Admission to the MPA Program
Admission to the MPA Program
All admissions processes are handled through ECU’s Graduate School, Office of Admissions. The requirements applicants must meet to be admitted to a graduate program are established by both the Graduate School and the program to which the student is applying. The MPA Committee makes admissions recommendations to the Graduate School, which makes the final decision.
The links below lead to those policies and other useful resources from the Graduate School.
Graduate School Office of Admissions
Graduate Catalog Admissions Policies
Find Your Program: Master of Public Administration
MPA Admission Requirements
- A minimum 2.7 undergraduate GPA;
- Strong letters of reference that indicate the student has the capacity to succeed in a rigorous graduate program. These letters should ideally be from instructors or employers who are well-positioned to assess the applicant’s preparation level;
- A well-written statement of purpose that demonstrates the student’s command of proper grammar and mechanics, which are necessary for success in the program. The statement should address the student’s academic interests and their career goals, as well as how they believe the MPA program at ECU will help them to achieve them; and
- A resume that includes the applicant’s academic and relevant work background.
Executive MPA Admission Requirements
- A minimum 2.7 undergraduate GPA;
- Strong letters of reference that indicate the student has the capacity to succeed in a rigorous graduate program. These letters should ideally be from instructors or employers who are well-positioned to assess the applicant’s preparation level;
- A well-written statement of purpose that demonstrates the student’s command of proper grammar and mechanics, which are necessary for success in the program. The statement should address the student’s academic interests and their career goals, as well as how they believe the MPA program at ECU will help them to achieve them; and
- A resume that demonstrates a minimum of five years of professional public service experience in government or nonprofit sectors and at least three years of supervisory or management responsibilities.
Important Note: For the executive MPA program, please contact the MPA Director (Dr. Casey Fleming – flemingca17@ecu.edu) for a preliminary resume review prior to formally submitting an admissions application via the ECU Graduate School.
MPA Prerequisites
A working understanding of American political institutions and policy processes is required. An understanding of statistics is also strongly recommended.
Residency and Transfer Credit
Residency and transfer credit policies are provided in ECU’s Graduate Catalog and can be accessed through the links below. The MPA program follows the policy the Graduate School has set, which is that students can transfer in up to 1/3 of their graduate program from regionally-accredited academic institutions, with the approval of the program.