This program leads to both the B.S. or B.A. in political science and the Master of Public Administration (M.P.A.) degrees. Students who want to complete this program must identify themselves to the Political Science Department as majors who will complete the accelerated program with a politics and governance emphasis. The program is open to all undergraduates who major in political science; have completed at least 96 credit hours of undergraduate coursework; and meet the Department of Political Science’s Degree with Honors requirements (see below). Students who have met these standards in their B.A. or B.S. degree in political science must also apply for admission to the NIU’s M.P.A. program no later than February 1st of the applicant’s junior year. Students must meet the application deadlines given by the Graduate School. To qualify for this program, applicants must meet each of the following at the time of application to the MPA program:
Have completed POLS 100 or POLS 150 with a grade of B or higher
Have completed POLS 340 with a grade of B or higher
Have completed POLS 331/PSPA 331x with a grade of B or higher.
Participate in an oral interview with a faculty or staff member of the Department of Public Administration.
Admission will be on a competitive basis, and the likelihood of admission will depend on the number and quality of applicants to the program, the number and quality of applicants to the MPA program in general, as well as other factors normally considered in admissions decisions by the admissions committee of the Department of Public Administration.
Curriculum
Students must complete all the requirements for the Political Science B.A. or B.S. degrees as well as all general education requirements by the end of their junior year. Beginning with the first semester of their senior year, students will start taking classes in the M.P.A. program as well as complete undergraduate departmental honors. These courses will count toward the final 24 credits of the undergraduate degree. Upon receiving their undergraduate degree, students will then follow the standard timetable for receiving the M.P.A. in Public Administration. Students in the Accelerated Political Science/M.P.A. program are not bound by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences policy that prohibits students from earning more than 60 credit hours in their major.
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