Public Service/Public Administration, BA/MPA

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Introduction

The Pathway Bachelor of Arts in Public Service/Master of Public Administration degree allows high-performing students to earn both degrees in an accelerated time frame, saving students both time and money. Students graduating with the Pathways BAPS/MPA degree are prepared for leadership and management roles in public service, including local, state, and federal governmental agencies and in nonprofit and nongovernmental organizations. Both the BAPS and the MPA degrees are offered fully online, providing students with the flexibility to schedule courses around the reality of family and work demands while also engaging both local and fully online students in public service opportunities in their own communities.

The BAPS/MPA degree program offered by the School of Public Affairs allows high-performing students to count 12 credit hours towards both the BAPS and the MPA degrees. Eligible students are those who have completed at least 75 credits with a minimum 3.5 GPA in the BAPS major and a 3.0 overall GPA, completed the undergraduate Core Curriculum, and who meet the other requirements listed below.

Students are eligible to receive the BA in Public Service degree once they have successfully completed 120 semester hours and all CU Denver undergraduate degree requirements. The MPA will be conferred once the student has completed all requirements of the Master of Public Administration degree.

Eligibility Requirements

Both current CU Denver students and new transfer students are eligible to apply after meeting the following:

Currently enrolled in the School of Public Affairs as a Bachelor of Arts in Public Service major
Completed the University of Colorado Denver’s undergraduate core curriculum
Completed 75 semester credit hours
Completed the following 15 semester credit hours in Public Service:
- PUAD 1001 - Introduction to Public Service
- PUAD 2001 - Management for Public Service
- PUAD 3001 - Financial Management for Public Service
- PUAD 3002 - Program Design, Evaluation, and Decision-Making
- PUAD 4001 - Ethics and Public Service
- Transfer Public Service courses must have been approved and accepted toward the major
Minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA
Minimum 3.5 cumulative GPA in Public Service courses

General Requirements

To earn a degree, students must satisfy all requirements in each of the three areas below, in addition to their individual major requirements.

CU Denver General Graduation Requirements
CU Denver Core Curriculum
School of Public Affairs Graduation Requirements
CU Denver’s Undergraduate Academic Policies
CU Denver’s Graduate Academic Policies
Click here for information about Academic Policies

Program Requirements

Students must complete
- A total of 141 credit hours
- 37-38 credit hours in the general education core curriculum
- 46-48 credit hours in general electives
- 15 credit hours of undergraduate Public Service coursework
- 45 credit hours of upper-division coursework (3000-level and above)
- Minimum of 30 hours of resident credit; 21 out of the last 30 hours in resident course work
- Minimum 36 semester hours of graduate-level coursework (5000-level and above)
Students must receive a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA in undergraduate Public Service coursework.
Students must be fully admitted into the Master of Public Administration program.
Students must receive a minimum of a B- grade in each required core MPA course.
Students must maintain a 3.0 GPA overall in all graduate-level courses.
Students must successfully complete the MPA capstone or thesis.
Students must fulfill all college and major requirements.
The School of Public Affairs reserves the right to rescind a BAPS/MPA student’s admittance to the pathway program if at any point the student’s grade point average falls below the requirements listed above.