Application Information

Master of Public Policy students come from an array of backgrounds and experiences, including many different undergraduate disciplines - no specific background, major, or expertise is required. Admission decisions are based on a evaluation of applicants' overall academic and professional records, including a letter of intent, resume, undergraduate transcripts (unoffical can precede official), and at least one letter of recommendation. See the application checklist below. For more information or assistance, contact the MPP Program Manager.

Access the SLATE Applications Portal

Application Deadlines

The MPP program accepts applicants for the Fall Semester only (although summer admission may be allowed; see below). All application materials must be completed by the priority deadline of January 15^th at 11:59 pm to be eligible to apply separately for division fellowships and assistantships.

March 31^st is the deadline for international applicants and domestic applicants missing prerequisites. If you have not yet completed the microeconomics and/or statistics prerequisites, and you know you plan to enroll in the summer PUBPL 6000 prereq course to complete them, please apply for summer admission.
June 30^th is the final deadline for domestic applicants who have already completed the prerequisites and received approval from the Program Manager.

Late submissions: contact the Program Manager to request approval of late documents. An additional fee of $30.00 will be charged by Admissions for late submissions starting on April 1st.

Requirements

Undergraduate GPA

Applicants should have an undergraduate grade point average of 3.0 or higher. Note: some exceptions will be made based on circumstances, career experience, and length of time between undergraduate degree and MPP application. Do not let the undergraduate GPA requirement prevent you from applying - instead, contact us for guidance on how to address in your application materials.

English Language Requirement

International students may also be required to submit proof of English proficiency. You can learn more about the English proficiency requirements by reviewing the International Graduate Admissions webpage.

Pre-requisite Coursework

Applicants must demonstrate completion of a pre-requisite course in the following subjects before the first day of the fall semester. Prerequisites must be completed within the last 10 years with a grade of "C" or better from an accredited college or university. Accepted courses from the University of Utah are listed below. Equivalent courses from other accredit colleges or universities (syllabus required) are also acceptable.

Applied statistics - FCS 3210, SOC 3112, ECON 3640, POLS 3001 and PSYCH 3000. We cannot count 1000-level math classes for the statistics prerequisite.
Introductory microeconomics - ECON 2010
U.S. national government - POLS 1100. Advanced Placement American Government is also accepted (so long as a transcript verifies the receipt of academic credit for the AP course). Brigham Young University's American Heritage course is not accepted.

For applicants without previous coursework in one or more of these areas, please see the following options.

For applied statistics and microeconomics – Applicants may enroll in PUBPL 6000: Application of Economic Principles & Public Policy Statistics for the summer semester before their official start date. This online course allows you to begin your graduate program sooner. You can also earn graduate elective credit as you fulfill your prerequisites and refresh your knowledge of economics and applied statistics. Additionally, this will lighten your future course load (this class counts as one of your six electives). If you plan to take this course, select summer as the semester you are applying to (even though your first full semester of coursework will be in the fall). This class can be counted as a part of your graduate course of study and therefore is eligible for federal loans and qualifying grants (such as G.I.). This is unlike non-matriculated undergraduate prerequisite courses, which are not.
For U.S. National Government – Earn a CLEP exam score of 50 or above (printed score required). Pass a pass-fail short course offered by the Division of Public Affairs at the end of July each year.

The University of Utah course listings and descriptions are available in the Course Catalog. If you are accepted into a joint program (e.g. MPP/JD) some prerequisites may automatically be waived. Please consult the program manager for more information.

In addition to the prerequisites, students are strongly encouraged to complete intermediate microeconomics before entering the program. Due to the rigorous analytic component of the MPP, it is assumed that applicants will have a strong quantitative background. Applicants lacking a solid background in economics and statistics are encouraged to strengthen their understanding of these areas prior to applying.

Application Checklist

Letter of Intent

The personal letter of intent is a crucial part of your application because it is the primary way that the admissions committee will get to know you as an applicant. We recommend applicants format their letter as they would a cover letter (with a salutation addressed to the admissions committee and a sign-off).

Applicants should consider the following questions when writing their letter:

Who are you?
What is your academic background?
What is your professional background?
Why are you interested in earning a Master of Public Policy?
What unique professional and personal experiences would you bring to the program?
What are your future goals, and how the MPP program will help you achieve them?

The letter of intent should be a minimum of two pages in length, double-spaced, and no longer than 3 pages. Please include your name and contact information in the heading at the top of each page.

Resume

Your resume should include relevant work, internship and volunteer experiences, as well as academic or research highlights.

Transcripts

Upload an unofficial copy of all of your transcripts to your application. You will be required to provide an official copy of your transcripts, sent directly from your previous school to the Graduate Admissions office at:

Admissions Office
The University of Utah
201 S 1460 E
Room 250 S SSB
Salt Lake City, UT 84112

Transcripts submitted for admission become the University of Utah property and cannot be returned to the applicant. Failure to list all schools previously attended or making false or misleading statements on the application may result in loss of credit and/or cancellation of admission status.

Letter(s) of Recommendation

Please submit the name and contact information of at least one reference reference from familiar with your academic and/or professional abilities, following the instructions in SLATE. You will enter the e-mail addresses of the reference letter author. The SLATE system will then send an e-mail request asking authors to upload their letter (please let the letter authors know an e-mail will be coming). If you finished a degree (undergrad or grad) within the past two years, the letter should be from an undergraduate professor or instructor.

Graduate Entrance Exam Scores (Optional)

No graduate entrance exam is required for the MPP program. If you wish to include a score, it will be considered. It may be helpful to include a score if you have a low GPA or if you would like to bolster your application. We will consider scores from the GRE, MAT, LSAT, and GMAT.

Dual Degree Applications

If you are applying for a dual degree, please be sure to complete an application for each program. There is not a joint application option, so it is important to complete the application and upload all requirements for each program individually. You will be notified of acceptance or denial by each program.