First semester graduate students should only register for core courses in their first semester and work towards completing most or all the core classes before taking electives. Depending on your program and concentration, most core classes can be taken in any order. Elective courses will build on concepts learned in the core, so you should take most of your core before you start taking electives. First-semester students should not take elective courses, unless otherwise suggested by your advisor. You can find your program’s curriculum and list of core classes here.
Executive MPA and Online MPA students follow an accelerated, prescribed program and will be registered for their classes.
Each graduate course is worth 3 credits. Part time graduate students are recommended to register for 1-2 classes (3-6 credits) per semester; full time students are recommended to register for 3 classes (9 credits) per semester. Students who WORK on a full-time basis cannot attend classes on a full-time basis (3 classes; 9 credits). After the first semester, full time students may register for a fourth class after consulting with an advisor.
Graduate courses are offered in a variety of instruction modes. To learn about the different instruction modes and how to read the CUNYfirst schedule of classes, please click here.
Master of Public Administration (MPA) & Master of International Affairs (MIA)
Sample Schedules – 42 min. credits
*This schedule excludes Winter and Summer Intersessions, which are optional semesters
Sample MPA & MIA Full-Time Schedule (9 credits/semester) |
Semester 1 |
Semester 2 |
Semester 3 |
Semester 4 |
Semester 5 |
Core Class |
Core Class |
Core Class |
Elective Class |
Elective Class |
Core Class |
Core Class |
Core Class |
Elective Class |
Capstone Course (PAF 9190 for MPA/PAF 9490 for MIA) |
Core Class |
Core Class |
Elective Class |
Elective Class |
|
Sample MPA & MIA Part-Time Schedule (maximum 6 credits/semester) |
Semester 1 |
Semester 2 |
Semester 3 |
Semester 4 |
Core Class |
Core Class |
Core Class |
Core Class |
Core Class |
Core Class |
Core Class |
Core Class |
Semester 5 |
Semester 6 |
Semester 7 |
Elective Class |
Elective Class |
Elective Class |
Elective Class |
Elective Class |
Capstone Course (PAF 9190 for MPA/9490 for MIA) |
Attention first semester MIA students:
MSEd in Higher Education Administration (HEA) Sample Schedules
*This schedule excludes the Winter & Summer intersessions, which are optional semesters
Sample MSEd-HEA Full-Time (9 credits/semester) |
Semester 1 |
Semester 2 |
Semester 3 |
Semester 4 |
PAF 9330* |
Core Class |
Core Class |
Elective |
Core Class |
Core Class |
Elective |
Elective |
Core Class |
Core Class |
Elective |
PAF 9390 (Capstone) |
Sample MSEd-HEA Part-Time (maximum 6 credits/semester) |
Semester 1 |
Semester 2 |
Semester 3 |
Semester 4 |
Semester 5 |
Semester 6 |
PAF 9330* |
Core Class |
Core Class |
Core Class |
Elective |
Elective |
Core Class |
Core Class |
Core Class |
Elective |
Elective |
PAF 9390 (Capstone) |
All new incoming students are required to take PAF 9330 Intro to Higher Ed. in their first semester