Academic Policies, Procedures & Forms

• Students should familiarize themselves with Rutgers University's Policy on – and disciplinary process associated with – plagiarism and review Rutgers University Academic Integrity Policy.
• To ensure academic integrity, professors may rely on plagiarism detection programs that all Rutgers faculty have at their disposal.

Register for courses online using Rutgers WebReg. This service is available to all students at the university during registration unless they have a hold on their account.

For the most up-to-date information regarding upcoming registration, please check out the general registration guidelines.

Please contact the Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Programs, Alyssa LaPatriello, at alapat@newark.rutgers.edu if you have any questions.

In response to students academically affected by COVID-19, Rutgers University-Newark students have the option to choose a Pass/No-credit (P/NC) grade on transcripts instead of receiving a letter grade (A-F) for Spring 2021 courses. Please visit the MyRUN website for more details.

Pre-order your cap and gown:

• https://rutgersnewark.shopoakhalli.com

Once you have completed the order you will receive an email confirmation. Students who are uncertain if they will attend should still place an order. Gowns that are not picked up will be returned. There is no fee to pre-order. Pre-orders are only accepted online until mid-March. If you do not pre-order your gown, you will be able to purchase a gown from the Rutgers University–Newark Bookstore starting in late April.

Regalia

SPAA undergraduates should order the Bachelor of Public Service regalia, which has a teal hood.

Latin Honors

Summa Cum Laude – Highest Honor – 3.850 or better – Receives a gold medallion

Magna Cum Laude – 3.700 to 3.849 – Receives a double gold knotted honor cord

Cum Laude – 3.500 to 3.699 – Receives a single gold honor cord

If you have any questions or need assistance, please contact the Rutgers University–Newark Bookstore.

Commencement Ceremony Information

• https://www.newark.rutgers.edu/commencement

BA Program Core Curriculum and Major Requirement Worksheet

• Core Curriculum and Major Worksheet [pdf]

Declaration of Major/Minor Form

• Declaration of Major Form [pdf]

Credit Overload Request

• Credit Overload Request [pdf]

BA Service Learning Internship Questionnaire

• BA Service Learning Internship Questionnaire [pdf]

MINOR in Public and Nonprofit Administration Requirements Worksheet

• Minor Requirements Form [pdf]

Newark Withdrawal Form

• BA Newark Withdrawal Form - [pdf]

Host Enrollment Form

• Host Enrollment form for BA Program [pdf]

Independent Study Form

• BA Independent Study Form [pdf]

Graduation Requirements

To graduate, students must do the following:

• Complete at least 120 degree credits
• Successfully complete the core curriculum
• Successfully complete all major requirements
• Successfully complete a second concentration
• Successfully complete the writing intensive requirement
• Earn a cumulative GPA of 2.000 or better

Graduation Application

Students must apply for graduation by the deadlines below. It is recommended that you apply when the application becomes available for your intended graduation date:

• January graduates - Application for graduation is open from July 31st - October 15th
• May graduates - Application for graduation is open from October 16th - February 15th
• August graduates - Application for graduation is open from February 16th - July 30th

You must apply for graduation to receive your diploma. Diplomas will be mailed to the address used on your graduation application. They are typically mailed three months following your graduation date.

Graduation Application Link

Gradtracker: https://nwkstudents.rutgers.edu/gradtracker/

You are required to apply for graduation, even if you do not intend to participate in Commencement.

Re-enrollment Information

Please review the re-enrollment document, which details the requirements.

Current SPAA students

All advisement appointments for current public and nonprofit majors are scheduled through the Navigate Portal. Students with a second concentration or minor through SPAA should contact the Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Programs to schedule an appointment at alapat@newark.rutgers.edu.

Questions?

Please contact the Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Programs, Alyssa LaPatriello, at alapat@newark.rutgers.edu.

The BA Handbook is used as a guidance for BA students.

• BA Student Handbook [pdf]

School to School Transfer Information

Please review the school to school transfer into SPAA document, which details the requirements.

Pre-order your cap and gown:

• https://rutgersnewark.shopoakhalli.com

Once you have completed the order you will receive an email confirmation. Students who are uncertain if they will attend should still place an order. Gowns that are not picked up will be returned. There is no fee to pre-order. Pre-orders are only accepted online until mid-March. If you do not pre-order your gown, you will be able to purchase a gown from the Rutgers University–Newark Bookstore starting in late April.

If you have any questions or need assistance, please contact the Rutgers University–Newark Bookstore.

Commencement Ceremony Information

• https://www.newark.rutgers.edu/commencement

Students who have completed the required credits and have a GPA of 3.0 or higher are eligible for graduation. Students are able to graduate at one of three times during the year, October, January and May. There is only one graduation ceremony held in May to which all graduates are invited.

In order to graduate the student must apply for graduation at: https://grad.admissions.rutgers.edu/diploma

The deadlines for applying are:

• August 1 for October degrees
• November 1 for January degrees
• March 1 for May degrees

Students with outstanding financial obligations after May 1 will NOT receive their diplomas on commencement day.

Download file for fillable form.

Advising Worksheets
The MPA Program tracks student progress on an advising worksheet which provides a plan of study to guide semester by semester registration.
• MPA On-Campus Advisement Form [pdf]
• MPA Online Advisement Form [pdf]
• EMPA Advisement Form [pdf]

Internship Guidelines & Contract
• MPA Internship Guidelines and Contract [pdf]

Application for Transfer Credits
• MPA Application for Transfer Credits [pdf]

Readmission Form
• MPA Readmission Form [pdf]

Incomplete Form
• Incomplete Form [pdf]

Independent Study Form
• Independent Study Form [pdf]

Non-Degree (Non-matric) Registration Form
• Non-Degree Registration Form [pdf]

Withdrawal From the School Form
• Withdrawal Form [pdf]

BS/MPA or BA/MPA Dual Degree Program Application Form
• BA MPA Internal Application Form [pdf]

The mission of the MPA program is to promote and maintain an inclusive pedagogical environment that is conducive to the advancement of public values in the pursuit of the study and practice of public affairs, as they apply to public and nonprofit administration. The program supports the mission of the School of Public Affairs and Administration (SPAA) and SPAA’s commitment to public values by nurturing in students the ability to lead and manage in public affairs with competence; respect for diversity, equity, inclusion, and ethics; and a desire to advance academic knowledge while serving the public interest.

Our guiding values and means of achieving them are as follows: 

• Competence: The MPA program curriculum was designed to produce competent MPA graduates who have the broad knowledge and foundational set of competencies necessary to begin or continue their work in public affairs. 
   
• Diversity: The MPA program incorporates a diverse range of perspectives in the content of our courses and expands the racial, ethnic, gender, religious, sexual orientation, political, and national backgrounds of our faculty, staff, and students. We will expose students to a broad range of theoretical concepts, case studies, and other skillsets that highlight the importance of diversity, inclusion, and equity in all categories, to public sector leadership, public affairs, and public and nonprofit management.
   
• Knowledge: The program enriches academic knowledge of the field and the practice of public affairs by empowering our students to identify relevant theories, collaborate with their communities, and participate in applied research projects with government and nonprofit organizations. 
   
• Service: The MPA program teaches students the importance of public service through applied learning in coursework, independent research projects and internships, and the publicly engaged scholarship of our faculty. Through this applied learning and public engagement with local, state, federal, and international public and nonprofit organizations, our students and faculty seek to articulate and advance a public service perspective. 
   
• Ethics: Promoting public values serves as the theoretical and practical foundation for our pedagogical approach to MPA theory and practice. 

The MPA program educates students to understand public service values, contexts, organizations, decisions, and performance. Faculty work with students to develop their skills for effective leadership, management, policy assessment, critical thinking, and culturally competent communication. The success of SPAA's MPA program will lead to our graduates seeing themselves, and being perceived by their professional peers, as competent contributors to successful organizations in ways that serve to advance and sustain public values and public affairs institutions.

For courses in the Master of Public Administration (MPA) program, special permission numbers are required in the following circumstances:

• Capstone
  The final class students will take in their MPA program is Capstone. To be eligible for capstone, students must be in their final semester, having completed all necessary pre-requisites.
   
• You are an on-campus student seeking an online course
  The MPA program is offered in two forms, on-campus and online. To ensure that student enrolled in the online program are able to take the classes they need, students in the on-campus program are limited in how many online courses they can enroll. Students enrolled in the on-campus program are able to register for up to 3 online courses throughout the pursuit of their degree, no more than 1 per semester. On-campus student must use an SPN to register for an online class. Only online students are able to register for online courses for the first two weeks of the registration period.
   
• BA/MPA Students
  Those students completing 5-year program/accelerated program are eligible to take masters level courses as an undergraduate student with permission from their academic advisor.
   
• The course is closed
  This means the original number of students approved to take this course has been reached. In some limited situations, students may be able to be added to a close course using an SPN.

To obtain a Special Permission Number, contact your academic advisor. Please note, SPN’s are given out each Thursday during the registration period. In cases where the student requests a different section after an SPN has been issued, if approved, the student will receive the new SPN the following Thursday.

MPA Students can schedule advisement appointments by contacting spaa.sas@newark.rutgers.edu.

The MPA Student Handbook [pdf] is used as a guidance for Master of Public Administration students. It outlines the components of the MPA curriculum, and details degree requirements and academic standards. This program handbook is designed to help you—with the guidance of your faculty advisor—create a program of study that is appropriate to your interests and career aspirations. It is the student's responsibility to make themselves aware of the policies outlined in this handbook.

Please see the Rutgers SPAA Policy on Student Travel Support [pdf] for information on available conference travel funds for SPAA PhD and MPA students.