The Pathways Bachelor of Arts in Public Administration (BAPA)/Master of Public Policy (MPP) degree allows high-performing students to earn both degrees in an accelerated time frame, saving students both time and money. Students graduating with the Pathways BAPA/MPP degree receive a solid grounding in the context and management of public service organizations and the knowledge and skills needed to design, advocate for, and analyze public policies relevant to those organizations and the larger democratic society. Both the BAPA and the MPP degrees are offered fully online, providing students with the flexibility to schedule courses around the reality of family and work demands while also engaging both local and fully online students in public service opportunities in their own communities. 

The BAPA/MPP degree program offered by the School of Public Affairs allows high-performing students to count 12 credit hours towards both the BAPA and the MPP degrees. Eligible students are those who have completed at least 75 credits with a minimum 3.5 GPA in the BAPA major and a 3.0 overall GPA, completed the undergraduate Core Curriculum, and who meet the other requirements listed below.

Students are eligible to receive the BAPA degree once they have successfully completed 120 semester hours and all CU Denver undergraduate degree requirements. The MPP will be conferred once the student has completed all requirements of the MPP degree. 

General requirements

To earn the degree, students must satisfy all requirements in each of the three areas below, in addition to their individual major requirements.

• CU Denver General Graduation Requirements
• CU Denver Core Curriculum
• School of Public Affairs Graduation Requirements

Review CU Denver's Undergraduate Academic Policies.
Review CU Denver's Graduate Academic Policies.

Pathways Application

Both current CU Denver BAPA majors and new transfer students are eligible to apply to the Pathways BAPA/MPP program after meeting the following criteria:

• Currently enrolled in the School of Public Affairs as an undergraduate Public Administration major
• Completed the University of Colorado Denver’s undergraduate core curriculum
• Completed at least 75 undergraduate credit hours
• Completed the following 15 credit hours in Public Administration or have a plan on when they will take each class:
  • PUAD 1001 - Introduction to Leadership and Public Service (3 credit hours)
  • PUAD 2001 - Management for Public Service (3 credit hours)
  • PUAD 3001 - Financial Management for Public Service (3 credit hours)
  • PUAD 3002 - Program Design, Evaluation, and Decision-Making (3 credit hours)
  • PUAD 4000 - Human Resources and Ethics in Public Service (3 credit hours)
• All transfer courses must have been approved and accepted towards the major and degree at the time of application
• Minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA
• Minimum 3.5 cumulative GPA in the Public Administration major

Students do not apply for the pathway program at the time of application to CU Denver. Students will work with their assigned undergraduate academic advisor to apply for the pathway program after they have already matriculated to the university and have met the stated criteria.

BAPA/MPP Program Matriculation

After a student is admitted to the Pathways BAPA/MPP program, they will work with their assigned undergraduate academic advisor to enroll in MPP-level courses each semester. Students can complete up to 6 credit hours of MPP coursework each semester as an undergraduate and a maximum of 12 graduate semester credits can be completed as an undergraduate BAPA/MPP student overall. Students will continue to take undergraduate coursework while also completing graduate-level coursework.

Students in the Pathways BAPA/MPP program may be eligible to complete the MPP-level internship only after successfully passing two MPP-level courses. The MPP-level internship may fulfill both the BAPA and MPP internship requirement. The BAPA-level internship will not fulfill the MPP-level internship. Students must maintain a minimum 3.0 cumulative grade point average for all course work and a 3.5 grade point average for the BAPA major.