Academic and Professional Preparation

Our military and DOD students and family have honed their skills while working for the U.S. Government. There is a high probability they will further use these skills to seek post-military employment with the local, county, state, or federal government; contractors; nonprofit organizations; or some other service agency. This is the right degree for those who want to advance both today’s and tomorrow’s career as civil servants.

The MPA is a 36-credit professional graduate degree of both core and specialization classes. The Management track is designed to provide a well rounded understanding of skills needed for upper level government management positions. The Policy track allows specialized knowledge in Health Care, Homeland Security, Environmental Management, Technology, and Social Services.

Students seeking the MPA come from a variety of academic backgrounds. To prepare for graduate level classes in the following areas the student must clearly demonstrate that they have attained the knowledge associated with the following courses:

• American Government or Political Science (GVPT 100 or 170 fulfills requirement).
• Business Statistics (STAT 200 or UCSP 630)
• College Algebra (MATH 107)
• Micro or Macroeconomics (UCSP 621)

Another way to demonstrate knowledge is to submit official undergraduate or military transcripts and/or submit official scores from standardized exams such as CLEP and DANTES.

Students are encouraged to contact the Graduate Programs team by e-mail at edgradrecords-pa@ed.umuc.edu, telephone (DSN: 314-370-6762 or CIV: 06221-378313), or in person to discuss admission qualifications.

Note: It is the student’s responsibility to take all required undergraduate prerequisite courses. Prerequisite requirements must be completed before Advancement to Candidacy (ATC) can be granted. Taking two classes at a time each session it is possible to finish this degree in 15 months but most students find this too rigorous and finish the degree in 18-24 months.