Enhance your UW graduate education with a concurrent degree

Explore a concurrent degree with the University of Washington Evans School of Public Policy & Governance. If you are already a UW graduate student, you can enhance your UW degree program with an Evans School MPA. Or, as an Evans School MPA student, you may pursue a concurrent degree with courses from several other schools and colleges at the University of Washington and earn two degrees simultaneously.

Evans School students frequently pursue concurrent degrees with University of Washington schools and colleges including the Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies, the School of Law, the School of Public Health, the School of Social Work, the School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, and the Department of Urban Design and Planning. Each program outside the Evans School has unique benefits that offer students a chance to build an area of strong issue expertise with a solid foundation in public policy and administration*.

*If a student is a dual major (concurrently matriculated in a fee-based degree program and a tuition-based degree program), the student will (a) pay the fee-based rate (and register through UW Continuum College) for the fee-based degree courses, and (b) pay the state tuition rate (and register through MyUW) for the tuition-based courses.

Degree requirements

Students pursuing their MPA as a concurrent degree must complete:

  • Evans School core courses (36 credits).
  • An approved values elective.
  • A capstone project in the Evans School, unless the other unit requires a master’s thesis. The thesis must contain a substantial policy/management component and an Evans School faculty member must be on the thesis committee.
  • A professional experience, including but not limited to graduate internships, totaling 400 hours for a government, nonprofit, or private organization. Note: This degree requirement must be fulfilled through one of the following options:
    •  400-hours of professional experience completed during time in the program. Professional experiences may include graduate internships, research, working in part-time or full-time employment opportunities, consulting, or other as discussed with Career Development staff.
    • 2 years of full-time professional experience using substantive analytical or managerial skills completed prior to entrance into MPA program.
  • At least 72 total credits, of which 60 must be taken within the Evans School.

We recommended scheduling an appointment with the admissions team to discuss your specific concurrent degree interests, or contact the admissions team at evansadm@uw.edu if you are interested in applying to a concurrent degree program.