MUEP/MPP Dual Degree Program

The University of Virginia School of Architecture and the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy offer a dual degree program which leads to the completion of the MUEP and MPP degrees in three years instead of the four years that would be required if each degree were pursued independently. The program is administered by faculty advisors from the School of Architecture and Batten School.

Admissions

A student who wishes to be admitted into the dual program must apply to each school separately and be admitted to both the School of Architecture and the Batten School through the normal admission process of each school. The fact that the student is a candidate for the dual program is not considered at this stage.

Students who have been admitted to both schools and who wish to undertake the dual program should notify the registrar of each school and apply to the faculty advisors for permission to do so. Admission requires approval of both the Architecture and Batten faculty advisors.

Application to one school may be made either prior to entrance or while a first-year student at the other.

Curriculum

The program takes three years to complete. In brief, it consists of the complete first year program of each school followed by one year of courses taken from the curricula of the two schools and, in appropriate cases, from other graduate offerings at the University. A student who has been admitted to the program will ordinarily be allowed to elect whether to start in the Batten School or in the School of Architecture. The student will then spend the second year in the program as a regular first year student in the other school.  Up to 20 credits of MPP courses can apply to the MUEP and up to 12 credits of MUEP courses can count toward the MPP.

At the conclusion of the third year, students who have earned a minimum of 73 credit hours of combined coursework from each school will be awarded the MPP and MUEP degrees. The MPP-MUEP candidate is obligated to take, as part of these credits, all of the required curriculum in both graduate public policy and architecture. The remaining credits will be elective credits and can be chosen from the respective public policy and architecture curricula after consultation with the program committee.

Change of Status

At any point in the program, the student may terminate plans for a dual degree and continue toward a single degree at either school. The student must then satisfy the normal requirements of the school elected.

Grading Standards

In the first two years of the combined MUEP/MPP program, while enrolled exclusively in either program, students are required to meet the grading standards of the school in which they are enrolled. In the final year, when taking classes in both schools, students are required to meet the session and cumulative grading standards of each school independently to remain in good standing.

Administration of the Program

The program is administered by a program committee composed of one member of the public policy faculty and one member of the architecture faculty, as designated by the respective deans. The responsibilities of the program committee extend to admission to the dual program, coordination of curricula for the students involved, resolution of problems that may arise, reconciliation of course and examination conflicts, and promotion of dual offerings by the two schools where that seems feasible. The deans from each school will also appoint a faculty advisor to the program who may or may not also serve as the school representative to the program committee. 

Students who have been admitted independently to both schools and who wish to undertake the dual program should notify the registrar of both schools and apply to the program committee for permission to do so. Entrance to the MUEP/MPP program will not be guaranteed by virtue of acceptance at both schools, but will be judged according to criteria, which is the responsibility of the program committee.

* The information contained on this website is for informational purposes only. The Undergraduate Record and Graduate Record represent the official repository for academic program requirements.