In addition to dual degree programs with the Indiana University School of Law–Bloomington, the O'Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs collaborates with centers on area studies, other Indiana University Bloomington departments, and professional schools to deliver dual degree programs. O'Neill’s combined master’s degree programs address the demand for specialists with expertise in policy, management, and science and the expertise and skill offered by the partner program. Candidates for the combined degree programs, excluding the program with the Maurer School of Law, complete the core requirements for the M.P.A. degree, additional course credits in a specialized concentration for a total of 36 credit hours in the O'Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs, plus the required courses of the participating dual program. In every case students must apply separately to and be accepted into both programs to participate in a dual degree program.

Dual degree students (other than the M.P.A.–J.D.) must complete:

• the core requirements for the M.P.A. and a specialized O'Neill concentration (36 credit hours) to include:

Required Courses (21 credit hours)

*Note: Extremely well-prepared applicants may petition the program director to waive one or more of the core requirements on the basis of advanced course work done elsewhere. Students may be exempted on the basis of satisfactory equivalent course work or by examination. Credit hours waived from the core add to the electives a student may use. Students requesting course waivers should contact the appropriate graduate program director for requirements and guidelines.

Leadership Series (0 credit hours)

Students will complete a 4-week seminar on personal leadership development. By the end of the series, students will construct a point of view on leadership and will build tools to help them manage themselves throughout their careers. Students should plan to enroll in the series before their requisite internship. Students should confer with their advisor(s) prior to registration each term to ensure they are making progress toward completing all degree requirements.

Specialized Area (15 credit hours)

A student, whose educational and professional goals are not satisfied by O’Neill’s concentrations, may design a Specialized Concentration that best suits his or her needs in consultation with a faculty advisor with final approval required by the relevant faculty program director(s). The student, the student’s advisor, and the appropriate Faculty Program Director must sign a Specialized Concentration Form that specifies the courses that will comprise the customized concentration. This form is available the Forms section of the Current Student Portal. The completed Specialized Concentration Form must be submitted prior to enrolling in the courses outlined. The concentration must be declared within the first 24 credit hours of the student’s academic program.

Although no specific guidelines exist for the courses to be included in a Specialized Concentration, students must take O’Neill courses unless approved by a faculty advisor(s) and the appropriate Faculty Program Director(s). Students must name their Specialized Concentration. However, these names will not appear on their IU transcript. Instead, after “Major” the words “Specialized Study” will appear.

O'Neill participates with the following units in the M.P.A. program. These requirements apply to all dual degrees below, except the MPA-MIS and MPA-MLS dual degrees. For these two programs, students must complete the full 24 hour MPA core, including V600, and a 12 credit hour specialized concentration. 

Master of Public Affairs–Master of Arts in African American and African Diaspora Studies (M.P.A.–M.A.)
Department of African American and African Diaspora Studies

Master of Public Affairs–Master of Arts in African Studies (M.P.A.–M.A.)
Department of African Studies

Master of Public Affairs–Master of Arts in Central Eurasian Studies (M.P.A.–M.A.)
Department of Central Eurasian Studies

Master of Public Affairs–Master of Arts in East Asian Studies (M.P.A.–M.A.)
Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures

Master of Public Affairs–Master of Arts in Latin American and Caribbean Studies (M.P.A.–M.A.)
The Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies

Master of Public Affairs–Master of Informatics Science (M.P.A.–M.I.S.)
Luddy School of Informatics, Computing and Engineering

Master of Public Affairs–Master of International Affairs (M.P.A.–M.I.A.)
The Hamilton Lugar School

Master of Public Affairs-Master of Library Science (M.P.A.-M.L.S.)
Luddy School of Informatics, Computing and Engineering

Master of Public Affairs-Master of Arts in Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures (M.P.A.-M.A.)
Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures

Master of Public Affairs–Master of Arts in Russian and East European Studies (M.P.A.–M.A.)
Russian and East European Institute

Master of Public Affairs–Master of Arts in European Studies (M.P.A.–M.A.)
European Studies