Public Leadership, MS

Program Coordinator: Dr. Janiece Upshaw, Phone: 972-338-1538, Email: Janiece.Upshaw@untdallas.edu

Admission Procedures

Before being admitted to a master’s program in the School of Liberal Arts & Sciences, the applicant must meet the minimum requirements for admission to graduate studies as administered by the Office of Graduate Admissions.

Submit the following to the UNT Dallas Office of Graduate Admissions:
1. Graduate School Application for Admission (apply online at www.applytexas.org)
2. Official copies of all college transcripts
Submit additional admission materials to the Public Leadership Program. (Application deadlines available on the Graduate School website.)
1. 2 letters of recommendation
2. Essay - 250-750 words describing any unique events, life experiences and qualifications that you feel distinguish your candidacy for the Public Leadership program

Admission Standards

Applicants must hold at least a bachelor’s degree.
Applicants must have at least 3.00 GPA on the last 60 hours of undergraduate coursework leading to the bachelor’s degree, or a 2.80 GPA on all undergraduate work, to be considered for unconditional admission. Applicants who have already completed a master’s degree must have at least a 3.40 GPA on the master’s.
(Conditional admission may be granted to students who do not meet the above criteria but on the basis of the strength of all of the other admission factors.)

The MSPL program requires that a student maintain a minimum GPA of 3.00 (B) or better.
The MSPL Admissions Committee will recommend dismissal of a student from the master’s program if the student receives more than two course grades below C (for purposes of this rule, the lowest grade received in a course is used).
Master’s students may not graduate with more than two C’s in their program requirements, although a course may be repeated to raise a grade of C or less.
Master’s students whose academic performance falls below a cumulative 3.00 GPA on all graduate work attempted will be notified by the Office of Graduate Admissions that they have been placed on academic probation.
Students will remain on probation and be allowed to re-enroll for a subsequent term/semester as long as they achieve a minimum 3.00 GPA on all graduate work attempted during the term/semester even if their overall graduate GPA remains under 3.00.
Students on probation who fail to make a 3.00 GPA in graduate work attempted during a term/semester (fall, spring or summer) will be notified by the Office of Graduate Admissions that they have been placed on academic suspension for one term/semester (fall, spring or summer) during which the student may not enroll at UNT Dallas.
Probationary students who have previously been placed on suspension will be notified by the Office of Graduate Admissions that they have been terminated from the program should they fail to make a 3.00 GPA on all graduate work attempted during an academic term/semester (fall, spring or summer).
Course work taken at another university by a student on suspension cannot be applied toward the degree program.
Each graduate student must receive advising from the departmental graduate advisor prior to registration each term/semester.

Core Courses, 21 hours

Students are required to take

PLDR 5320

and

PLDR 5300

at the start of the program and may not take any elective courses until they have successfully passed both courses.

Capstone, 3 hours

Capstone is taken after the student has completed all 21 hours of required courses and 9 hours of elective courses.

PADM 5390 - Professional Practice for Public Managers

Concentration and Elective Courses, 12 Hours

Students may select any 4 of the following courses from any concentration to complete their elective requirements for the MSPL degree. If students elect to concentrate in a specific area, they may select 4 courses within the concentration. Please note that most courses in the rotation are offered once per year.

MSPL with Administrative Leadership Concentration

MSPL with Nonprofit and Community Leadership Concentration

MSPL with Public Health Leadership Concentration

MSPL with Emergency Services Administration Leadership concentration

Note

Beginning in the Fall of 2020, MSPL courses will add online courses in addition to its face to face and hybrid format. Courses are offered in a 16 week or 8-week period during the fall and spring terms and in a 5-week hybrid or online format during the summer.
All face to face 16 week classes are offered once per week during the evening from 6:00 - 9:00 p.m. or 7:00 - 10:00 p.m. All 8 week hybrid courses (a mix of online and face to face) meet two to four Saturdays out of the 8 weeks from 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.