J.D./MPA
A joint program with the University of Central Oklahoma
Are you excited about transforming communities and making the world a better place to live? Our J.D./MPA program may be exactly what you’re looking for. Dual degrees in law and public administration prepare you for ethical leadership in the public sphere. And you can earn your dual degrees faster together.
Students earn their Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Central Oklahoma. MPA courses focus on fundamentals of ethical public service while the J.D. courses add a depth of understanding of the legal framework surrounding public service.
Application Process
Law students may apply to UCO at any time during the first two years of law school or before beginning law school. A full-time law student may begin MPA coursework after the start of the third semester of law school. A part-time law student may begin MPA coursework after the fifth semester of law school. Law students must complete the fixed required courses for the J.D. degree as scheduled.
Students who have been admitted to both degree programs should notify the OCU School of Law’s Registrar. Students may do this by checking the appropriate box on their work statements during any enrollment period. Students who have been admitted to both degree programs should also notify the UCO Jackson College of Graduate Studies and the UCO MPA program.
Requirements
Paired degree candidates may transfer six credit hours of their J.D. coursework to UCO for credit toward the MPA degree’s required 36 credit hours. Only credit hours from the UCO list of accepted J.D. courses will transfer for this purpose. Paired degree candidates who complete UCO’s MPA degree need to complete only 84 credit hours at OCU Law, including the six credit hours transferred to UCO, to earn the J.D. degree. Thus, participants may earn both degrees with the completion of 114 credit hours, rather than the usual 126 credit hours.
University of Central Oklahoma MPA Requirements
- A bachelor’s degree from an appropriately accredited institution in any field
- Overall GPA of 2.75, or 3.0 in last 60 hours
- If the GPA criteria is not met, a student may be admitted via one of two qualifications:
- GRE with a minimum score of 160 Verbal and 145 Quantitative. The writing assessment portion must be at 4.0 or greater
- A master’s degree from an accredited university with an overall GPA of 3.0
Note: A student does not need to take the GRE or have a master’s degree if they meet the above GPA criteria. Students who do not meet the GPA requirement may be granted conditional admission. Following conditional admission, students must complete 9 hours in required graduate MPA courses with a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher, as approved by the MPA graduate director.
Curriculum
In addition to completing OCU Law’s J.D. requirements, the successful J.D./MPA will also complete the following:
- Six required courses (18 hours): Public Administration Dynamics, Public Executive Leadership, Public Finance & Budgeting, Public Sector Human Resources, Public Policy Analysis and Research Methods
- Five guided elective courses (15 hours)
- A capstone paper (3 hours)
- A comprehensive final exam