Admission

Application Process

The Dean of the Cratis D. Williams Graduate School is responsible for the admission of all graduate students. All degree-seeking students taking graduate courses must make formal application to the Graduate School prior to enrolling in any graduate course work.

Details on requirements for admission and application materials can be found on the Graduate School's website.

Application for admission can be completed online through the Graduate School. The deadline for Fall admission is July 1 but applicants are encouraged to act earlier as available financial assistance is allocated in early April. Students wishing to begin classes in January are encouraged to make application in mid-September with a deadline of November 1.

All applications and inquiries should be addressed to:

Cratis D. Williams Graduate School
ASU Box 32068
John E. Thomas Hall
Appalachian State University
Boone, North Carolina 28608-2068

Tuition and Fees

Tuition and fees are charged by the semester and are due and payable in advance at the beginning of each semester in accordance with payment instructions issued prior to each semester. With the approval of its governing bodies, the University reserves the right to make changes when circumstances require.

Current tuition and fees can be found on the University's Student Accounts site.

Accelerated Master's Program

The accelerated Master's program allows qualified undergraduate students to double-count coursework in their senior year toward both their bachelor's degree and MPA degree.

Students from any major with a GPA of 3.4 or higher are eligible to be nominated for the accelerated program. Nominated students must have earned 90 credit hours before they can begin taking graduate courses.

During their senior year, selected students are permitted to take up to 12 hours total of graduate coursework that can double-count toward an MPA degree.

Interested students should talk to their academic advisor and contact the MPA Program Director, Dr. Patricia Mitchell, CEcD Mitchelljp@appstate.edu. More information can be found on the Graduate School's website.

Time to Degree

The MPA program has a strong record of students graduating on-time (within two years for full-time students and two and a half years for part-time students). Additional information regarding time to degree can be found here (PDF, 272 KB).

"It has been significant in every aspect of my career. My MPA degree has surpassed the educational requirements for every job I have applied for throughout my career. It has served as a distinguishing factor allowing me the opportunity to interview for a position. Lastly, I have been able to utilize my MPA degree to negotiate and command a higher salary than my contemporaries with only an undergraduate degree." - MPA Alum