Accelerated Graduate Pathway to Policy, Planning, and Management (MPPM)

For highly motivated undergraduate students who are already looking ahead to graduate school, USM offers an Accelerated Graduate Pathway to the MPPM program that allows students to begin graduate study while completing their bachelor’s degree.

In order to gain full admission into the MPPM, a student must meet the following admission standards:

• Choose any undergraduate major.
• Have completed 90 credits of undergraduate study with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 before attempting 500-level work in the MPPM graduate program.
• Complete and submit a graduate application in the first semester of the fourth year of undergraduate study. This includes a resume, and an essay that addresses how study in a professional master’s program in policy, planning, and management will enhance your career outlook. The application process may also require an interview at the request of the PPM faculty to confirm preparedness for professional studies at the graduate level. Follow any additional guidelines for MPPM applicants as outlined on the Graduate Admissions website.

Up to 12 credits of 500-level graduate courses may be taken while an undergraduate to fulfill both undergraduate and graduate requirements. The 12-credits must include at least 6 credits from the PPM courses listed below. The additional 6 credits may be selected from the PPM course list below or from 500-level graduate courses offered by the student’s major department. Students may begin taking coursework in the PPM program in the summer after completing their third year of study.