ADVISING BULLETIN FOR MPA STUDENTS: Applying for a Certificate as a Secondary Program
Many students in the MPA program also choose to pursue a graduate certificate from the Department of Public Administration, since if you take the proper certificate courses as your three MPA electives, you can get both the degree and the certificate within the same total number of credits as the MPA alone. Besides being a good deal, the graduate certificate adds to your specific skills and knowledge in an area of public service (nonprofit management, public policy, or healthcare administration and planning), and signals your commitment to this interest area to potential future employers. This email is a friendly reminder of the proper application process by which you can have a certificate program added as your secondary program in the University records system, for which the next application deadline is May 30 (for Summer 2016 admission to a certificate program).
When should you apply for a certificate as your secondary program, alongside the MPA?
If you are an MPA student who wants to pursue a graduate certificate along with your MPA degree, and you have not yet applied for your certificate, the time to do this process is at the very beginning of a semester. You should not wait until late in your MPA course of study - if you know which certificate you want, you should apply now for Spring 2016 admission! The deadline is May 30 for Summer 2016.
How can you tell if you have been admitted to your secondary program (certificate), or if you applied but have not checked, or can't remember if you applied?
Simply log into
myTSU and go to your unofficial transcript. At the top of the transcript you should see the
MPA listed as your primary program and the certificate as your secondary program. IF YOU DO NOT SEE THIS, then you should apply for a certificate as your secondary program by
May 30. (If you apply after that deadline, your application will be processed for Fall 2016 admission). To see a
screenshot of what your transcript should look like once you have been admitted to the
MPA plus a certificate, see the
FAQ linked below on applying to two programs.
How should you apply for a certificate as your secondary program? Read the FAQ carefully and follow the instructions:
Be sure to check the box on the online application form for "readmission"; this keeps you from having to pay a secondary fee. You should also send an email to Ms. Jerrica Brown in the Graduate School to let her know that you are an MPA student applying for a secondary program (details in the FAQ above).
Why is it important to do this now?
Completing this step as soon as possible is particularly important if you are well along in your MPA studies, because if you wait past the deadline in your second to last semester of coursework to apply, you may not be able to receive your certificate till the semester after completing your MPA even if your coursework is complete. This is because no student may be admitted to and graduate from any program in a single semester, so if you miss the Graduate School deadline for admission in your second-to-last semester your admission will not be entered until the beginning of your last semester.
Please do not assume that because you have decided on a certificate and started taking courses for it that you are automatically admitted to it and everything is fine. Check mytsu as described above. If you are already admitted to the MPA degree, you should meet the admission criteria for the certificate - however, it is still necessary to go through the application step, be formally accepted, and have the certificate program show up properly as your secondary program on the transcript - all prior to your last semester of coursework. You cannot complete a program which the Graduate School does not know you are pursuing, so this process is very important.
Wondering which certificate to choose? Visit the certificate webpages and read the FAQs:
The Department of Public Administration offers three certificates which can be pursued alongside the MPA. Each can be completed within the degree requirements if you take the proper three courses as your electives. Details on course selection are in the FAQs linked below. If you have already taken one or more electives, recognize that adding or changing to a certificate with different course requirements may entail taking additional courses beyond the MPA degree credits. Seek advising if you have questions.
What should I do after I am accepted to the certificate and I can see it on my transcript along with the MPA?
For each of the certificates, after you are admitted you should make an advising appointment to complete a certificate program of study. At the beginning of your last semester you will need to apply to graduate for both the MPA and your certificate separately, and you will need to submit the completion of certificate form. Links to the necessary forms are all in the FAQs linked below.
Public Policy Certificate (new as of Fall 2015): Advisor
Dr. Stanley
