Frequently Asked Questions

Our students and faculty foremost! Additionally, we have great relationships with community partners in Northwest Ohio who regularly come to us with projects they want students to help with. This is a great way for students to gain professional development experience and give back to the community and for partners to get support with their needs. Past projects have included strategic planning, program evaluation, community surveys, and more. Past clients include the City of Bowling Green, the National Park Service, the Toledo Symphony, NASA, the Glass City Marathon, and the City of Toledo.

Yes! We are NASPAA accredited and were re-accredited in 2022 for an additional seven years.

For details about tuition costs and non-Ohio resident fees, you can calculate the cost of your attendance here.

You can go through instructions on how to apply.

No, the GRE is not required. 

Maybe. If English is the primary language in your country, you do not. You can read more about the language requirements and exemptions.

See additional international student questions.

Details about what is needed to apply can be found in the Graduate Admisions Instructions.

No, due to the  high volume of applicants, we cannot waive this fee. 

We offer Spring and Fall admissions. October 15 and March 1 are the priority deadlines to be considered for funding. 

International students are encouraged to apply for fall admissions to account for frequent delays many countries are experiencing with the Visa process. 

Yes. Many of our students receive teaching assistant positions working under faculty in the political science department but many also work in other graduate assistant positions in offices and research centers across BGSU, such as the Center for Regional Development, Institutional Effectiveness, International Programs, or the Graduate College. You can peruse open positions which are regularly updated. These positions are approximately $6,000-$12,000 academic year stipends depending on the number of hours worked (typically 10 or 20 hours per week).

Additionally, for TAs and GAs, the department covers six (6) of nine (9) credit hours of instructional fees.

We do not provide full tuition scholarships or cover non-Ohio-resident fees. You can calculate the cost of your schooling, including fees like non-Ohio-resident fees, using this calculator. 

The funding priority deadline is October 15 for students who plan to start in the spring semester and March 1 for  students who plan to start in the fall. 

There is no separate application to be considered for departmental funding. All applicants are considered based on the materials submitted when you apply for program admission.

Our program is typically around 30-40 students. Approximately 15-20 students typically enroll in a new cohort each fall.

No. We assign funded students to faculty each semester based on need and interests. Many of our funded students work under faculty as a teaching or research assistant, but the MPA is an applied professional degree, so the level of research mentorship is not the same as one would get in a PhD program. That said, our faculty are highly research productive and can mentor students who are interested in obtaining a PhD or developing research expertise in a certain area. See your faculty bio pages for their specializations and interests.

The BGSU MPA program typically takes two years/four semesters for full time students. That means 9 credit hours which is 3 classes per semester for a total of 36 hours/12 courses. 

Part-time students will complete the program at various paces depending on how many classes they take per semester. 

You can read more about our course offerings and program requirements here.  

Required MPA classes are typically offered 6-9pm Monday-Thursday evenings. Some elective courses are offered during the day, but typically we try to cater to working professionals and students who want to work during the day. 

Almost all classes are in-person, with a few exceptions. Our faculty and alumni agree that this helps build stronger relationships and helps us to use innovative and engaging pedagogy in the classroom.

The thesis is optional. Because the MPA is an applied professional degree, almost all our students choose to do an internship and take the capstone course to develop a professional portfolio rather than write a thesis.

For those students that would prefer the thesis, you can take thesis credits in place of the capstone and internship.

Yes, unless students choose to write a thesis, students complete an internship and the Capstone course. Students will work with the Graduate Program Coordinator to make sure their internship is appropriately suited to their career goals.

Students typically get jobs working in government or for nonprofits. For more information, read our alumni profiles or see our recent alumni job placement data.

You can peruse the additional pages on our website and if you have additional questions, please reach out to the graduate program coordinator.