UAA College of Business and Public Policy

Admission Requirements Apply Now

Students may enter the MPP program with a bachelor’s degree from any area, so long as they have completed the required prerequisites. Indeed, we are seeking students from a broad mix of professional and educational backgrounds and interests.

Students interested in the MPP program may accumulate up to 9 credits in the program as a non-degree-seeking student before applying for admission to the program. To apply for admission, applicants must meet the UAA Admission Requirements for Graduate Degrees and must:

• Have a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited institution in the US or foreign equivalent, preferably in a policy discipline, e.g., political science, justice, economics, sociology, anthropology, environmental studies, public health.
• Have completed a minimum of 12 credits in baccalaureate level Microeconomics (3 credits), Macroeconomics (3 credits), Political Science (3 credits), and Descriptive/Inferential Statistics (3 credits) with a minimum grade of B. (Provisional admission is possible if this criterion is not met at the time of application.)
• Submit documentation for the following:
  1. Minimum B grade point average (3.0 on a 4.0 scale) or equivalent at an accredited college or university, or 3.5 or equivalent for graduate-level work.
  2. Students with lower than a 3.00 undergraduate GPA may submit Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores. The undergraduate GPA plus GRE Analytic score should total 7.0 or higher. The GRE is not required for students having already earned a graduate degree from an institutionally accredited institution in the United States or foreign equivalent, provided they have the minimum GPA listed above.
  3. A “Statement of Intent,” two to three pages long, outlining prior work and/or policy experience, and academic and career objectives.
  4. An academic or professional writing sample.
  5. A resume listing education and employment history, particularly any previous policy experience. Please include three references on the resume.

Applicants without the minimum credits of undergraduate coursework in economics, political science, and statistics or who have other important deficiencies identified in their undergraduate training may be provisionally admitted to the MPP program. Provisionally-admitted students are notified of identified deficiencies and required to complete leveling coursework at UAA, normally within a period of one year, before admission to regular status in the program is conferred. In some cases, deficiencies can be made up at another academic institution. Provisionally-admitted students cannot receive graduate teaching assistantships.

Contact Andrea Jones at the CBPP Graduate Office for full program information, including application forms and procedures.