Admission Requirements
Prospective students may apply to be admitted into one of three terms (Summer, Fall, or Spring) and to be eligible must have:
- Significant professional experience in public safety (typically 5 or more years and supervisory experience)
- Either (1) a bachelor’s or graduate degree from a regionally accredited institution, or (2) a bachelor’s or graduate degree supplemented by a SCPS criminal justice program certificate
- Bachelor’s GPA of 2.5 or higher
- Students with limited professional experience or less than a 2.5 GPA may petition the Program Director for an exception
A complete application includes:
- All transcripts for prior academic work and correctly indicating the grade point average (GPA) for each degree earned
- Two recommendation letters from people who can articulate clearly and specifically (e.g., citing examples) the applicant’s (a) intellectual/academic capacity, (b) commitment to public service/safety, and (c) work ethic/follow-through
- A 500-750 word statement of purpose that is free from errors, is clearly composed and organized, and shows the alignment of applicant’s current/future goals and work in public safety with the aims of the MPS program
- A detailed professional resume or CV that covers the whole of applicant’s professional experience, education, and training
Meeting minimum requirements and completing an application does not guarantee admission.
Curriculum Requirements
Students will earn 31-32 credit hours by taking five core courses, five approved electives, and either (a) the one-credit comprehensive exam, or (b) the two-credit capstone course. The core courses are offered throughout the year over five sessions. Elective options vary by term. The comprehensive exam and capstone course are offered each semester.
All coursework (core courses and approved electives) must be completed with a grade of B (3.0) or better in order to count towards the degree. Students may retake a course if they get below a B (3.0). All requirements must be completed within five years of starting the program.
Course Load:
The recommended number of credits for an MPS student is six (6) per semester. Students may register for up to nine (9) credits per semester at their own discretion. Advisor approval is required to register for twelve (12) or more credits.
Stackable Credits:
Students who have completed the SCPS FBI National Academy or SCPS National Criminal Justice Command College (NCJCC) graduate certificate program and are considering “stacking” the classes into the corresponding Master of Public Safety (MPS) degree program should communicate that desire by including the information in their application for admission. Credits from these two programs do not have a time limit.
Students who have successfully completed a graduate SCPS professional certificate program (Cybersecurity Management; Leadership; Leadership in Human Resources Management; Procurement & Contracts Management; Project Management; or Public Administration) and are considering “stacking” the classes into our Master of Public Safety degree program should communicate that desire by including the information in their application for admission.
Students may not simultaneously earn an MPS degree and a SCPS Graduate Certificate.
Other graduate credits earned in other schools/programs at UVA may also be used for elective credit with approval of the Program Director.
Transfer Credits:
A student may transfer up to six graduate credit hours into the MPS program from outside UVA. The credits must have been earned from a regionally accredited institution(s) with a grade of B (3.0) or better and within five (5) years prior to initial enrollment in MPS courses. Transfer credits can only be used to fulfill elective requirements. Transfer credits for core course requirements are not permitted. Transfer equivalencies, evaluations, and approvals will be made by the MPS Program Director.
Approved Electives
Students complete a set of approved electives from a variety of fields.
Students who have successfully completed recent graduate coursework in the University of Virginia’s National Criminal Justice Command College, FBI ELEVATE, FBI C-STEPS, or the FBI National Academy may have those credits count toward the degree.
MPS-specific electives are designed to complement the core courses:
Completion: Candidacy & Comprehensive Exam, or Capstone
Students must choose one of two paths to complete the MPS degree:
Path Option 1
Following successful completion (grade of B (3.0) or better) of all required coursework (core courses and electives), students advance to candidacy. Candidates must take and pass a one-credit comprehensive exam in Public Safety to earn the degree. The exam may be oral or written or both and will span the entirety of the core curriculum. The purpose of the exam is to confirm general mastery of the curriculum (i.e., Public Safety) and will be graded high-pass, pass, low-pass, or fail. Any student who fails the comprehensive exam is entitled to an attempt at remediation (retest).
Path Option 2
When a student has completed a minimum of twenty-four credits (including at least four core courses), they must register for a semester-long two-credit capstone course. If the student has outstanding coursework, they must register for their remaining classes concurrent with the capstone course. The graded assignments in the course are the written capstone paper and video presentation. The capstone is an article-length paper (approximately 30-40 pages). The video presentation is a succinct, but informative and meaningful encapsulation of the capstone (approximately 15-20 minutes). The course will be graded high-pass, pass, low-pass, or fail. Any student who fails the capstone course can retake the course.
Other Requirements
All other academic rules, regulations, and information required comports to the standards established by the School of Continuing and Professional Studies as enumerated in the Graduate Record for same.
Concentrations
Students can also choose to “concentrate” electives drawn from these graduate certificate programs in UVA’s School of Continuing and Professional Studies and thereby earn a “concentration”:
- Cybersecurity Management
- Human Resources Management
- Public Administration
- Leadership
- Procurement & Contracts Management
- Project Management
A concentration in the MPS program is defined as 15 credits from a single graduate certificate area’s core courses, supplemented by approved electives from the same area as needed (when the core curriculum is less than 15 credits). The current core courses and approved electives are described below:
