MPA JUMP Program

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The Master of Public Administration Joint Undergraduate-Master’s Program (JUMP) provides academically outstanding students the opportunity to complete both an undergraduate and graduate degree in an accelerated time period. Qualified students will apply directly to an individual Joint Undergraduate Master's Program, which will make a recommendation to Graduate studies for acceptance to JUMP. JUMP students may complete a maximum of twelve (12) graduate hours as undergraduate students. For undergraduate candidates pursuing a first baccalaureate degree in combination with a Master's degree, nine (9) graduate hours may be counted on both the undergraduate and graduate transcript as prescribed by the approved program curriculum. 

Eligibility

To apply, students must:

• A minimum of 60 credit hours earned and 15 or more credit hours remaining to complete the undergraduate degree
• A minimum of 24 undergraduate hours earned at WKU
• A minimum cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.25 for individuals earning their first baccalaureate degree
• A minimum cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.00 for individuals earning their second baccalaureate degree

After admission to the MPA JUMP, students:

• must maintain a cumulative undergraduate GPA of at least 3.0 to remain in good standing; students who do not maintain the minimum GPA requirement may be denied graduate standing.
• may take up to 18 graduate credit hours of coursework and apply up to 12 graduate credit hours toward both their undergraduate and graduate degrees.
• remain undergraduates until they meet all requirements for the undergraduate degree; they remain eligible for all rights and privileges granted with undergraduate status, including financial aid.

 Admission to the Graduate School for JUMP students

• JUMP students must complete the requirements for admission to the WKU MPA program, including submitting the Graduate School application, application fee, and supporting documentation.
• To gain admission to the WKU MPA program, students must earn a minimum of 3.0 in each graduate course applied to the JUMP degree. Students who fail to maintain the GPA requirement for all graduate coursework may be denied graduate standing.
• The GRE admission requirement for the MPA program is waived for JUMP students.
• Upon admission to the Graduate School, the student is classified as a graduate student and granted all rights and privileges of WKU graduate students, including the ability to receive graduate assistantship (GA) funding.
• No more than 18 hours of graduate coursework taken prior to admission to the Graduate School can be applied toward completion of the MPA.

Ready to get started?

Click here to start your WKU MPA JUMP application.

 For additional information about the MPA JUMP, contact

Joel F. Turner, Ph.D., MPA

Professor, MPA Director

joel.turner@wku.edu

 

Department of Political Science

Western Kentucky University

300 Cherry Hall

1906 College Heights Blvd. #11060

Bowling Green, KY 42101-1060

270.745.4559