Introduction

Please click here to see School of Public Affairs information.

The Pathways Bachelor of Arts in Public Administration (BAPA)/Master of Public Administration (MPA) degree allows high-performing students to earn both degrees in an accelerated time frame, saving students both time and money. Students graduating with the Pathway BAPA/MPA degree are prepared for leadership and management roles in public service, including local, state, and federal governmental agencies and in nonprofit and nongovernmental organizations. Both the BAPA and the MPA degrees are offered fully online, providing students with the flexibility to schedule courses around the reality of family and work demands while also engaging both local and fully online students in public service opportunities in their own communities. 

The BAPA/MPA degree program offered by the School of Public Affairs allows high-performing students to count 12 credit hours towards both the BAPA and the MPA degrees. Eligible students are those who have completed at least 75 credits with a minimum 3.5 grade point average (GPA) in the BAPA major and a 3.0 overall GPA, completed the undergraduate Core Curriculum, and who meet the other requirements listed below.

Students are eligible to receive the BAPA degree once they have successfully completed 120 semester hours and all CU Denver undergraduate degree requirements. The MPA will be conferred once the student has completed all requirements of the MPA degree.

Pathways Application

Both current CU Denver BAPA majors and new transfer students are eligible to apply to the Pathways BAPA/MPA program after meeting the following criteria:

• Currently enrolled in the School of Public Affairs as an undergraduate Public Administration major
• Completed the University of Colorado Denver’s undergraduate core curriculum
• Completed at least 75 undergraduate credit hours
• Completed the following 15 credit hours in Public Administration or have a plan on when they will take each class:

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
PUAD 1001	Why We Care About Government, Nonprofits, and the Public Good	3
PUAD 2002	Policy and Advocacy	3
PUAD 3001	Project Management and Program Evaluation	3
PUAD 3002	Organizational and Strategic Management	3
PUAD 4002	Leading and Engaging for the Public Good	3
Total Hours		15

• All transfer courses must have been approved and accepted towards the major and degree at the time of application
• Minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA
• Minimum 3.5 cumulative GPA in the Public Administration major

Students do not apply for the Pathways program at the time of application to CU Denver. Students will work with their assigned undergraduate academic advisor to apply for the Pathways program after they have already matriculated to the university and have met the stated criteria.

BAPA/MPA Program Matriculation

After a student is admitted to the Pathways BAPA/MPA program, they will work with their assigned undergraduate academic advisor to enroll in MPA-level courses each semester. Students can complete up to 6 credit hours of MPA coursework each semester as an undergraduate and a maximum of 12 graduate semester credits can be completed as an undergraduate BAPA/MPA student overall. Students will continue to take undergraduate coursework while also completing graduate-level coursework.
 
Students in the Pathways BAPA/MPA program may be eligible to complete the MPA-level internship only after successfully passing two MPA-level courses. The MPA-level internship may fulfill both the BAPA and MPA internship requirement. The BAPA-level internship will not fulfill the MPA-level internship. Students must maintain a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA for all course work and a 3.5 GPA for the BAPA major.

General Requirements

To earn a degree, students must satisfy all requirements in each of the three areas below, in addition to their individual major requirements.

• CU Denver Graduation Requirements   

• CU Denver Undergraduate Core Curriculum   

• School of Public Affairs Graduation Requirements  

• Click here for information about Academic Policies

Program Requirements

1. Students must complete all CU Denver, School of Public Affairs, and Public Administration degree requirements to earn their Bachelor of Arts in Public Administration degree. The Bachelor of Arts in Public Administration is conferred once students meets all degree requirements.

2. Students seek full admission to the Master of Public Administration program during their final semester as an undergraduate student. This application is different than the one used to apply for the Pathways program. Students must receive a minimum of a B- grade in each required core MPA course, whether taken as an undergraduate or a graduate student.

3. Students must maintain a 3.0 GPA overall in all graduate-level courses.

4. In the MPA program students must successfully complete the MPA capstone or thesis.

5. Students must fulfill all college and major requirements.

6. The MPA will be conferred once the student has completed all requirements of the Master of Public Administration degree.

7. The School of Public Affairs reserves the right to rescind a BAPA/MPA student’s admittance to the Pathways program if at any point the student’s GPA falls below the requirements listed above.