Political Science BS /Public Administration MPA

The Double Dawg Program will give high-achieving undergraduate students the opportunity to earn their MPA with a top-ranked program (7th in the U.S. News and World Report’s 2025 rankings of more than 250 public affairs masters programs nationwide).  In the program they will learn both the theoretical and practical aspects of public management and policy in order to prepare them for careers in public service with government agencies and nonprofit organizations.  The MPA degree greatly expands the employment outlook for graduates, with over 96% of UGA MPA alumni finding employment within 6 months of graduation. Furthermore, many government positions now prefer and even require a master’s degree for entry and graduates from MPA programs nationwide have increased earning potential by $18,000 per year over those who only possess a bachelor’s degree.

While the academic opportunities within the program are unmatched, the professional relationships that Double Dawg students will be able to forge outside the classroom cannot be underestimated.  Students will interact and network with employers and public sector professionals through UGA MPA alumni events, internships, as well as with the department’s cosponsor, the Carl Vinson Institute of Government. 

While most students seek the MPA as their final professional degree, the Double Dawg Program will also allow students to earn their MPA with the ability of later entering a PhD or other advanced degree programs and pursuing careers in academia.

Sources:

http://publicservicecareers.org/career-resources/employment-salary-trend/
http://spia.uga.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Employment_Fact_Sheet-1-1.pdf

Admission to Program

Admission to the dual degree pathway does not guarantee admission to the graduate program.

Given the higher curriculum and academic performance requirements of graduate degrees, care needs to be taken to select students that are both academically prepared and motivated to complete the BS/MPA. Drawing on the success of the current AB/MPA program, the new BS/MPA program admission standards and process will be very similar to that currently used in the AB/MPA already offered by the Double Dawgs program.

Admission to Pathway. To be admitted into the dual degree pathway, students must have completed at least 60 hours of resident credit at UGA, at least 9 hours of the 30 required political science credit hours completed or in progress and at least a 3.5 UGA GPA at the time of application. We expect that most students meeting the admission requirements (above) will apply for the program in the spring semester of their third year at UGA. To be approved, a preliminary plan of study must be approved by the undergraduate advisor and the departmental graduate coordinator.

Curriculum

Graduate-level courses that may be used to satisfy undergraduate and graduate program requirements.

Any four (3 hour) 6000 or 7000 level graduate course may be used to satisfy the undergraduate requirements, but at least two of the four courses must be from the following list of the public management core courses:

PADP 6910 Public Administration and Democracy
PADP 6920 Public Personnel Administration
PADP 6930 Public Financial Administration
PADP 6950 Economic Foundations of Policy Analysis
PADP 6960 Public Management

Additional requirements that are unique to this Double Dawgs program:

N/A

Admission to Graduate Program

Admission to the MPA program. Students will apply to the MPA program during the summer or fall after their junior year so that they are admitted and dual enrolled as both an AB/MPA student before the spring of their 4th year at UGA. Students will follow the same guidelines and procedures as required for the current MPA students (http://spia.uga.edu/degree/master-of-public-administration-mpa/). The admission application requires completing a Graduate School application that includes a resume, statement of purpose (conveying how this program is a good fit with your career and educational goals) and three letters of recommendation. The application also requires the student submit their transcripts and Official GRE general test score report. TOEFL scores will also be required from any applicant whose primary language is not English.

Program Advisor

  • Name: Aaron Redman
  • Email: aredman@uga.edu
  • Phone: 706-713-2055
  • Address: 355 S. Jackson St., 204D Baldwin Hall, Athens, GA.

Undergraduate Major Information

  • Major: Political Science B.S.
  • Department/College: Political Science

Advising Contact

  • Name: Paul Welch
  • Email: pdwelch@uga.edu
  • Phone: 706.542.4114
  • Address: 202 Herty Dr. Candler Hall, Rm. 103, Athens, GA 30

Graduate Major Information

  • Major: Public Administration M.P.A.
  • Department/College: Public Administration and Policy

Advising Contact

  • Name: Aaron Redman
  • Email: aredman@uga.edu
  • Phone: 706.713.2055
  • Address: 355 S. Jackson St., 204D Baldwin Hall, Athens, GA.