Admission to the Program

Applicants must satisfy the admission requirements of both the Department of Public Administration and Policy (DPAP)/SPA and Washington College of Law (WCL). Admission criteria are the same as those for the MPA. However, students who have been admitted to WCL will not be required to take the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). Students may begin their studies in SPA after completing one year or the equivalent of full-time study at WCL. Admission to either the MPA or JD program does not guarantee admission to the other.

Dual Degree Requirements

• 104 credit hours of approved graduate coursework, including 24 credit hours of MPA coursework in SPA, and 80 credit hours of law coursework in WCL.

MPA Degree Requirements

• 39 credit hours of approved graduate coursework, including at least 24 credit hours of MPA coursework in SPA, and up to 15 credit hours from WCL.
• Capstone experience: PUAD-610 Public Administration Capstone

MPA Course Requirements

Core (21 credit hours)

Required

• PUAD-601 Quantitative Methods for Policy Analysis I (3)
  or
  PUAD-605 Quantitative Methods for Public Managers (3)
• PUAD-612 Introduction to Public Administration and the Policy Process (3)
• PUAD-630 Public Managerial Economics (3) (students with completed equivalent may substitute another course with approval)
  or
  PUAD-670 Economics for Policy Analysis (3) (students with completed equivalent may substitute another course with approval)
• PUAD-684 Organizational Analysis (3)
  

Two courses from the following:

• PUAD-602 Quantitative Methods for Policy Analysis II (3)
• PUAD-609 Topics in Public Management (3)
• PUAD-615 Public-Private Partnerships (3)
• PUAD-617 Project Management (3)
• PUAD-650 Leadership in a Changing Workplace (3)
• PUAD-652 Facilitation and Team Development (3)
• PUAD-665 Managing Human Capital Assets (3)
• PUAD-696 Selected Topics: Non-recurring (1-6) (approved topic)

Public Finance, Financial Management, or Government Budgeting

Complete one course from the following, or other course approved by MPA advisor:

• PUAD-631 Financing Government Services
• PUAD-633 Budgeting and Financial Management (3)
• PUAD-685 Topics in Policy Analysis and Management (1-3): Public Finance in Developing Countries (3 credit hours required)
  

Capstone (3 credit hours)

• PUAD-610 Public Administration Capstone (3)
  

JD Degree Requirements

86 credit hours of course work required for the JD, of which 80 credits must be earned in WCL courses, including:

• LAW-601 Administrative Law (3-4)
• LAW 550 Legal Ethics (2-3)