BA/MPA Program

The Master of Public Administration (MPA) program at the University of Miami is a 48-credit program which students typically complete in two years. University of Miami current undergraduate students now have the opportunity to earn their graduate, MPA, degree in one year. Those students who choose the five-year, two degree option can earn up to 12 graduate coursework credits in their senior year as an undergraduate.  The remaining 36 graduate credits may be earned through full-time study in one year and a summer. With only 36 credits and one additional year of work, the five year program at the University of Miami is a financially competitive alternative to other two year MPA programs where tuition may be less.

• Core Courses - 12 Credits

  Students must complete 12 credits from the course list below. No substitutes are permitted. A grade of at least a “B” is required in any undergraduate course that will be counted for MPA credit.

  • POL 501 - Budgeting and Financial Management and Administration*
  • POL 510 - Political Analysis
  • POL 521 - Public Affairs Internship*
  • POL 522 - Introduction to Graduate Public Administration
  • POL 551 - Productivity in the Public and Non-Profit Sectors

  *POL 501 and 521 do not fulfill the requirements for “senior seminars.” Political Science majors must complete two senior seminars as part of their 24-credits. All other courses listed above do meet this requirement.

• Elective Courses - 12 Credits

  Students can earn up to six of their 12 elective credits in MPA elective courses. Electives should be relevant to the student’s expected area of specialization.

• Internship - 6 Credits

  The MPA degree requires a six credit internship experience. We strongly recommend that students wait until the end of the graduate program to do the internship. The greater the skills that students can offer to the agency, the more challenging the work they are asked to do. Also, internships often lead to full-time jobs after graduation. For these reasons, we suggest waiting to do the internship until the fifth year. However, if a student does elect to do an internship while an undergraduate the three credits will count toward the MPA degree, but another three credit of graduate internship experience also will be required.

Typically, seniors would take two 500-level courses each semester for credit toward the MPA degree. One course could be taken during intersession and counted toward the 12 credits. Students would officially be admitted to the MPA program in the last semester of their senior year.

Students graduating in spring would take two graduate classes during the summer between their fourth and fifth years, and five graduate classes in the fall and spring semesters of their fifth year. One class during the fifth year intersession could also be used to reduce the course load in one of the semesters.

Students graduating in fall could begin graduate work in the spring semester, with an expected five course load.  One graduate course during intersession could be used to reduced the regular semester load.  Two graduate courses during the summer and five in the fall semester would complete the degree requirements.

When undergraduate students take courses that will be counted toward the MPA degree, the course instructors will be notified that these students are MPA candidates.  Additional work or different grading expectations may be applied by the instructor.  Again, a grade of at least a “B” will be needed for a course to be accepted toward the graduate degree requirements.