ECON-MPA FAQ

Yes, you can apply to the program with senior standing as long as you will complete your bachelor’s degree in August (following admission to the ECON-MPA) or later. If you plan to complete your undergraduate degree in May, you would not be eligible for ECON-MPA and should apply to the traditional MPA program instead. Please contact us with any questions.

Due to the competitive nature of ECON-MPA admissions, your chances for admission would be greatly reduced by not meeting or exceeding the minimum GPA requirements. The purpose of the ECON-MPA is to encourage UT undergraduate economics students with top academic records to remain at UT for the MPA degree. If your GPA does not meet the minimal requirements, we recommend that you raise your GPA while you complete your bachelor’s degree and apply to the traditional MPA program.

At least three recommendation letters must come from tenure track faculty (preferred) or professional track faculty* at The University of Texas at Austin. This is a Graduate School requirement that cannot be waived. However, you can submit an optional fourth recommendation letter from a non-tenure-track faculty member or other reference.

*Tenure track faculty titles: Professor, Associate Professor, Assistant Professor. Professional track faculty titles: Professor of Instruction or Associate Professor of Instruction.

Even if you are accepted into the Graduate School Select Admission Program, you are not guaranteed automatic admission to graduate school. You may be denied admission if your academic record falls below the standards set by the MPA program or the Office of Graduate Studies. In the final semester of your BA degree program, you will initiate a change in status from undergraduate to graduate standing by completing a form provided by the Graduate School. You may continue your graduate MPA coursework after acquiring graduate standing and completing your BA degree. If your status is changed to graduate standing but you are not awarded your BA degree, the graduate standing will be removed and the MPA degree progress will not continue until the BA degree is conferred. You must satisfy all MPA degree and program requirements to receive the MPA degree.

Ideally, you should have completed all required courses at the time of application. However, if you are enrolled in one of the courses at the time of application and you have already completed the other pre-enrollment requirements, you can still apply for nomination to the ECON-MPA. Economics majors who wish to take ACC 311 or ACC 312 at Texas McCombs should visit the BBA Program Office website for details on enrolling. Traditional BBA courses that are typically restricted to Texas McCombs students are available to all UT students during the summer. The Business Economics Option Program is highly recommended as an option to fulfill the accounting course requirements. Pre-enrollment requirements may also be completed at a community college.

ECON-MPA students will have access to certain MPA resources including, but not limited to, academic and career advisory services, academic and career workshops, and career networking/recruiting events.

CPA exam eligibility requirements vary widely from state to state. Your educational background and the state in which you plan to sit for the exam will determine whether or not you will need to complete coursework above and beyond your MPA degree requirements in order to be eligible to sit for the CPA exam. If you wish to qualify for the CPA exam in Texas, you will need to complete courses beyond the BA/MPA degree requirements if you have not completed any upper-division business coursework as an undergraduate student. As a result, you should consider incorporating upper-level business coursework, such as through Business Economics Option Program, into your BA degree plan.