The general prerequisite for admission to the program is a four-year bachelors’ degree with a minimum of a 3.0 GPA (on a 4.0 scale) in the junior and senior years (last 50-60 hours).
Graduate Record Exam (GRE) score
Applicants to the UNO School of Public Administration (MPA) program may be granted a waiver from the GRE requirement, under one or more of the following circumstances:
The applicant is enrolled in the UNO Grace Abbott School of Social Work (MSW) program and has completed at least four courses with a minimum GPA of 3.2 and no less than a B in any course.
The applicant is enrolled in the UNO College of Information Science and Technology MS in MIS program and has completed at least four courses with a minimum GPA of 3.2 and no less than a B in any course.
GRE Waiver Application
Three (3) Letters of Recommendation
The letters must be professional in nature. Each recommender should describe how they know you (how long an din what capacity), and why they believe you would be a good candidate for the MPA/MSW program.
Two (2) Statements of Purpose, one for the School of Public Administration and one for the Grace Abbott School of Social Work
For Social Work, please answer the following statements/questions in a total of five double-spaced, typewritten pages (12-point font). Your application is considered incomplete if these instructions are not followed.
A brief autobiographical statement that discusses who you are and the experiences that led you to social work. Trace the development of your interest in social work. Why have you chosen social work as a profession? Describe the key motivating figure(s), role model(s), or experience(s) important to your decision to become involved in social work.
Discuss your career objectives as a professional social worker as you now conceive them. What do you see yourself doing immediately after receiving your MSW degree?
Discuss a contemporary social problem. Include possible causes and potential solutions in your response. What contribution do you want to make to the pursuit of social and economic justice?
The Grace Abbott School of Social Work is committed to enrolling students who represent diverse backgrounds and have an aptitude for working with clients of diverse backgrounds. Diversity can be defined by virtue of personal characteristics such as race, ethnicity, gender, age, sexual orientation, disability, class and religion as other characteristics. Diversity may also include personal life experiences such as class, career history, belonging to another culture, working among another culture, dealing with significant personal challenge(s), and knowledge of more than one language. Even if you have had minimal contact with people from diverse backgrounds, please address how you think about diversity in relation to the practice of social work and respond to the following questions: a) What are your views regarding diversity? b) How does diversity relate to experiences in your life?
For Public Administration, the essay should answer the following questions:
Please tell us about the factors in your background that will help us understand your interest in a profession in the public or nonprofit sectors.
What are your professional goals? Ten years from now, what do you hope to be doing professionally?
How can this dual degree from UNO help you achieve these goals?
Resume
Current resume detailing employment history, nature of duties and responsibilities, accomplishments, leadership roles, and community involvement.
The minimum TOEFL requirement is 550 (written), 80 internet-based, 6.5 IELTS, or 53 PTE.
The Graduate College requires a minimum “B” average (3.0 on a 4.0 scale), in a program of study resulting in the award of a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited college or university.