Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Michelle Piskulich, Chair
Commission on Peer Review and Accreditation
National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration (NASPAA)
1029 Vermont Ave. NW, Suite 1100
Washington, DC 20005
Dear Dr. Piskulich:
Please accept the following as an adendum to our annual report.
Respectfully yours,
Mark C. Hoffman
Associate Professor and Director
School of Public & Nonprofit Administration
401 West Fulton Street, #236C DeVos
Grand Valley State University
Grand Rapids, MI 49504
phone: 616 331-6587
fax: 616 331-7120
e-mail: hoffmanm@gvsu.edu
A. How we ensure that admissions are limited to applicants showing good
potential for success in professional graduate study and public service
For the 2010-2011 school term, the faculty agreed to the following admission procedure.
The department will continue with a rolling admission process.
The Admissions Committee members individually review all applications (still on paper
rather than on-line). Their individual recommendations are passed, on paper, to the director.
In cases where there is a disagreement among the individual committee members, they meet
as a committee to make the decision.
Although a 3.0 GPA (based on the last 60 credits of undergraduate work) is the standard for
evaluating a student’s ability to do graduate level work, the committee members look closely at
those courses most relevant to an MPA degree, including management, political science, college
algebra, writing, economics, research methods, and statistics. They also look at a student’s letters
of recommendation and their work history. Applicants are classified into three categories:
A. Applicants with relevant course work and at least a 3.0 GPA are admitted. Applicants that
have been successful in graduate-level classes as non-degree seeking students or as student in
other graduate programs are admitted. Students with a GRE score of over 550 verbal and 620
quantitative are admitted. .
B. Those applicants not falling into category A will be admitted when the following conditions
are met:
a GPA not less than 2.5,
a B or better in most relevant course work
a personal history that demonstrates a long-standing commitment to community and public
service
These applicants may be "conditionally" admitted and required to take "bridge up" classes if they
are weak in one particular academic area. These bridge-up classes are offered by the College of
Business:
ACC 511 Financial & Managerial Accounting (3 credits)
ECO 542 Macro and Microeconomics (3 credits)
FIN 522 Finance Principles (2 credits)
MGT 510 Principles of Mgt. Information (2 credits)
C. Applicants with less than a 3.0 GPA, poor or no GRE scores, and little or no work experience,
are denied admission. It is suggested that they may take the GRE, or take bridge up or
introductory courses as non-degree seeking students to establish their ability to do graduate level
work.
In the fall 2011, the university admissions office will formally recognize a status of "conditional
admission." A student admitted as conditional will need to apply for "full admission" when they
have met the conditions. This will facilitate the management of the conditional admission
students (categories B) which now must be tracked and enforced only by the department itself.
B. How we ensure that those students admitted without meeting stated criteria
are progressing through the degree
We track all students through our own database regardless of undergraduate GPA and review
their progress each semester.
Since thefall 2008, 34 students have been unconditionally admitted with an undergraduate GPA
below 3.0 and no previous graduate-level course work. The mean undergraduate GPA of these
34 students was 2.87. Their current status is:
o2
graduated with a GPA above 3.5.
o 2 graduated with GPA between 3.0 and 3.5
o 8 are currently enrolled with a GPA above 3.5
o 5 are currently enrolled with GPA between 3.0 and 3.5
o 9 are currently enrolled for their first semester
o 3 are inactive with their last GPA above 3.5
o 1 is inactive with her last GPA under 3.0
o 1 was dismissed for a low GPA
o 3 never enrolled
In summation, of the 25 students admitted in this category and enrolled for more than one
semester, only two have had academic difficulty and left the program. Ten have excelled
academically.
Since the fall 2008, 31 students have been conditionally admitted. The mean undergraduate GPA
for these 31 students was 2.86.
o6
are currently enrolled with GPA above 3.5
are currently enrolled with GPA between 3.0 and 3.5
o 11 are currently enrolled for their first semester
o 2 are inactive with their last GPA above 3.5
o 1 was dismissed for not meeting the conditions
o 8 never enrolled
o3
In summation, of the 12 students admitted in this category and enrolled for more than one
semester, only 1 has had academic difficulty and left the program. Six have excelled
academically.
C. How we ensure that the program is accurately and publicly stating its
admissions standards.
The faculty has now agreed to the following admission language, which is more detailed than
that used in the past. This language will appear on the department web site, university catalog,
and student handbook. An abbreviated version will appear in the brochure with a reference to the
web site. Admission practices for the 2011-2012 will be modified to match this description.
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A complete application to the MPA program requires:
1. A completed graduate application.
2. A $30 non-refundable application fee unless the applicant has previously applied to Grand
Valley State University and has paid this fee.
3. An official transcript from each undergraduate and graduate institution.
4. Three letters of reference from informed sources.
5. An essay on career and educational objectives (250 to 750 words).
6. A resume
7. Submission of an official TOEFL or IELTS score report is required of applicants whose
native language is not English.
Applications will not be reviewed until they are complete. The admissions committee may
request additional information or a personal interview if it deems them appropriate and
necessary.
The admissions committee is looking for the evidence that an applicant will be successful if
admitted into the MPA program. This evidence can take several forms. Furthermore, the
admissions committee considers each applicant as a whole student. No decision is based solely
on any single factor. A strong applicant for the MPA program will have the following:
A 3.0 grade point average from an accredited college or university, calculated on the last
60 credits of undergraduate work. (This GPA will include all courses, including those classes
that may have been repeated or transferred.) Also, holding a graduate degree, a graduate
certificate, or having successfully completed at least 12 semester hours in another graduate
program, will be considered as strong evidence of an applicant’s academic competency to do
graduate level work in the MPA program.
Three positive letters of recommendation from well-informed sources such as current
and/or former professors or supervisors. These letters will address the applicant's academic
skills, analytical and problem solving abilities, professionalism, reliability, and/or work ethic.
A demonstrated commitment to community and public service. Ideally this would be five
or more years of professional work experience since receiving a baccalaureate degree. Lesser
professional, volunteer, and intern experiences with public, nonprofit, student, and health
organizations will be considered positively for pre-career applicants (that is, applicant who are
applying for admission shortly after receiving their baccalaureate degree).
An applicant concerned about falling short on the above criteria may want to consider these
recommendations for securing favorable evidence of their competency to do graduate level work
in the MPA program.
Submitting a GRE score is recommended for applicants who have neither a 3.0
undergraduate GPA nor five years of professional experience. The GRE is also recommended for
applicants applying for a graduate assistantship with SPNHA. GRE scores of at least 550 verbal
and 620 quantitative will be considered favorably.
Successfully completing graduate-level course work as a nondegree-seeking student is
recommended for applicants who have neither a 3.0 undergraduate GPA nor five years of
professional experience. However, 12 credits taken as a nondegree seeking student is the limit
that can be applied to the MPA program upon admission. Receiving a B+ or better as a
nondegree-seeking student will be considered favorably.
In some cases, an applicant that is seen as strong except for a specific area of deficiency may be
offered admission on a condition that they take a course to rectify that deficiency before
proceeding with the MPA course work.
Students may apply online at http://admissions.gvsu.edu or contact Sherry Moyer at
moyers@gvsu.edu or 616.331.6575 for an application packet. To ensure full consideration for
fall admission, all application materials should be received by June 1. Winter term applications
should be received by November 1. Spring/Summer term applications should be received by
April 1. Early application is strongly encouraged. Late applicants may be admitted on the basis
of remaining program capacity.
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