MPA

Admissions Process

Graduate Program Admission Requirements

To be considered for regular graduate status by the Graduate Program Admissions
Committee, an applicant should meet the following requirements. (Applicants who do not
meet these requirements may be recommended for provisional graduate status.)

  1. Possess a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution.
  2. Demonstrate satisfactory academic competency by: (a) having an overall grade point average of at least 3.00 in undergraduate course work, and (b) achieving a minimum combined verbal and quantitative score on the Graduate Record Exam (GRE).  The minimum combined score is 1000 for GREs taken before August 1, 2011. The minimum combined verbal and quantitative score for GREs taken on or after August 1, 2011 is 300.  Please note that as the GRE scoring is in transition during the Fall 2011 term, students should plan to complete the GRE BEFORE the August 1 deadline as their scores will not be processed and submitted to the University until November or later. To meet the October 1, 2011 admission deadline for the department, students must take the GRE before August 2011.
  3. Submit a graduate application. It can be submitted online. A form is also available in the current Graduate Catalog or from the Graduate Admissions office. With the application, the applicant must pay a nonrefundable $55 application fee.
  4. Submit GRE scores, or an approved substitution such as the GMAT or LSAT, to the Graduate Admissions Office.
  5. Submit official transcripts from all previous academic institutions directly to the Graduate Admissions Office.
  6. Submit letters of reference evaluating the applicant’s academic potential to the attention of the Director of Graduate Studies for the Department of Public Policy and Administration at the address below.
  7. Submit to the Department a statement of approximately 500 words explaining the applicant’s career goals and reasons for entering the Graduate Program.
  8. Be accepted by the Graduate College of Boise State University. To ensure that all requirements specified by the Graduate College are met, review the Web site or consult the appropriate pages in the current Boise State graduate catalog.

Admission Process

  1. An applicant should take the following steps to complete the Graduate Program admissions process:
    • Meet with an advisor in the Department of Public Policy and Administration to discuss the admission process, career interests, and reasons for entering the Graduate Program.
    • Get GRE information from ETS or from the Graduate Admissions office, where you can also pick up a graduate admission application. You can also use the application in the current BSU Graduate Catalog or online.
    • Complete and submit a Data Form to the Department office. This is available from the Department office or download a copy from the Graduate Program’s website.
    • Complete the graduate admission application and submit it with the application fee to the Graduate Admissions Office. Once the application has been processed the applicant will receive a certificate of admission to enroll in courses. This certificate is not a certificate of acceptance into the Graduate Program.  Students will need permission of instructors to enroll in classes.  Not all PUBADM classes are open to non-admitted students.
    • Have all official transcripts sent directly to the Graduate Admissions Office.
    • Complete the statement on career goals and reasons for entering the Graduate Program and submit it to the Department office.
    • Have three letters of reference sent to the Director of Graduate Studies at the Department office. *We can only accept original signed letters or letters received as email attachments directly from the referral source.

      All admission materials must be submitted by February 1 for Fall admission and October 1 for Spring admission.

  2. After the Graduate Admissions Office receives your application, application fee, GRE scores, and all transcripts, they will send a recommendation form for completion to the Department office, along with copies of transcripts.
  3. After the above materials are received in the Department office, the Graduate Program Admissions Committee will evaluate the application and make its recommendation regarding admission to the program. All application materials must be on file in order for the Committee to consider admission.
  4. The Graduate Program Admissions Committee will send its recommendation to the Dean of the Graduate College.
  5. The applicant will be informed in writing by the Graduate Dean’s office of the official decision on admission to the program.
  6. Upon admission to the program, the Department will also contact the applicant to provide other pertinent information and designate a temporary academic advisor.

NOTICE: Important information for MPA applicants -
Students who seek to meet the 10/1/11 application deadline for formal admission to Spring 2012 should have taken the GRE BEFORE August 1, 2011.  The GRE testing service will be changing their scoring processes after that point and the scores for exams taken after 8/1/11 will not be available to the student or university until well after the admission deadline.