SIPA: School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University

Applying to the Program

Applications for fall 2010 Admission are now available.

The Open House Schedule for Fall 2010 admission:

Tuesday, November 17
Tuesday, January 26
Tuesday, March 23
Tuesday, May 4
Tuesday, June 15

To visit a class, please email empa@columbia.edu

Application Deadlines

The program has two admission deadlines. The first is an early admission deadline. Prospective students who submit complete applications by March 1st will be informed of admission decisions in April. The final deadline for application to the program is July 1st for the following fall term. Admission decisions are made on a rolling basis, and applicants are encouraged to submit their applications as early as possible.

Applying to the Program

The Executive MPA program strongly encourages students to apply online. Applicants using the online system pay a reduced application fee of $85. Please read the instructions carefully for applying to the program here.

Admissions Criteria
If you require a visa, you must secure it prior to attending the EMPA program. Since this is a part-time program, EMPA students may enroll in a maximum of three courses (for a total of nine credits) per semester. We are therefore unable to offer assistance in securing visas and cannot make any exceptions to this rule. Your deposit will be fully refunded if you are cannot attend the EMPA program because you are unable to secure a visa.

Admission to the program is competitive and is based primarily on the following three criteria:

• A demonstrated commitment to public service
• A thorough understanding of the Executive MPA program and a clear indication of how the program fits the educational and professional needs of the candidate
• The previous academic performance of the applicant at the undergraduate or graduate level

The Committee uses these three criteria, as demonstrated in the prospective student's application, to assess the "fit" of the prospect to the Executive Graduate Program in Public Policy and Administration and the prospect's future professional public service.

In order to assess these admissions criteria, the Admissions Committee reviews the following elements of a prospect's application: personal statement, resume, transcripts, and letters of appraisal. (Please refer to the Application Checklist for more information about these requirements.)

Duration of Study

Students may complete the Executive MPA program in either two or three years of study. Applicants must advise us of the option they wish to pursue by checking the appropriate box on the application. The option selected will not affect the application decision.

Interviews and Visits

Prospective students are strongly encouraged to attend an open house or schedule an informational interview with the program's faculty and administrators. Open houses are an excellent way to find out more about the Executive MPA program and meet faculty, staff, current students and fellow applicants. Informational interviews give prospective students a chance to determine more fully if Columbia's program is right for them.

Applicants are also invited to sit in on classes and speak with current students and faculty.

Please contact the EMPA Recruitment Office if you would like to set up an informational interview, sit in on classes or if you have any questions about the program.

Phone: (212) 854-5124
Email: empa@columbia.edu

Employer Sponsorship

While sponsorship by an employer is not required, the program welcomes the participation of organizations in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. Prospective students receiving sponsorship must complete the Sponsoring Organization Information form of the application to ensure proper billing. Please be advised that employer support plays no role in the admission decision. The School of International and Public Affairs adheres to a need-blind admissions policy.

Visas and Part-Time Study

U.S. immigration law strictly limits the ability to enroll in a course on a B or visa waiver. Under very limited circumstances it may be permitted, but only where the visitor can establish that taking a course is not the primary reason for coming to the U.S.

As a general matter, B-2 visas are for people whose main reason for visiting the United States is tourism. If visitors intend to pursue a course of study, the B-2 and the B-1 business visa are not appropriate.

More than thirty countries are part of a visa-waiver program. Citizens of these countries may travel to the United States as tourists without obtaining visa stamps in their passports and are admitted to the United States with the notation WT for waiver tourist or WB for waiver business. (The same rules regarding study apply to the visa-waiver program; a course of study is not appropriate.) Visitors who enter the United States under the visa-waiver program are admitted for a 90-day period and cannot change their immigration status or extend their stay in the United States.

It may be possible to obtain a B-2 visa that specifically notes that part time "study incidental to visit," is appropriate. To find out more about this, please check with the American Consulate in your country.