SIPA: School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University

MPA Requirements At A Glance

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For all students: A minimum of 54 credits, 4 full-time residency units, a minimum cumulative 3.0 GPA, and the four components below.

1. Core Requirement

The Core curriculum accounts for a minimum of 24 of the 54 credits required for completion of the MPA degree.  The remaining credits come from the Policy Concentration, Specialization, and Elective requirements. 

Core Requirements include:

• Politics of Policymaking
  U6110/U6113 (Fall: 4 credits)

• Economics

U4200/U4201 (Year-long: 6 credits)
OR
Economic Analysis
U6400/U6401 (Year-long: 6 credits)

Students pursuing the EE and IFEP concentrations and/or the APEA specialization must take U6400/U6401 Economic Analysis. Students pursuing all other concentrations and specializations may take either U4200/U4201 Economics OR U6400/U6401 Economic Analysis.

• Quantitative Analysis
  U6500 (Fall or Spr: 3 credits)

• Interstate Relations
  (Fall or Spr: 3 credits)
  There is a menu of courses each semester that fulfill this requirement.

• Management (Fall or Spr: 3 credits)
  

Choose one of the following:


• SIPA U6002 Governance and Public Management in Developing Countries (Fall)
  
• SIPA U6003 Analysis of Public Sector Organizations (Fall)
  
• SIPA U6005 Effective Management in the Public Service (Fall or Spr)
  
• SIPA U6006 Strategic Thinking and Planning for General Managers (not offered in 2012-2013)
  
• U6010 Enterprise Strategy for Leaders (Fall or Spr)
  
• U6008 Fostering Innovation and Driving Improvement in the Public and Non-Profit Sectors (Spring)
  
• SUMA K4100 Sustainability Management (Fall or Spr)

 

• Financial Management (Fall or Spr: 3 credits)
  

  Choose one of the following:
  

  • SIPA U6200 Accounting for International and Public Affairs (Fall or Spr)
    
  • SIPA U6310 Nonprofit Financial Management (Fall or Spr)
    
  • SIPA U6320 Budgeting for Government (Spring)
    
  • INAF U6022 Economics of Finance (Spring)
    

• Capstone Workshop
  U9000-U9001 (Fall or Spr: 3 credits)
  You should plan to do your Workshop in your final year.
  
  
• Professional Development
  U4040 (Fall or Spr: .5 credit)
  You should take this course in your first semester. This course meets twice during the semester for a total of 6 hours.

• Internship
  U9013 (Fall or Spr: 1.5 or 3 credits)
  You are required to complete an internship as part of the core curriculum, but are not required to register for internship credit. A maximum of 3 credits is allowed for an internship.

 

2. Policy Concentration Requirement

(15-18 credits) Choose one concentration in a policy field in which you wish to focus your studies (consisting of 5 or 6 courses). Please note that the declared concentration will not appear on the diploma. The Policy Concentrations are: Economic and Political Development (EPD), Energy and Environment (EE), Human Rights (HR), International Finance and Economic Policy (IFEP), International Security Policy (ISP), and Urban and Social Policy (USP).

Note: If you are interested in pursuing the EPD concentration, you must satisfy the language proficiency requirement relevant to the concentration.  Please refer to the Concentration Director for more information

3. Specialization Requirement (9 credits)

Choose one area of specialized knowledge to pair with your Policy Concentration (consisting of 3 courses). The Specializations are: Advanced Policy and Economic Analysis (APEA), Applied Science (AS), International Conflict Resolution (ICR), International Media Advocacy and Communication (IMAC), International Organization (IO), Management, and any of the nine Regional Specializations.

 

4.Electives

Beyond satisfying Core, Concentration, and Specialization requirements, you may take other academically relevant graduate-level courses offered by Columbia to meet your SIPA degree requirements.

 

Advisement And Concentration/Specialization Audit Forms

• Students will register for 12-18 credits each semester.

• Core: Advising on core curriculum and on academic policies and procedures is provided by Advisors in the Office of Student Affairs.
  
  • Monitor your fulfillment of the core requirements using the Degree Audit Report on Student Services On-Line (SSOL).
  • Meet with an Advisor in the Office of Student Affairs periodically to confirm your plans to fulfill the core requirements.

• Concentration/Specialization: Advising on concentration and specialization requirements is provided by Concentration and Specialization Directors, assisted by Program Assistants.
  
  • Meet with your Concentration and Specialization Directors every semester to confirm your plans to complete your requirements.
    
  • Concentration and Specialization Audit forms are designed to assist students and Directors in determining if the concentration and specialization requirements have been fulfilled.
    
  • Approved Concentration and Specialization Audit forms must be submitted to the Office of Student Affairs in the final semester in order to graduate.

Deadlines for Concentration Audit Forms

•  August 1: for October graduation

•  November 1: for February graduation

•  January 26: for May graduation