February 1st is the deadline to apply for fall admission to the MPA program. To apply you will need to submit materials both to the Graduate School and to the Department of Planning, Public Policy and Management (PPPM) as detailed below. Each applicant will be notified when his/her application is complete.  Incomplete applications will not be reviewed.

The MPA admissions committee meets soon after the application deadline to evaluate application materials. Applicants will be notified by mail by mid-March of their admission status. Students typically begin the program fall term. In special cases, a student may be admitted to begin the program during a different term.

Note: If you are interested in performance measurement, quality improvement and/or local government there is a new two-year internship on these topics that provides you with two summer experiences in Washington DC and school year part-time work while an MPA student.  The deadline is at the end of February.  Click here for information.

Items submitted to the PPPM Department

Please submit the following to PPPM by February 1. The address is:

1. University of Oregon Graduate Admission Application.  This online application, along with the $50 application fee by credit card or eCheck required to submit it, will be sent directly to the Admissions Office and the department. Select major code "public administration."

If you are applying to more than one program at the University of Oregon, you must complete one Graduate Admission Application per program.  To avoid paying a second application fee, send an email to gradsch@uoregon.edu requesting a bypass of the online payment  submission.

2. A comprehensive employment and educational resume.

3. A 2-page Statement of Purpose that clearly describes the applicant’s reasons for pursuing graduate study in the MPA program at the University of Oregon, his or her professional goals and objectives, and professional work experience.

4. Official transcripts from all prior undergraduate and graduate institutions. Send official degree transcript(s) also to The Office of Admissions, 1217 University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403-1217.

5. Three references from a mix of academic and professional referees.  Please have referees use the official University of Oregon form, which can be downloaded here.

6. We strongly recommend that you submit the Graduate Record Examination (GRE).  However, it is not required. Results can be sent to the department using university code “4846 UO” and “4801 Public Administration.” 

7. INTERNATIONAL APPLICANTS. The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and Financial Statement and proof of financial support are required.  The Financial Statement form is available on the Graduate School's web page for International Applicants.

A minimum score of 575 (paper-based test) or 90-91 (internet-based test) or higher is required by the program.  Information regarding this examination may be obtained from:

The University is also accepting the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) assessment score as an alternative to the TOEFL. A minimum overall score of 7.0 is required.

Information can also be obtained from Educational Testing Services' official web site at:

http://www.toefl.org/

Please request that your TOEFL or IELTS scores be sent to the Admissions Office, 1217 University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403-1217, and to the program, UO code R4846, program code 4402. Your Financial affidavit should be sent to the Admissions Office, 1217 University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403-1217.

NOTE: International students are exempt from providing language scores if you received a bachelor's degree or higher from an accredited U.S. institution or from an institution in Australia, Canada (except Quebec), Ireland, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.

Department of Planning, Public Policy and Management
119 Hendricks Hall, 1209 University of Oregon
Eugene, OR 97403-1209
Telephone:  (541) 346-3635; FAX:  (541) 346-2040
E-mail:  pppm@uoregon.edu
updated August 19, 2009

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