FAQ

How and when will courses be delivered?

  • Students can choose to attend the program full-time (3 classes each semester) or part-time (2 classes each semester).  Full-time students will complete the program in 4 semesters (16 months), and part-time in 6 semesters (2 years).  
  • Courses are delivered online.  Courses are semester-paced, meaning they begin and end on the same semester timetable as UVU's face-to-face classes.  The schedule of courses below represents a part-time schedule.  Full-time students add one course each semester in order to complete the program in 4 semesters.

What is the schedule of courses?

Semester Course Title Credits
Fall - Year 1 PADM 6000: Public Administration 3.0
  PADM 6060: Research Methods for Public Administration 3.0
Spring - Year 1 PADM 6020: Public Administration Policy and Evaluation 3.0
  PADM 6050: Public Administration Leadership and Ethics 3.0
Summer - Year 1 PADM 6010: Public Administration Finance and Budgeting  3.0
  PADM 6040: Organization Behavior in Public Administration 3.0
Fall - Year 2 PADM 6030: Legal Issues for Public Administration 3.0
  MPA Elective Course 3.0
Spring - Year 2 PADM 6070: Human Resource Management 3.0
  MPA Elective Course 3.0
Summer - Year 2 MPA Elective Course 3.0
  PADM 6900: Public Administration Capstone Project 3.0
  Total 36.0

What electives are available for this program?

  • The MPA program offers electives from the areas of emergency services, criminal justice, public administration, and public health. Current elective selections include: Disasters/Vulnerabilities/Impacts, Contemporary Issues in Criminal Justice, Issues in Public Health, Criminal Justice Policy, Public Services Program Development, Homeland Security, Information-based Decision-Making, Emergency Planning and Response, Special Topics (including grant-writing and non-profit management), and Study Abroad.  Masters level courses offered by other departments at UVU may also be available to MPA students.

Do I need to take the GRE or GMAT?

  • No, GRE or GMAT scores are no longer required for admission into this program.

  • What if I don't have a 3.0 or higher GPA?

    • Generally, incoming students must have a GPA of 3.0 or higher.  Occasionally a student will be admitted with a lower GPA if they have extensive public service experience or their GPA for their most recent 60 credits is above a 3.0.  Students who have a borderline GPA may consider taking the GRE.  A high GRE score may help offset a lower GPA.  Students who are unsure if their GPA meets the minimum requirement should contact our office before applying to discuss their individual circumstance.

How many students will be admitted into each cohort?

  • The MPA program will admit between 25 and 35 students each year.   Students typically are admitted in the fall as a cohort.
  • A cohort is a group of students working together in the same program, progressing through the same academic curriculum and finishing their degree together. The students selected for the fall cohort will attend core courses together over the first year.  Depending upon space, some students may be admitted for the spring or summer semester and attend on a modified cohort schedule.
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Is this degree the same as a Master of Public Service (MPS)?

  • The Master of Public Administration (MPA) program at UVU began in 2017 as a Master of Public Service (MPS) program.  It is an interdisciplinary program, with faculty from the departments of Emergency Services, Criminal Justice, Political Science, Public Health, and others. Since the first cohort graduated in 2019, there have been over 100 students who have graduated from the MPS program.  In fall of 2023, the program admitted its 7th cohort of students and changed the name to Master of Public Administration to reflect the curriculum and learning outcomes more accurately.  Students who graduated from the MPS program prior to the name change completed the same courses that current MPA students are now taking, except for one class that was added with the name change.  Because of this, students who graduated with an MPS degree are correct when they state that they graduated from an MPA program.  Those interested in more information about the MPA program at UVU should visit our website uvu.edu/mpa or contact us at 801-863-7790.

When will applications be reviewed and the cohort selected?

  • Application reviews will begin February 1 and will be reviewed the first week of each month until the cohort is filled.  Final date to submit an application for the fall cohort is July 15th.  Highly qualified students will be admitted on a first-come basis.  Students may apply for and be  admitted Spring or Summer semesters depending on space availability. 

Is this program accredited?

  • The MPA degree is regionally approved by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities.
  • We will be seeking program accreditation by the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration (NASPAA).  NASPAA requires that a program operate for at least a four-year period before seeking accreditation.

What are the essay questions?

  1. Why are you pursuing a graduate degree in Public Administration?
  2. What makes you a good candidate for this program?
  3. What are your professional goals?

How do I apply to the MPA Program?

  1. Attend an info session or call to speak with MPA admissions staff
  2. Complete online application at www.apply.uvu.edu
  3. Send all official university transcripts. If requesting electronic copy from your university, official transcripts must be emailed to etranscriptr@uvu.edu.  UVU graduates do not need to request transcripts.
  4. Pay $45 application fee.
  5. Upload current resume that includes educational background and professional work experience.
  6. Provide two letters of recommendation. Name and email address of professional references will be entered in the application
  7. Provide responses to the essay questions.

What are tuition costs for this program?

  • Our current tuition and student fees for one 3-semester hour course is $1,446. Total cost per semester is $2,892.  Tuition for Utah residents and non-residents is the same.
  • These are the current 2022-2023 tuition rates.  Expect a small tuition increase annually.  

Are any scholarships available?

  • We currently offer a two-course, two-semester tuition waiver scholarship for Utah residents of our program.  This tuition waiver scholarship will be awarded to two students based upon GPA, public service work experience, and their essay response.  Deadline to apply is May 1. For information on how to apply and other scholarships you may qualify for, visit the university's scholarship webpage.

Is financial aid available for the MPA degree?

  • Some students may qualify for financial aid.  For more information please visit the UVU Financial Aid site.

Can I transfer graduate credit to the MPA degree?

  • Yes, depending on the course relevance to the MPA degree and how recently it was completed.  Transfer credits will be evaluated on an individual basis.  Students with qualifying related coursework may be allowed to transfer up to 9 credits from another university. For additional information on graduate transfer credit requirements visit the quick link on the MPA web site.

What is the job outlook, pay and types of jobs available with this degree?

  • Job openings and pay vary depending on the specific public service area you are interested in. Provided are a few websites where you can find specific information:

    A national resource is BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook website. For example, here is the detail for the occupation group “protective services” and “public service”  from that website. Note that this information is a national aggregate and not specific to Utah.

    For Utah specific occupation data, you may find the Utah DWS occupation website useful. You can search by keyword but since a search has to match the government defined occupation title, it is often easier to use the drop down menu in Option 2. Option 3 provides a drop down of occupational groups which is helpful for listing all of the occupations within an area. For example, when you open “protective services” in option 3, and select “first line supervisors police and detectives (33-1012)” a full data report provides growth projections, wage information and other data by Utah metro area. 

  • Prospective students may also find this link on How to Become a Public Service Professional helpful.

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    The UVU Career Development Center also has additional information on labor market and salaries.