Five-Year Bachelor of Arts in Urban Studies + Master of Public Administration Degree (B.A.; M.P.A.)
At-a-Glance

Degrees granted: Bachelor of Arts and Master of Public Administration

Advising: designated college adviser for Phases I and II, phone: 216-687-2138; for Phase III, phone: 216-523-7522

Student organizations: Urban Studies Association, Pi Alpha Alpha

Additional Information:

The five-year B.A.+M.P.A. is a fast-track program designed for high-performing undergraduates in Urban Studies. By accelerating the completion of two degrees, students will jumpstart their careers as professionals in public administration.

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Admission Requirements

Students must submit an application for admission to the M.P.A. program through the Office of Graduate Admissions. A complete application is comprised of the application form or online application, the $30.00 application fee, official Graduate Record Exam scores, and two letters of recommendation from faculty.

Minimum qualifications: 90 hours earned, grade-point average of 3.25 or better, GRE scores at the 40th percentile (verbal and quantitative combined) and an Analytical Writing score of 4.0 or better, plus completion of core competencies (economics, public policy and statistics) by earning a grade of B or better in UST 300, UST 301, and UST 302, UST 404, or their transfer equivalents.

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B.A. Program

Phase I

Upper Division College Requirements (8 credit hours)

• UST 401 Computer Applications
• UST 404 Urban Data Analysis

Required Courses (16 credit hours)

• UST 300 Economics of Policy Analysis
• UST 301 Urban Development
• UST 302 Contemporary Urban Issues
• UST 489 Senior Seminar

Urban Management Required Courses (27 credit hours)

• UST 452 Management of Urban and Nonprofit Organizations
• UST 458 Urban Policy
• UST 459 Budgeting and Policy Analysis
• PAD 515 Introduction to Public Administration
• PAD 517 Public Administration and the Political Process
• PAD 518 Public Human Resources Management
• Plus one chosen from:
  • UST 410 Proposal Writing and Program Development
  • UST 433 Negotiation and Conflict Management
  • UST 471 Cleveland Seminar
  • UST 473 Columbus Seminar
  • UST 474 Washington Seminar
  • UST 494 Levin Chair Seminar

Phase II Transition

• UST 490 Cooperative Education Internship (4 cr.)
• PAD 516 Public Finance and Economics
• PAD 5XX Public Administration Elective (3-4 cr.)

The B.A. in Urban Studies is awarded with 128 credit hours earned and completion of all General Education, college and major-field requirements. The cumulative GPA must be at least 3.0 with B or better in all 500-level courses.

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M.P.A. Program

Phase III

MPA Requirements

Core (8 credit hrs.)

• PAD 601 Applied Quantitative Reasoning I
• PAD 604 Organizational Behavior

Complete one specialization chosen from:

General Public Management (10-12 credit hours minimum)

• PAD 635 Public Sector Information Management (required)
• Elective (3-4 cr.)
• Elective (3-4 cr.)

City Management (11 credit hours minimum)

• PAD 619 Seminar in City Management
• PAD 633 Budgetary Policy
• PAD 634 Ethics in the Public Sector

The M.P.A. degree is awarded upon completion of a minimum of nine courses taken during Phase II (B.A.) and Phase III (M.P.A.) for a minimum of 33 credit hours. All Graduate College and M.P.A. Program rules regarding academic standing and graduation apply.

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