Accelerated Pathway: BA or BS/MPP Degree Program in Public Policy

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Hobby School of Public Affairs > Accelerated Pathway: BA or BS/MPP Degree Program in Public Policy

Accelerated pathway dual degree programs provide academically outstanding students an accelerated pathway to complete an undergraduate and a master’s degree in a reduced period of time. Accelerated pathway programs provide undergraduate students permission to take a specified number of master’s level courses as electives toward completion of their bachelor’s degree. The students then apply to the graduate degree program, and if accepted, the previously completed graduate coursework during the senior year is counted as transfer credit toward the completion of the master’s degree.

Admission Requirements

Students wishing to apply for the BA/BS Public Policy/Master of Public Policy accelerated pathway program must complete an application to enter the program during the last semester of the junior year. Applications are available from the academic advising office in the Hobby School of Public Affairs. To enter the program, a student must have a 3.0 or higher cumulative GPA.

If admitted to the accelerated pathway program, the student may take up to 12 credit hours of graduate courses during their senior year. (See list of courses below.) These courses will count as upper-level elective credits toward their bachelor’s degree. The student should then complete the full graduate school application to the master’s degree program during their senior year. If they are admitted to the master’s program, the student will receive transfer credit for the graduate-level work taken during the senior year and will have 27 credits left to complete the master’s degree.

Graduate Level Courses Approved for the Accelerated Pathway Program

POLC 6311 - Leadership and Professional Development Credit Hours: 3.00
POLC 6313 - Policy Analysis I: Microeconomics Credit Hours: 3.00
POLC 6314 - Policy Research Methods I: Introduction to Statistics Credit Hours: 3.00
POLC 6315 - Policy Research Methods II: Multivariate Analysis Credit Hours: 3.00
POLC 6320 - Policy Analysis II: Political Analysis Credit Hours: 3.00
POLC 6330 - Philosophy and Public Policy I Credit Hours: 3.00
It is important to note that students who are admitted to the accelerated pathway program during their junior year are not automatically admitted to the master’s degree program. They must complete all requirements of the graduate school application and must be formally admitted to the master’s degree program following their final undergraduate year.