Requirements and Process

Applicants who are Veterans of the United States Military Service, currently on active duty, or members of the National Guard or Reserves are exempt from paying the graduate application fee. These applicants should contact Marxe admissions and submit their DD-214 form or a copy of their military ID prior to submitting the application. Application fee waivers are also available to Baruch alumni and CUNY employees. Please email Graduate Admissions to request your waiver before submitting your application.

A bachelor’s degree or equivalent is required. Applicants in their last semester of undergraduate studies may apply with a current transcript and then send a final one upon graduation.

Evidence of the completion of specific courses in mathematics, economics, or statistics is not required. However, when the admissions committee reviews applications it considers applicants with a strong quantitative background, as they are more likely to be successful in the School’s rigorous analytical courses. Prospective students with little or no quantitative preparation are encouraged to submit the optional statement and/or complete an introductory course in economics or statistics, and to submit the course transcript.

For any school where you have pursued 9 or more credits, you must submit the official transcript from the original institution. You may submit unofficial copies at the time of application and follow up later with official copies.

Most institutions deliver secure, official transcripts electronically, which is our preferred method. Please arrange for all materials to be sent electronically by email to mspia.admissions@baruch.cuny.edu. Please make sure to select the Marxe School of Public and International Affairs at Baruch College at CUNY as the recipient. Alternatively, applicants may make a request to previously attended institutions to have official transcripts sent directly to our office by mail. Please refer to and note the official mailing and physical address below. If you must submit official paper transcripts yourself, you may submit them in person, or mail them to the Office of Graduate Admissions and Enrollment Services. Transcripts must remain in the original unopened and sealed envelope to be considered official.

For optimal delivery, please address mail only to this mailing address, exactly as it appears:
Baruch College – Marxe School of Public and International Affairs
Office of Graduate Admissions & Enrollment Services
One Bernard Baruch Way, Box D-0901
New York, NY 10010-5585

Physical/Walk-In Address
135 East 22nd Street – 9TH Floor – Suite 906
New York, NY 10010
Office hours: Monday-Friday (9:00 am-5:00 pm)

Former or current CUNY students: If you attended a college within the City University of New York (CUNY) in 2003 or after, the Marxe graduate admissions office will access and obtain your academic records on your behalf upon submission of your application. Please be sure to disclose attendance at all colleges or universities in the academic history section of the application. Please note, if you attended other institutions outside of CUNY, even if credits were transferred to your CUNY academic records, you will need to request official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended and have them sent to the Marxe admissions office. If you attended a CUNY school prior to 2003, you must request official transcripts from the individual CUNY college(s) you attended.

International Applicants: Transcripts should be accompanied by official English translations if they are in another language. Translations should be done through a reputable and accredited translation service. Transcripts will need to be evaluated if issued from a country where the education system is different from the U.S. such as a three year bachelor’s degree. We accept evaluations from World Education Service (WES) and also from evaluators that are a member of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES). Be sure to request a detailed evaluation that includes all course titles, credit hours, grades, recommended United States degree equivalency, grade-point average (GPA), and date of degree conferral. Verified transcripts and evaluations should then be forwarded to Marxe admissions.

Applicants to any of our certificate programs do not need to submit recommendations.

Applicants to the MPA, OMPA, Executive MPA, MIA, and MSEd in Higher Education Administration will register recommenders via the online application. As soon as applicants enter recommender information in the online system, it generates a notification to the individual recommenders directly from our application system.  Recommenders may then complete the entire process online.

If a recommender cannot complete the process online for any reason, they may submit their recommendation directly by email. The recommendation letter must be signed and should come directly from the recommender’s professional email address. It should also be on official letterhead and accompanied by the recommendation form, which is available in PDF format in the recommendation section of the online application. Please be in touch if your recommenders encounter any challenges submitting their recommendations.

Include employment and academic history; volunteerism and community service; honors; publications; leadership roles; professional association memberships; and other activities related to the applicant’s career goals. Resumes should be no more than two pages.

Required Essay for MPA, OMPA, Executive MPA, MIA, and MSEd in Higher Education Administration:
The Marxe School is committed to training leaders who want to solve local, national and global problems. Tell us how a master in public administration, higher education administration, or international affairs will advance your career ambitions. What problems are you committed to solving? Use a 10 or 12-point standard font, double spaced with one-inch margins. The essay should be between 500-1000 words.

Optional Statement for MPA, OMPA, Executive MPA, MIA, and MSEd in Higher Education Administration:
In evaluating your application to the Marxe School, the admissions committee considers applicants’ professional experience, overall academic record, quantitative skills, and writing ability. Some applicants’ transcripts and resumes may not fully reflect their challenges or abilities in these areas. In this separate, optional statement, please provide any additional information the admissions committee should consider when making its decision. This statement should be addressed directly to the faculty admissions committee, and no longer than one page.

Required Essay for Certificate in Public Communication:
What do you hope to accomplish with a Certificate in Public Communications? Use 10 or 12-point font with one-inch margins. The recommended length is between 500-1000 words.

Required Essay for Certificate in Quantitative Methods for Policy and Equity Analysis:
Why do you want to pursue a Certificate in Quantitative Methods for Policy and Equity Analysis? If relevant, please reference your skills or previous experience in research and analysis. Please use 10 or 12-point font with one-inch margins.

Optional: You may include any additional documents to demonstrate these skills and support your application.

GRE scores are not required. However, if you have already taken the exam, you are welcome to submit your scores as part of you application. Use code 2027 and select “MSPIA Baruch College” from the ETS list of institutions.

For international students requiring a language proficiency exam, we accept the Duolingo, TOEFL iBT (use code 2027), or IELTS.
When submitting IELTS, please provide the testing center with the following information:

E-download Account Name: Baruch College Marxe School, MSPIA/CUNY
Department: Office of Graduate Admissions
Address: One Bernard Baruch Way, Box D-0901 New York, NY 10010-5585

Transcripts should be accompanied by official English translations if they are in another language. Please refer to the international student information under “Official Transcripts” above.

For international students requiring a language proficiency exam, we accept the Duolingo, TOEFL iBT (use code 2027), or IELTS. Please refer to the international student information under “Required Testing” above.

Applicants admitted to the MPA, OMPA, MIA, or MSEd-HEA program who do not have at least one year of relevant experience will be required to complete an internship and an additional 3-credit internship class as part of their program. The internship requirement will be explicitly stated in the acceptance letter. Students should speak to an academic advisor early on in their program to fully understand what the requirement involves or to request a review of the requirement if the one-year of relevant experience may have been met.