Master of Public Administration - Admissions

Students may apply to be admitted for the Fall and Spring semesters. The final deadline for file to be completed for admission to the Fall semester is May 1 and for admission to the Spring semester is October 1.

To obtain application materials or information about the program, prospective students should:

A complete application consists of:

  • A completed application form. (Application fee of $50 applies whether written or on-line)
  • Official transcripts of all previous academic work, both graduate and undergraduate.
  • A score on the verbal and quantitative portions of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). Information regarding the test can be obtained from any of the following: the Department of Political Science at Clemson University, (864) 656-3233; The University Center of Greenville, (864) 250-8880; the Career Planning Office at Clemson University, (864) 656-0335; the Counseling and Career Development Office at USC Spartanburg, (864) 599-2192; or Educational Testing Service (ETS), (609) 771-7670.
  • Two letters of recommendation from persons familiar with the applicant's academic and/or job performance, with at least one academic reference whenever possible.
  • A personal statement of interest in the MPA program.

Non-Degree Students

If you have a bachelors degree and would like to take a couple of courses without actually pursuing a degree, you can apply as a non-degree student.

To apply to Clemson as a non-degree student which will allow you to take up to 12 credit hours without pursuing a degree program, you need to do the following:

  1. Complete a Clemson University Graduate application. Available online at http://www.grad.clemson.edu. Apply as a non-degree student. Do not use the MPA code.
  2. Request a formal transcripts from undergraduate institutions that you attended, specifically the institution which issued your bachelors degree.
  3. $40 one time application fee. If you formally apply to the program at a later date you will not be charged a second application fee.
  4. Mail these materials to the Graduate School here at Clemson.

    Graduate Admissions
    E-108 Martin Hall
    Clemson University
    Clemson, SC 29634

NOTE: If after completing 12 credit hours of course work, if you wish to pursue an MPA degree, you will then have to apply formally to the program which will include a new application, GRE scores, two (2) letters of recommendation and a statement of purpose.