Admission to the Program

Applicants must satisfy the admission requirements of both the Department of Public Administration and Policy (DPAP)/SPA and Washington College of Law (WCL). Admission criteria are the same as those for the MPP. However, students who have been admitted to WC will not be required to take the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). Students may begin their studies in SPA after completing one year or the equivalent of full-time study at WCL. Admission to either the MPP or JD program does not guarantee admission to the other.

Dual Degree Requirements

• 107 credit hours of approved graduate coursework, including 27 credit hours of MPP coursework in SPA, and 80 credit hours of law coursework in WCL

MPP Degree Requirements

• 39 credits hours of approved graduate course work including at least 27 credit hours of MPP course work in SPA, and up to 12 credit hours from WCL. At least 24 credit hours for the MPP must be taken in approved SPA courses.
• Capstone experience: requirement completed through assignments in PUAD-688 Policy Practicum

Course Requirements

• PUAD-601 Quantitative Methods for Policy Analysis I (3) (students may test out of PUAD 601 and substitute another approved course)
• PUAD-602 Quantitative Methods for Policy Analysis II (3)
• PUAD-603 Policy Process (3)
• PUAD-606 Foundations of Policy Analysis (3)
• PUAD-631 Financing Government Services:
  Expenditure Analysis (3) or
  Taxation (3)
  
• PUAD-670 Economics for Policy Analysis (3)
• PUAD-684 Organizational Analysis (3)
• PUAD-688 Policy Practicum (3)
• One course from the following:
• • PUAD-604 Public Program Evaluation (3)
  • PUAD-607 Economics and Politics of Public Policy (3)
  • PUAD-671 Cost Benefit Analysis (3)

Area of Concentration

• 12 credit hours in an area of concentration with approval of the MPP advisor; this requirement is usually completed with WCL courses, as long as at least 24 credit hours for the MPP are taken in approved SPA courses.
• Students without a significant professional work background participate in an internship, which may be taken for credit (PUAD-691). For students already employed, a formal internship is optional.

JD Degree Requirements

• 86 credit hours of course work required for the JD, of which at least 80 credits must be earned in WCL courses, including:
  • LAW-601 Administrative Law (3-4)
  • LAW-550 Legal Ethics (2-3)