Master of Public Administration Program Director: Shuyang Peng, PhD
Master of Public Policy Program Director: Tanya Heikkila, PhD

Introduction

The fields of public administration and public policy may intersect and complement one another. This dual-degree program provides students with the opportunity to focus on public policy issues while learning administrative skills necessary for success in variety of public service settings. The total number of credit hours required to earn both degrees through this program is only 16 more than the total number of credit hours required for the Master of Public Administration or the Master of Public Policy by itself.

Admission

Students interested in pursuing the dual-degree program must apply to and be admitted to each of the programs. Students admitted to one program may choose to apply to the other program at a later date. Learn more about how to apply for each of the programs on the School of Public Affairs website.

Program Delivery

• Courses are offered on campus, online, and in remote and hybrid formats.

Program Requirements 

1. Students are required to take 16 courses, or 48 semester hours, to complete the dual degree.
2. Students without pre-service experience in the government or nonprofit sectors will also be required to take a three-credit internship course, brining the total number of semester hours to 51. 
3. Students must earn a minimum of B- grade in each required course applied to satisfy degree requirements and must maintain a 3.0 cumulative GPA.
4. No more than six semester hours of Independent Study may be applied towards the degree.
5. For more detailed information about course sequencing and requirements. contact your advisor. 

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Required Core Courses
PUAD 5001	Introduction to Public Administration and Public Service	3
PUAD 5002	Organizational Management and Behavior	3
PUAD 5003	Research and Analytic Methods	3
PUAD 5004	Economics and Public Finance 1	3
PUAD 5005	The Policy Process and Democracy 1	3
PUAD 5006	Public Service Leadership and Ethics	3
PUAD 5008	Evidence-Based Decision-Making 2	3
PUAD 5310	Principles of Policy Design	3
PUAD 5320	Public Policy Analysis 2	3
PUAD 5380	Public Participation, Political Equity, and Government	3
PUAD 5750	Policy Workshop Seminar 3	3
Elective Courses		12
Select four courses form a pre-approved list and/or with approval from MPP and MPA Directors
Internship		3
PUAD 6910	Internship 4
Capstone or Thesis		3
PUAD 5361	MPA Capstone Seminar
or PUAD 5362	MPP Capstone Seminar
PUAD 6950	Master's Thesis
Total Hours		51

¹

It is recommended that students take PUAD 5004 and PUAD 5005 on their first semester as those classes are prerequisites for the MPP Core Requirements.

²

PUAD 5003 is a prerequisite for PUAD 5008 and PUAD 5320 and must be taken the semester prior.

³

PUAD 5750 is a 1-credit course that must be taken three times with different topics each time.

⁴

If an MPA/MPP student is required to take PUAD 6910 Internship, the program will require 51 credits for completion.