MPA ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

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Admission Requirements

These are the admission requeriments for our MPA:

  • Minimum GPA: FAU MPA program applicants must have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution, with an overall grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. 
  • Undergraduate Statistics Course: All applicants must have successfully completed (C grade or better) an undergraduate statistics course before applying to the FAU MPA program, and all applicants must request an official transcript that verifies the completion of the undergraduate statistics course be submitted to FAU with the application.
  • Recommendation Letters: All applicants must have three letters of recommendation submitted on their behalf. Letters from professors from the colleges and/or universities attended are preferred; when that is not feasible, letters from current or past work supervisors will be accepted. The recommender must address the applicant’s ability to succeed at graduate-level academic work in public administration. (Do not include personal recommendations.) Once the three recommenders have been identified, the applicant must enter the recommenders’ names and contact information into the FAU online application system, and then an email requesting a letter of recommendation will automatically be sent to each recommender from the FAU Graduate College. Each recommender will login to the FAU online application system to submit her/his letter.
  • Essay: Applicants must submit an essay about their personal background, career aspirations in public service (including future career goals), and the reason(s) for pursuing graduate study in public administration. The essay should demonstrate graduate-level writing competency and should be written by the applicant. It should be 750-1000 words.
  • Resume: Applicants must submit a current professional resume, including public service experience (paid or voluntary).
  • English Language Proficiency: International applicants for whom English is a second language must score 550 (IBT 79-80) or higher on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). A graduate of a college or university outside of the United States who has completed an academic program equivalent to an American bachelor’s degree may apply for admission to the MPA program. All international applicants whose transcripts are from non-U.S. institutions must have their credentials evaluated course by course, including the GPA, by a professional evaluation service. A service may be found at www.NACES.org.
  • GRE not required: Please note that we are currently waiving the GRE requirement for applicants to our program.

All application materials must be submitted through the FAU online graduate admissions application system.

Admission is competitive. Applicants meeting the minimum university and/or program application requirements are not guaranteed admission to the program.

Deadlines for Application

All requested material must be submitted by the established deadline date:

  • February 1 f or summer admission
  • May 1 for fall admission,
  • October 1 for spring admission

Materials received after the established deadlines are not considered; therefore, make sure all application materials are in order before applying to the MPA program.


 For any questions regarding the Master of Public Administration degree program, please contact Dr. Pablo Sanabria (Program Coordinator) at psanabria@fau.edu.