Dual Master's Degrees:

Students in the MPA program have the option to pursue dual master's degrees. MPA students may be able to count selected graduate courses on the Plans of Work for more than one degree. The policies governing transferring courses from one degree to another are spelled out in the Graduate School’s Administrative Handbook. Students must fulfill all requirements for each degree, including being admitted by each program. University policy states that 18 credit hours of the 30 credit hour minimums for each degree program must be unique to that degree program. The remaining credit hours may be applied to both degree programs. Students interested in pursuing dual master's degrees should meet with the MPA Program Director for more information on current university policies and procedures.

The Department of Public Administration offers three pre-established dual degree programs. These include the opportunity to earn a Juris Doctorate (JD), a Master of International Studies (MIS), or Master of Social Work (MSW) degree alongside the MPA.

JD/MPA Dual Degree:

Since Fall 2010, NC State and Campbell University’s Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law have partnered to offer a dual JD/MPA degree program. Students must be admitted to both programs separately and declare their intention to pursue dual degrees. The dual program allows both degrees to be completed in four (4) years, where students complete the JD curriculum and take an additional 27 credit hours of MPA courses to complete the requirements. Of the courses from the MPA program, 24 of the credit hours must be earned by completing the program’s core courses. Students interested in the dual program are encouraged to speak to the admissions counselors at the School of Law regarding admission into the JD program. Law students wanting to add the MPA degree typically apply for admission to the program during the first year of law school and complete most of their MPA core courses during their second year of graduate study.

MPA/MIS Dual Degree:

The MPA/MIS dual degree program allows both degrees to be earned from within the School of Public and International Affairs at NC State University, where the Department of Public Administration is located. To earn both degrees students must complete a total of 60 credit hours across both programs. Students in the dual degree program will take 24 credit hours of the MPA program’s core courses and will also take 18 hours of credit from the MIS program, including 15 hours from the MIS program’s core courses. An additional 18 credit hours can be taken from MPA or MIS classes to complete the total credit requirement. The dual MPA/MIS can be added to a student’s Plan of Work at any point prior to their graduation from the program they initially matriculated into.

MPA/MSW Dual Degree:

The Department of Public Administration and the Department of Social Work at NC State allow NC State MPA Handbook 20 students to complete both the MPA and the MSW programs simultaneously. To be considered for the dual degree program, students be accepted into the Advanced Standing option of the MSW program. To complete the dual program, students take a total of 54 credit hours. Twenty-four (24) of these credit hours come from the core courses of the MPA program. The remaining 30 credit hours are taken from the MSW program. To enroll in the dual MPA/MSW program, students must first be accepted into the MSW’s Advanced Standing program and then apply for the MPA to be added as a secondary degree. For more information about the dual program, students are encouraged to speak to both the director of the MSW and MPA programs.