NEXT STEP
SCHOOL OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS
YOUR U.S. POLITICS & POLICY
By participating in American University’s Graduate Professional Studies in U.S. Politics &
Policy, you can start to earn credits that could count toward a Masters degree in Political
Science, Political Communication, Public Administration, or Public Policy.
Through Graduate Professional Studies, you will earn 9-graduate credits:
Seminar in U.S. Politics & Policy
(3 credits)
Internship or Research Course in U.S. Politics & Policy (3 credits)
Graduate Elective at American University
(3 credits)
Graduate Professional Studies students have the option of choosing an evening elective
course at American University that is 500-level or above and does not require prerequisites. Please note that enrollment in your elective choice depends on space availability
and, in some cases, you may be placed on a course waitlist for your first choice option.
FOUNDATION FOR
A FUTURE DEGREE
On average, graduate
degrees in the School of
Public Affairs require 33-42
credit hours for completion.
If you apply and are admitted
to a graduate program in SPA,
you could potentially apply
6-9 credits of your Graduate
Professional Studies classes to
your Masters degree.*
*course credit is subject to
approval by the SPA advisor
RECOMMENDED ELECTIVE OPTIONS
As you review the Schedule of Classes, it will be beneficial to reference the course
requirements of degree programs that you may want to attend in the future. If you are
interested in pursuing a graduate degree with American University’s School of Public
Affairs after you complete your semester in Graduate Professional Studies, you may want
to take one of the following recommended elective options.
POLITICAL SCIENCE OR POLITICAL COMMUNICATION
EXPLORE YOUR
ELECTIVE OPTIONS
You can review the available
course offerings at
www.american.edu/provost/
registrar/schedule/index.cfm.
The following courses are suitable elective options if you are considering a Masters in
Political Science or a Masters in Political Communication.
GOVT-536 Applied Political Writing
GOVT-683 Women, Politics & Public Policy
GOVT-537 Political Speechwriting
GOVT-651 Legislative Process
PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION OR PUBLIC POLICY
The following courses will count as concentration courses for either an MPA or MPP
degree and would be good options if you are unsure which degree you are most
interested in at this time.
PUAD-601 Quantitative Methods for Policy Analysis I
PUAD-617 Project Management
PUAD-684 Organizational Analysis
PUAD-616 Legal Basis of Public Administration
PUAD-650 Leadership in a Changing Workplace
The Department of Public Administration and Policy also recommends taking any of
the topics courses offered under PUAD-685 or PUAD-696. Topics vary by semester, but
example topics include: Public Policy for Environment and Energy
NonProfit Political, Advocacy, & Law
Gender Violence & Public Policy
Healthcare Policy
Qualitative Methods
Child and Family Policy
QUESTIONS?
Contact the Graduate
Professional Studies Advisor,
Lana Knox, at 202-895-4859
or knox@american.edu.