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 at an approved extended degree center.

Independent Study. The independent study is designed to require the student independently to investigate a topic related to the field of public administration. The study need not be an original contribution to knowledge but may be a presentation, analysis, and discussion of information and ideas already in the literature of the field. The requirement is to ensure that a student can investigate a topic and organize a scholarly report on the investigation.

The topic for an independent study must be approved by the student’s advisor. Approval is effected by the student’s completing a form titled Proposal of Independent Study, available from the Graduate School, then submitting the proposal to the advisor for approval. The proposal, which should be approved no later than the beginning of the semester or session in which the student expects to graduate, must be filed in the Graduate School before a student is advanced to candidacy for a master’s degree.

Each student must prepare and secure the advisor’s approval of an independent study report. Three copies of the report (one each for the student, the advisor and the department) must be accepted by the advisor, who will certify completion of the report to the Graduate School by the deadline specified in the Academic Calendar and submit a grade for 997-Independent Study to the Office of the Registrar.

Candidacy for the Degree. Admission of a student to the Graduate School 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:

1. Completion of the equivalent of one full-time semester (12 semester credits).
   
   
2. A GPA of at least 3.00 for all work attempted.
   
   
3. The early 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 Graduate School for the supervision of the student’s work.
   
   
4. Approval of a Program of Study on a form available from the Graduate School. The program, which should be developed in consultation with the advisor normally early in the second semester, must carry the signature of the student, the advisor, and the program director and must be submitted to the Dean of the Graduate School for approval.
   
   
5. Approval of a topic for the independent study by having the advisor sign the Proposal of Independent Study and submitting the Proposal and three copies to the Graduate School.

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.

Final Examinations. Candidates must pass a written final comprehensive examination which must cover the coursework included in the program of study. The results will be certified to the Graduate School by the advisor and the program director on the form Final Report on Candidate by the deadline specified in the Academic Calendar. The appropriate comprehensive examination(s) required for the degree will be arranged for by the advisor and given and evaluated by the department no earlier than the semester preceding the semester in which the candidate intends to graduate. Comprehensive examinations which are failed may be repeated only with the approval of the advisor, the program director, and the dean, but in no event earlier than at the next regularly scheduled offering.

Joint MPA/JD Program

Admission Requirements

1. Students are required to apply to both the Law School and the Graduate School and indicate that they wish to be admitted to the joint MPA/JD track. This admission will be determined by the Director of the M.P.A. Program and the Dean of the Law School or their designees.
   
   
2. Acceptance to the joint program track requires a minimum overall undergraduate GPA of 3.00 or a GPA of 3.25 in the last two academic years.

Sample Curricular Plan

Year One—Law School
Year Two—Law School w/two MPA courses*
Year Three—Law School w/two MPA courses
Year Four—Six MPA courses + Independent Study
or
Year One—Seven MPA courses
Year Two—Law School
Year Three—Law School w/two MPA courses*
Year Four—Law School w/one MPA course + Independent Study
*2 MPA course requirements could be met with law courses as
cognates.

Six credits (approved by the Law School) from the MPA Program will count toward the Law Degree. Six of the 32 required credits in the MPA program can be law courses used as a cognate for the MPA degree (with the approval of the department and and the Dean of the Graduate School).

The total credits required for each degree will be unchanged, because each program will accept six credits toward the other degree. This will save the student one semester (12 credits) and make the program more appealing.

Normally, the joint program will be completed in only four years. With summer school classes it may be possible to obtain both degrees even more quickly. Students must be enrolled in the Law School for at least three years; therefore, students wishing to receive both degrees in less than four years should enroll first in the Law School.

Below is a list of Law School courses which can be used as cognates in the MPA program and MPA courses which can be used as electives in the JD program.