Master of Public Administration: Public Sector Management and Leadership

Steps Required to Complete Your MPA Degree

Conditionally Classified Graduate (GRAD) Status

It is important to achieve full classified standing prior to completing more than 12 units of graduate coursework on the program of study. No more than 12 units of work taken prior to attaining fully classified status will be applied to a master’s degree program.

Classified Graduate Status

Students who meet all University and departmental requirements as outlined in the current catalog.

Graduation with Honors

Students who satisfy all program requirements and maintain a grade point average of 3.885 or higher on their coursework will receive their MPA degrees with distinction. The notation "with distinction" is posted on the transcript and will appear on the diploma.

Applying for the Degree

Students eligible to apply for graduation will receive an email from the Office of Graduate Studies with information regarding how to complete the online graduation application. To be eligible, students must be classified and completed 18 units OR be classified and be in progress of completing 18 units. This application will initiate a graduation evaluation—which advises students of existing requirements for their degree. Graduate students are required to be enrolled the semester in which their degree is to be awarded.

Graduation Application Deadlines

https://www.csun.edu/graduate-studies/evaluations/dates-steps-graduate/graduation-deadlines

How to Apply for Graduation Online

CSUN’s Application for Graduation is now available online. To be eligible to apply, graduates will need to have completed/be in progress of completing 18 units. Students should apply one year in advance of their intended graduation date. Students that are eligible to apply will receive an email from Graduate Studies. A $47 fee is required.

Online Graduation How to Guide (.pdf)

Reinstatement to the MPA Program

If a student withdraws from a cohort, s(he) may be admitted to another cohort at a later date. The reinstated student will be assessed the same tuition and nonrefundable fees as apply to all other students in the new cohort.

Note: All cohorts, once begun, will be taught out through to completion. However, there is no guarantee that new cohorts will follow in a specific area or within a specific amount of time.

Graduate Project Requirements

The only culminating experience for the Master of Public Administration program is the graduate project. Students take graduate project course as the last class in their program. In the graduate project course, it requires students to demonstrate their mastery of their specialization in Public Administration.

In addition to being fully classified, students must seek approval from the program’s academic coordinator in order to enroll in the graduate project. This implies having passed the requisite units of coursework, while also maintaining a GPA of 3.0 or higher.

Textbook Requirements

For information on how to look up your MPA textbooks, go to the Campus Store website at https://www.bkstr.com/csunorthridgestore/shop/textbooks-and-course-materials.

MPA Withdrawal and Refund Policies for On-Campus Non-Cohort Students

Dropping a class:

You can drop your classes via your CSUN Portal up until 11:59 p.m. prior to the first day of class. Beginning at 12:00 a.m. on the first day of class, if you find it impossible to complete a course for which you have registered, you must officially withdraw by completing and submitting a Self-Support Change of Schedule Petition (PDF) to the Tseng College.  

As a reminder, the following DO NOT constitute an official withdrawal:

• not attending
• not paying
• notifying an instructor
• receiving withdrawal advice from an instructor

Not dropping a course that you fail to complete may have a negative impact on your grade point average.

Refund Policy:

The amount of your refund is based on time of withdrawal:

• 100% refund will be issued if you withdraw via your CSUN Portal at least one day prior to the first class meeting (up until 11:59 p.m.)
• No refunds will be issued for withdrawals submitted beginning at 12:00 a.m. on the first day of class. Full tuition will be charged.

Refund Process:

• If a refund is due, resulting in a credit on your CSUN account, you will automatically receive a refund.
• For credit card transactions, a credit will appear on your credit card account. Payments made by check, electronic check, money order or cash will be refunded in the form of a check.
• Refunds are not based on the date a student stops attending class. Refunds are calculated based on the date that the student drops a class online or drops a class by submitting the completed Late Change in Academic Schedule form to the appropriate office.

Refunds Issued:

Please allow 4-6 weeks for processing. Refunds for credit card payments will be credited back to the original card number. Refund checks for payments not made by credit card are mailed to the student's address listed in the SOLAR Student Center.

Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan and Withdrawal

Withdrawing from a course may affect a student’s Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan eligibility and may require the return of a portion of the loan funds, potentially resulting in a balance owed by the student. Students should contact the Tseng College Financial Aid Office at exlfinaid@csun.edu or 818-677-7523 for guidance on how a proposed withdrawal may affect their loan eligibility, account balance, and repayment status.

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