Human Resources

Provisional Admission

Students applying for MPA certificate programs must also obtain:

• a letter of recommendation from a faculty member at their undergraduate institution or from a supervisor and
  
  
• demonstrate graduate level writing competency by submitting an essay between three and five pages in length addressing personal and career goals.

Students admitted to a certificate program who have completed 12 Graduate Certificate credits with a 3.25 GPA or better may be admitted to the MPA program, subject to the approval of the MPA program coordinator. Meeting the minimum requirements does not guarantee admission to the program.

Degree Requirements

• The MPA program requires of 42 credit hours for all students not who have not earned a Bachelor of Public Administration degree from a public university in the State of Florida. Students having earned a BPA from a public university in the State of Florida will be waived from taking six elective credits. Core level waivers can only be approved by the Public Administration Program Coordinator, the Associate Director or the Dean of the School.
  
  
• 36 credit hours with Advanced Standing Form approval -- 12 required courses.
  
  
• Typical class sequence (3-3-3-3-2). Students take three courses in each of their first four semesters and two courses in their last semester.
  
  
• The MPA program can be completed in 5 semesters -- approximately 18 months.
  
  
• View the course schedule. 
  
  
• View the Summer course schedule.

Location, Days and Times

Classes are conducted onsite at Stephen P. Clark Government Center or another convenient site recommended by the County. Students may also take MPA courses at the FIU campus.

Payment Reimbursement and Financial Aid

• Payment of tuition and fees for each semester's courses due at registration.
  
  
• Through the County's Tuition Refund program, the County will reimburse 50 percent of tuition costs upon satisfactory course completion.
  
  
• Student loans are not processed until students are admitted to the program and enrolled in courses.
  
  
• For more information about financial aid, visit the Federal Student Aid website.