1. What is the application deadline?

2. Does the program admit new MPP students mid year?

3. Does the SPA offer a part-time MPP degree program?

4. How long is the program?

5. Does the program offer a joint (concurrent) degree?

6. Do you offer a PhD in Public Policy?

7. Can students design their own articulated programs for the MPP?

8. What are the degree requirements for the MPP?

9. Can prior work experience be substituted for the internship?

10. Can MPP students register for more than the required 12 units each quarter?

11. Can students in other graduate programs at UCLA enroll in MPP core courses?

12. What is the cost of attending the UCLA MPP program?

13. What is the fellowship deadline for Fall 2011 applicants?

14. What GPA is required for admission?

15. What range of GRE scores are required?

16. Are there any courses or major requirements for admission?

17. What sort of careers do MPP graduates pursue?

18. How do I apply to the MPP program?   

19. Are TOEFL or IELTS scores required?

1. What is the application deadline?

 Our department deadline for Fall 2012 is January 10, 2013 for Fall 2013. To apply for the Department of Public Policy Graduate Degree Program, please apply on-line on the UCLA Graduate Division Admissions site at http://www.gdnet.ucla.edu/gasaa/admissions/applicat.htm

 
2. Does the program admit new MPP students mid year?

No. We currently offer admission to the MPP program in the fall quarter only.

 
3. Does the SPA offer a part-time MPP degree program?

No. We only offer a full-time MPP degree. Classes are scheduled mainly during the weekdays. Many students work part-time. The MPP is a very   academically rigorous program. Consequently incoming students are discouraged from working more than 10-20 hours a week.

 
4. How long is the program?

The normative time for completing the degree is two years.

 
 5. Does the program offer a joint (concurrent) degree?

Concurrent degrees allow a specified amount of credit to apply to two degree programs. It permits students to reduce the total number of courses required for the two degrees and thereby reduces the time normally required if courses were taken in sequence. We have five Joint degree programs: JD/MPP, MBA/MPP, MSW/MPP, MPH/MPP, and MD/MPP. As with any concurrent program, applicants must meet the admissions criteria of each program and be admitted separately for each.

 
6. Do you offer a PhD in Public Policy?

 At this time we only offer a Master of Public Policy (MPP) degree. The School's Departments of Social Welfare and Urban Planning offer doctoral programs. Locally RAND, USC, and Claremont offer PhD's in Public Policy.

 
7. Can students design their own articulated programs for the MPP?

Yes. Articulated degree programs permit no credit overlap, and students must complete degree requirements separately for each degree. Students may, with permission from the department, design their own articulated programs.

 
8. What are the degree requirements for the MPP?

MPP students must complete a minimum of 80 units of academic credit (three or four 4-unit classes per quarter, 20 courses total). Seven of the 10 required core courses are completed in the first year. The eighth core course and two Applied Policy Analysis seminars are completed in the second year. The remaining courses (40 units) are chosen by the student from courses devoted to specific policy issues in the student's area or areas of concentration as well as electives.

During the summer between the student's first and second year, the program requires a 10-week field internship with an approved government agency, non-profit group, or other approved organization. This can also be fulfilled as a 400 hour internship served part-time throughout the year.

 
9. Can prior work experience be substituted for the internship?

 After admission, students with prior experience may petition to waive the internship requirement. However, such requests will be carefully considered on a case-by-case basis and students will be encouraged to seek an internship in an area different than their prior work background to broaden their experience.

 
10. Can MPP students register for more than the required 12 units each quarter?

The minimum course load for full-time MPP graduate students is 12 units per quarter. Students will need to take 16 units during some quarters to meet the 80 unit degree requirement. They are encouraged to take additional courses to further develop their analytic skills and breadth of content knowledge. The 80 unit degree requirement is considered a minimum rather than a maximum.

 
11. Can students in other graduate programs at UCLA enroll in MPP core courses?

Students in other graduate programs at UCLA may only enroll in MPP core courses with consent of the instructor.

 
12. What is the cost of attending the UCLA MPP program?

Fees or UCLA graduate students for academic year 2011-2012 are $19,027.58 for California residents (including mandatory medical insurance) or $31,728.58 for nonresidents (includes fees and nonresident tuition). Please note, UCLA Graduate Student Fees are subject to change at any time. The most current fees are always posted on the Graduate Division web site.

 
13. What is the fellowship deadline for Fall 2013 applicants?

The fellowship deadline is the same as the application deadline, January 10, 2013. Even though the Graduate Division Fellowship application states that the deadline is December 15, 2013, it also states “Consult your department for exceptions to this deadline.” MPP applicants will still be eligible for the University Fellowships with the January 10, 2013 deadline. There are additional departmental fellowships that also have the departmental application deadline.

 
14. What GPA is required for admission?

A scholastic average minimum of a B (3.0 on a 4.0 scale) or better is required for the last 60 semester units or 90 quarter units of undergraduate study. Applicants should keep in mind, however, that the average GPA for entering students is approximately 3.5.

 
15. What range of GRE scores are required?

The average GRE score for entering students is approximately 630 (approx. 162 on new scale) on the Verbal section and 705 (approx. 155 on new scale) on the Quantitative section. The average on the analytical writing section is 5. Students scoring below 600 on the Verbal or Quantitative sections will need to indicate compelling evidence of their qualifications through their GPA, references, or professional work experience. To schedule the GRE call 1-800-GRE-CALL or E-mail gre-info@ets.org. For more information on the GRE, visit http://www.gre.org.  The GRE was revised in August, 2o11, and new scoring scales were implemented.  The GRE website offers concordance tables to compare old and new scores which can be found in the GRE Guide to the Use of Scores (PDF) available via this link:  http://www.ets.org/gre/revised_general/scores/understand/

We ACCEPT the GMAT in place of the GRE.  Please report your score on the online application and upload a copy of your score report onto the application.  We'll follow up if we need an official score report.  We also still accept older test scores up to 5 years old on both tests.  Good luck!

 
16. Are there any courses or major requirements for admission?

 While the MPP program has no specific course or major requirements for admission, applicants are strongly recommended to have at least one undergraduate class each in statistics, micro-economics, calculus or other quantitative courses.

 
17. What sort of careers do MPP graduates pursue?

The MPP prepare students to become future policy-makers. The job market for graduates with an MPP degree is highly diverse, encompassing the public, private, and nonprofit sectors at the local/regional, state, national, and international levels. The MPP curriculum best prepares students to professionally enter a field as a policy analyst. Although MPP graduates become specialists, managers, directors, and leaders in public affairs, their training best prepares them with quantitative and analytical skills for the policy-making process. Graduates may work for public agencies or offices at all levels of government, nonprofits such as the Asian Pacific American Legal Center, California Association of Public Hospitals, Feminist Majority Foundation, Michigan Environmental Council, and Mathematica, Inc., or non-governmental organizations such as the World Bank, Catholic Relief Services, UNESCO, and Relief International; and private businesses, consulting firms, and the media such as Boston Consulting Group, Covad Communications, Real Energy, Inc., BizRate.com, and Fox Broadcasting.

 
18. How do I apply to the MPP program?

Complete and submit the following items:

* UCLA Graduate Division Application available on-line at http://www.gdnet.ucla.edu, where you can upload all supplemental materials required (listed on site).  You will only need to mail in to the Department of Public Policy ONE copy of your Official Transcripts from your Undergraduate Institution.

 
19. Are TOEFL or IELTS scores required, and what are other requirements for International Applicants?

International applicants whose first language is not English must certify their proficiency in English when applying to UCLA. Such applicants must submit scores received on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), unless you have attended a US, British, Canadian, Australian, or New Zealand university for at least two years. We expect a minimum TOEFL score of 600/250 (paper/computer). For the internet-based TOEFL, the following are the minimum scores for each section: Writing: 25 Speaking: 24 Reading 21 Listening: 17 Total minimum passing score: 87 (a total score of 100 is preferred by the Department) An IELTS overall band score of at least 7.0 is the minimum required.

Please visit the www.gdnet.ucla.edu for in-depth university information regarding requirements for international applicants and residency.  The MPP program prefers a minimum score of 105 total for the IBT TOEFL. We also highly recommend that applicants have at least two years of work experience or the equivilent to be competitive.