or graduate programs in the UND School of Graduate Studies or the School of Medicine and Health Sciences and has completed at least three courses with a minimum Grade Point Average of 3.25 and no less than a B in any course.
    - The applicant has at least three years of substantial supervisory, managerial or professional level experience in a local, regional, state, federal, military or nonprofit agency or health organization. Typically, internship experience is not counted towards the requisite three years of work experience.
  - Please Note: A waiver request will not be granted automatically, and an approved waiver does not guarantee acceptance into the program. If a waiver request is denied, applicants must complete the requirement for the GRE. Denial of a waiver request is not denial of admission to the MPA, and applicants who are denied waivers are encouraged to complete their application requirements.
    
    An individual requesting a GRE waiver should email brian.gutierrez@UND.edu and include a copy of a current resume and unofficial transcripts.
Statement of Goals

Master of Public Administration

Admission Requirements

The applicant must meet the School of Graduate Studies’ current minimum general admission requirements as published in the graduate catalog.

A four-year bachelor’s degree from a recognized college or university.
A cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) of at least 2.75 for all undergraduate work or a GPA of at least 3.0 for the junior and senior years of undergraduate work (based on A=4.00).
Graduate Record Examination (GRE) general test scores submitted for review. The GRE requirement may be waived at the discretion of the MPA Program Director in accordance with program criteria. The decision of the MPA Program Director is final.
A satisfactory score on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). For the internet-based TOEFL (TOEFL iBT) an overall score of 79 is required.
Minimum competence in U.S. government institutions and systems. This competence is normally demonstrated by applicant having taken at least one course in American government, but may also be demonstrated through an exam administered by the program.
Twenty credit hours in the social sciences, business administration, and related fields.
Students who do not meet requirements, 5 and 6, will be given the opportunity to fulfill them.

Degree Requirements

Students seeking the Master degree at the University of North Dakota must satisfy all general requirements set forth by the School of Graduate Studies as well as particular requirements set forth by the Master of Public Administration Program.

A minimum of 36 semester credits.
A minimum of 27 credits in public administration and up to 9 credits in cognate fields to total 36 credits.
At least one-half of the credits must be at the 500 level.
A maximum of nine credits may be transferred to UND from other institutions.

Course List
Code	Title	Credits
Required Courses:
POLS 500	Research Methods	3
POLS 501	Political and Public Policy Analysis	3
POLS 531	Foundations of Public Administration	3
POLS 532	Public Policy	3
POLS 535	Public Organizations	3
POLS 536	Public Personnel Administration	3
POLS 537	Program Evaluation	3
POLS 538	Public Budgeting and Financial Administration	3
POLS 580	Administrative Internship ^*	3
POLS 570	MPA Capstone	3
POLS Electives or cognate/elective courses		6
Total Credits		36

Students with a minimum of one year relevant administrative experience may petition the Graduate Program Director to have requirement waived and to substitute a 3-credit elective in its place.

Course List
Code	Title	Credits
Select a total of 6 credits from the following list.
POLS 502	Problems in State and Local Governments	3
POLS 503	Government and Business	3
POLS 533	Administrative Ethics in the Public Sector	3
POLS 539	Administrative Law	3
POLS 551	Health Administration and Organization	3
POLS 552	Health Policy	3
POLS 561	Creation and Management of Social Enterprises	3
POLS 562	Political Advocacy and Social Entrepreneurship	3
POLS 593	Problems in Political Science and Public Administration	3

Residence Requirement

There is no residence requirement for the M.P.A. degree; however, at least one-half of the credits for the degree must be taken on campus or as an admitted distance degree student.

Candidacy for the Degree

Admission of a student to the School of Graduate Studies as a degree student in Approved Status implies only that the student has met minimum entrance requirements and will be permitted to take graduate courses, which normally may be expected to lead to a degree. The student has not been admitted as a candidate for a degree. Advancement to candidacy can be granted only after the student has met certain academic requirements in approximately the following sequence:

Completion of 12 semester credits.
A GPA of at least 3.00 for all work attempted.
The appointment of an advisor. The advisor, who must be a member of the Graduate Faculty, will be appointed by the Dean upon the written recommendation of the M.P.A. program director. The advisor is responsible to the department and the School of Graduate Studies for the supervision of the student’s work.
Approval of a Program of Study on a form available from the School of Graduate Studies. The program, which should be developed in consultation with the advisor, must carry the signature of the student, the advisor, and the program director and must be submitted to the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies for approval.
Completion of the MPA Capstone course with a grade of a B or better.

The student and the advisor will be notified in writing of the advancement to candidacy. Students must complete all requirements for advancement to candidacy prior to the semester in which they plan to graduate.

The content on this page is pulled from UND’s current academic catalog and may not reflect future terms. Updates are published annually in April.