Prospective Students
The MPA program at WKU offers instruction via in-person and remote instruction. All required courses (and many electives) are offered in person on the Bowling Green campus and are also accessible via live, synchronous Zoom sessions. Accordingly, students who are unable to commute to the Bowling Green campus can still complete their MPA at WKU. We believe that real-time interaction with professors and peers is an important aspect of graduate education, so we strive to build that sense of community among all of our students, whether they are physically or virtually in the classroom. To accommodate the schedules of busy professionals, most required classes and electives are offered in the evenings. Some elective courses are offered via asynchronous online instruction, usually during the Winter and Summer terms.
Information on graduation rates and the career paths of our alumni is available here.
MPA Admission Requirements
The application process involves the following:
Complete the Online Application for Admission found on the WKU Graduate School website.
Submit the required application fee.
Request that official transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate work (from all undergraduate and graduate institutions attended) be sent directly to the WKU Graduate School.
Minimum cumulative undergraduate grade point average (GPA) of 2.75 (on a 4.0 scale) is required for full admission to the WKU Graduate School. In certain circumstances, a program may request that a student with less than a 2.75 GPA be conditionally admitted. For the WKU MPA program, the admissions committee makes the decision whether to conditionally admit a student.
Graduate Record Exam (GRE) scores must be sent directly to the WKU Graduate School. (Note: Applicants with a cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher from an accredited undergraduate institution and/or 3 years of relevant work experience in public service are exempt from the GRE requirement.)
Applicant should send the following directly to mpa@wku.edu:
- Statement of Purpose outlining how the MPA degree will help accomplish career goals and objectives
- current resume
Applicant should request two (2) letters of recommendation from persons familiar with the applicant’s academic or employment experience and have the letters sent to mpa@wku.edu.
Application Deadlines:
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, but applicants are encouraged to submit all application materials at least 4 weeks before the start of the semester in which they plan to enroll.
Program Options
Information on the courses included in the MPA curriculum is available here.
Many students pursuing a Master of Public Administration (MPA) degree at WKU choose elective courses that allow them to also complete a graduate certificate. The Department of Political Science offers a graduate certificate in Local Government Administration for students interested in careers in local and regional planning and economic development as well as local government management. Other WKU graduate certificates that are particularly relevant for MPA students include:
- Communicating in Organizations
- Emergency Management Disaster Science
- Nonprofit Administration
- Organizational Leadership
Financial Aid
The WKU MPA program does not offer scholarships. A small number of competitive graduate assistantships that provide a stipend and partial tuition assistance are available to qualified applicants; we do not currently offer any assistantships that would cover the full cost of tuition.
Graduate assistants (GA) are required to work approximately 10 hours per week in the department during the academic semester. As a GA, graduate students may assist department staff and faculty members in research, teaching, and service functions. Students interested in being a graduate assistant are encouraged to contact the Director of the MPA Program at mpa@wku.edu. Allocation of the assistantships for the upcoming academic year typically occurs in May, so completed applications are due by April 15th.
Ready to get started?
Click here to start your application for the WKU MPA program
MPA Program Links:
Program Courses & Requirements
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