The Master of Public Administration program admits only students whose preparation indicates potential for a high level of success. Applicants who hold earned bachelor’s degrees from accredited institutions and have overall GPAs of 3.0 or higher (on a 4.0 scale) receive Regular Admission based entirely on evidence of that undergraduate accomplishment. Alternatively, applicants who have successful completed as least 12 hours in another graduate program, either at Kentucky State University or elsewhere, with an earned GPA of 3.0 or higher, may receive Regular Admission based entirely on that academic performance. Applicants with GPAs of less than 3.0 may obtain Regular Admission by meeting BOTH Requirements A and B below. Requirement A ensures that all MPA students are likely to succeed in professional graduate study; Requirement B ensures that all students also have the potential for career success in the public service. Only applicants meeting both requirements can be admitted.
Admission Requirement A: Applicants must possess earned bachelor’s degrees from accredited colleges or universities with minimum grade-point averages of 2.7. This information should be verifiable from applicants’ official transcripts.
Admission Requirement B: Applicants must meet at least one of the following requirements:
Have completed at least 24 hours of undergraduate work related to public administration. This information should be verifiable from applicants' official transcripts. For the purposes of this requirement, the following disciplines are considered related to public administration: public administration, political science, sociology, psychology, history, social work, criminal justice/police administration, computer science, international studies, economics, and business (all sub-fields).
Have been employed full time in a professional position by a governmental or non-profit organization for a period of at least two (2) years. This is normally verified using a letter from a past or present supervisor or employer, which may be one of the three letters of reference mentioned above. A “professional” position is either one which requires incumbents to have completed at least two years of college or a position which demonstrably requires exercise of substantial judgment, self-direction, analytical skills, or leadership. Applicants may supplement employer letters with additional documentation concerning the nature of their duties.
direction, analytical skills, or leadership. Applicants may supplement employer letters with additional documentation concerning the nature of their duties.
Submit a combined score of at least 1,100 (Verbal, Mathematical, and Analytical) on the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) or a score of at least 480 on the Graduate Management Test (GMAT).
Applicants who meet one of these three requirements are not required to submit documentation concerning the other two. For example, if an applicant’s transcript indicates that he/she has completed 21 hours of coursework related to public administration (requirement 1), then the applicant need not necessarily submit a GRE score or an employer letter.
Upon recommendation of the faculty, the chairperson may grant Probationary Admission to applicants who have undergraduate GPAs of at least 2.4 and who meet all other requirements for Regular Admission. Such applicants must possess baccalaureate degrees and must meet Requirement B of the “Regular Admission Requirements.” As described above, Requirement B can be fulfilled using related coursework, professional experience, or a test score. Students admitted in a probationary status are subject to initial performance requirements more stringent than those imposed upon others, as described below under Probation and Dismissal.
To enroll in MPA classes on non-degree basis, each prospective student must submit documentation that he/she is currently enrolled in good standing in another graduate program, either at Kentucky State University or elsewhere, or submit a transcript demonstrating that he/she possesses an earned bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university, with an undergraduate GPA of 2.4 or higher.
Up to 12 semester credit hours of appropriate graduate-level course work may be transferred into the Master of Public Administration program from Kentucky State University another college or university, provided that work has not been used to fulfill requirements for a degree earned at the institution.
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