Since fall 2015, select SPEA graduate students have the opportunity to pursue concurrent masters degrees at SPEA and an international partner university. Courses in these programs are taught in English. You must apply separately and be accepted by each program to participate in this opportunity.

Hong Kong: Hong Kong University

Complete a dual degree (66 cr.) with the University of Hong Kong (HKU). HKU's School of Social Sciences and the School of Public and Environmental Affairs (SPEA) have joined together to offer dual MPA degrees from the two institutions as an option for the mid-career professionals enrolled in HKU’s Master’s in Non-profit Management (MNM) program to simultaneously pursue a SPEA MPA degree. This option would also allow SPEA students to take courses for credit toward their MPA degrees at HKU. The joint program would require 66 hours of course credit, with 36 of these in SPEA courses and 6 meeting the requirements for SPEA experiential credit.

Degree Requirements (66 credit hours)

SPEA MPA Requirements (48 credit hours)

Core Requirements (18 credit hours)

Required Nonprofit Concentration Courses (6 credit hours)

Concentration Electives (9 credit hours)

Three of the following courses (examples are listed below, see your advisor for additional course options)

Other Electives (9 credit hours)

Three of the following courses (examples are listed below, see your advisor for additional course options)

Experiential (6 credit hours)

Each M.P.A. student must obtain professionally relevant experience through one of the following options: an approved internship (6 credit hours); SPEA-V 590 Research in Public Affairs; SPEA-V 601 Workshop in Public Affairs; or the award of prior professional experience credit.

HKU MNM Requirements

Core Requirements (18 credit hours)

Electives (12 credit hours)

Choose four of the following courses

Please contact your advisor for a list of additional pre-approved electives with some courses taught out of the MNM program, Department of Politics and Public Administration or SPEA. HKU students also have the option to satisfy an elective with prior approval of courses from other departments such as Social Work or Business and Economics.

Note: SPEA courses that are underlined are jointly offered at HKU. HKU students will enroll in both the SPEA course and the HKU equivalent. SPEA students may take the underlined courses at HKU to transfer back towards their SPEA degree. The other courses are SPEA listed courses; some may also be offered in Hong Kong. The HKU capstone will consist of two parts, the first a SPEA capstone and the second the normal HKU capstone.

The International College of National Institute of Development Administration

Complete a dual degree with the International College of National Institute of Development Administration (ICO NIDA) and the School of Public and Environmental Affairs (SPEA) have joined together to offer a dual MA/MPA degree. This will offer a select group of public administration, management and public policy students a unique opportunity to develop skills and expertise from a U.S., Thai and global perspective.

Dual Degree Student Admission Requirements

Students wishing to pursue the dual MPA/MA degree program will have to apply to both SPEA and ICO NIDA separately and fulfill both universities’ admission criteria independently.  In order to qualify as dual degree applicants, students must apply to both programs concurrently or be currently enrolled in one of the programs upon application to the other.  Additionally, applicants to SPEA will have to pass IU’s international student English language requirements.  Thai language testing will not be required since ICO NIDA courses are taught in English.

While each school reserves the right to admit or deny admission to any applicant consistent with its general admission policies, it is the stated intent of both schools that admission to the dual degree program is highly competitive, and candidates shall meet the high admissions standards in place with respect to each individual degree program.  

Students that are accepted into both programs are given the opportunity to complete a dual MPA/MA if they fulfill the requirements of both programs as described in the Dual Degree Credit Hour and Graduation Requirements. The program where the student commences the dual degree program will be considered the student’s home institution for the purposes of this Sub-Agreement.  Admission to the dual degree program will be limited to no more than three candidates from each home institution per academic year, subject to future modification by mutual consent.  In the event there are fewer than three admitted dual degree students per institution in one academic year, the difference can be made up in subsequent academic years as long as the Sub-Agreement is still in place.

An administrative officer in SPEA’s Master’s Programs Office will work with an administrator at ICO NIDA’s Master’s Program Office and any correspondence to the students, such as acceptance letters, will need to convey the same information and degree requirements.  Admitted students shall be afforded the same access to each school’s facilities, academic advising, career services, and other student support services as non-dual degree students.  

Dual Degree Credit Hour and Graduation Requirements

SPEA’s stand-alone MPA program is a two-year (four 16-week semesters), 48 credit-hour program consisting of three components:

• Core curriculum (18 credits)
• Electives in concentration area (up to 30 credits)
• An experiential requirement or research program (up to 12 credits)

ICO NIDA’s stand-alone MA in Management program is a one-year (three 12-week trimesters), 36 credit-hour module-based program consisting of four components:

• Core courses (15 credits)
• Major courses (9 credits)
• Elective courses, independent study, or a thesis (12 credits)
• Comprehensive examination

Students must earn at least 24 credit hours of study at ICO NIDA and fulfill ICO NIDA’s core course requirements.  Students that apply to the dual degree program after enrolling at SPEA will not be required to complete ICO NIDA’s comprehensive examination requirement.  Up to 12 credits earned in core courses at SPEA will be counted towards major or elective courses at ICO NIDA to fulfill the 36 credit-hour graduation requirement.

Students must earn at least 36 credit hours at SPEA and take all of the core curriculum courses at SPEA required by the stand-alone MPA program.  SPEA courses can be completed in Bloomington or via SPEA’s online course portal, SPEA Connect, if the student commences graduate studies at ICO NIDA.  Up to 12 credits earned at ICO NIDA as core or major courses will be counted towards elective credits to fulfill SPEA’s 48 credit-hour graduation requirement.  Students that enroll in the dual degree program will not be eligible for professional experience credit at SPEA.  Neither degree will be conferred until the requirements have been completed at both institutions.  

South Korea: Seoul National University

Complete a dual degree with Seoul National University (SNU). SNU's Graduate School of Public Administration (GSPA) and SPEA have joined together to offer dual MPA degrees from the two institutions. GPSA aims to educate high-level civil servants, cultivate new future leaders of civil society, and provide top-class executive programs for current leaders in the public and private sectors. GSPA is located in a beautiful mountainous region south of the Han River in southeast Seoul, a vibrant city of 12 million people and site of South Korea's capital. The Seoul Metropolitan region is not only the thriving hub of South Korea, but a gateway to East Asia, within hours of Tokyo, Beijing, and Hong Kong.

Dual Degree Student Admission Requirements

Students wishing to pursue the dual MPA program will have to apply to both IUB SPEA and SNU GSPA
separately and fulfill each university's admission criteria independently.  In order to qualify as
dual degree applicants, students must apply to both programs concurrently or be currently enrolled
in one of the programs upon application to the other. Additionally, applicants to SPEA will have to
pass IU's international student English language requirements.  Korean language testing will not be required
since SNU GSPA courses are taught in English.

Dual Degree Credit Hour and Graduation Requirements 

* = chosen concentration, electives, two independent study courses
* * = combination of summer programs (SPEA ABROAD), directed readings, internship
***=combination of core and concentration, elective courses, and one independent study

Note: core SPEA courses include 4 courses for a total of 12 hours
Note: after core courses are satisfied, students have a remaining 24 hours to distribute towards
one (or multiple concentrations at SPEA)
Note: independent study refers to development of a thesis

SNU GSPA MPA thesis requirement

For the SNU GSPA MPA degree, students in the dual MPA program must submit a Master's thesis proposal and complete their Master's thesis, which has to be approved by  SNU GSPA committee members according to the SNU GSPA academic calendar (i.e. either by mid-June or mid-December of the relevant year).

Total credit hour summary

For the SNU GSPA MPA degree, students will take 24 hours of credit at  SNU GSPA out of the 36 credits required for that degree (66.7% GSPA credit). For the IUB SPEA MPA degree, students will take 36 hours of credit at IUB SPEA out of the 48 credits required for that degree (75% SPEA credit).