Any admission is for a specific semester and cannot be routinely deferred.

Students applying to the accelerated MPP program must be current Five College undergraduates, as the program credits count toward both the bachelor’s and master’s degrees.

MPPA applicants who wish to defer acceptance for one year must write to your graduate program to request a deferral.

Successful applicants to the accelerated MPP program will be of junior standing and have a strong cumulative GPA. Admission into the MPP program will be contingent on maintaining a high GPA during the senior year. Applicants to the program are expected to demonstrate a strong commitment to public service through internships, research, employment or volunteer experiences with policy-oriented organizations. For Five College students applying, there is no GRE requirement. Likewise, international students currently enrolled at any of the Five Colleges will not be required to submit TOEFL scores with their application.

Successful applicants to the MPPA program must have the equivalent of an American bachelor’s degree. The GRE general test scores are required, and students on average score around 600 on both the verbal and quantitative sections of the test. The average GPA in undergraduate course work is 3.4. The admissions committee also considers relevant work and community experience, career goals, the personal statement and letters of recommendation, especially those from former professors. International students whose native language is not English must take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and have the results submitted directly to the university.

Because applicants to both the accelerated MPP and traditional MPPA programs come from a wide variety of academic backgrounds and have taken courses that vary in difficulty and level, we do not have a minimum GPA requirement. The admissions committee will consider these factors when evaluating the candidate’s GPA, along with all of the other admissions criteria.

An interview is strongly encouraged for applicants to the accelerated MPP program. To arrange an interview, contact Satu Zoller at 413-545-2714 or szoller@pubpol.umass.edu.

Although an interview is not required for admission to the MPPA program, we recommend that applicants visit UMass Amherst and meet faculty and students. If a campus visit is not possible, applicants can arrange to speak with MPPA alumni in their area. To arrange a campus visit or to speak with an alum, contact Kathy Colón at 413-545-3940 or kcolon@pubpol.umass.edu.

You can take courses at SPP as a non-degree seeking student if you have a bachelor’s degree and have registered with the graduate school. Applications for this status do not require the supporting documentation required for application to a degree program. If you are later accepted into the MPPA program, up to six graduate credits may be applied toward your degree. Students with non-degree status may take SPP courses as space permits and with the permission of the instructor.

Within its nine schools and colleges with 1,150 full-time faculty members, the university offers bachelor’s degrees in more than 90 areas, master’s degrees in 68 and the doctorate in 51. There are approximately 23,000 full-time students, comprising more than 17,000 undergraduates and 6,000 graduate students. Approximately 50 students are enrolled in SPP’s graduate programs. Students come from all parts of the U.S. and around the world.

The university’s financial aid office provides detailed information on the options available to all prospective UMass graduate students. Applicants to the accelerated Master's of Public Policy (MPP) program are strongly encouraged to research all areas of financial aid that may be available to them, including fellowship opportunities for international and domestic students.

SPP may offer a number of paid assistantships to highly qualified first- and/or second-year Master's of Public Policy and Administration (MPPA) students. In addition to a stipend, these assistantships may carry a waiver of tuition and curriculum fees, as well as paid health insurance. Research assistants primarily work with professors in the department. Projects vary depending on the primary interest of the professor.

The Commonwealth Policy Fellowship offers grants to $10,000 each to ten incoming students in the one-year Master's of Public Policy (MPP) program. 

SPP has an established internship program, with many alumni and host organization contacts, which will be available to students in both master’s programs. SPP’s associate director will provide guidance to each student in his or her internship search. However, because students have such a broad range of interests, each student is ultimately responsible for securing his or her own internship.