Accelerated MPA
Cornell undergraduates who have taken advanced graduate coursework (4000-level and above) may apply up to twelve credits of applicable undergraduate coursework toward the MPA degree, with approval of the CIPA Director of Graduate Studies (DGS). Pursuing this option can reduce the time toward degree completion by approximately one semester.
Undergraduates interested in this possibility should contact the CIPA Office at 607-255-8018 or cipa@cornell.edu to schedule an appointment with the Executive Director to review their transcripts and discuss a possible course of study with CIPA. This discussion would best occur in the sophomore or junior year to work out congruence between undergraduate and graduate studies. Admission to the MPA program weighs actual public-affairs experience very heavily, so the AMPA is appropriate for only a few students each year.
Applicants who are interested in pursuing an MBA or a JD within the same timeframe that they are completing a MPA program because of their particular career objectives can work out a complementary degree course of study if they apply to and are accepted by both programs. Fellows may then apply up to twelve credits of a complementary professional degree program (MBA or JD) toward the MPA degree from CIPA. Applicants to CIPA who have already completed a Cornell MBA or JD may apply up to twelve credits from their other degree program toward the MPA degree if these are appropriate for an MPA course of study.
Pursuing either of these options will reduce the time toward degree completion by approximately one semester. Applicants should plan on meeting with the Executive Director to discuss which credits would be appropriate for an MPA program and thus transferable. Please contact the CIPA Office at 607-255-8018 or cipa@cornell.edu to set up an advising appointment with the Executive Director.
