Students must submit any course waiver request forms to the faculty coordinator by the last class day of the student's first semester in the MPAff program.
All students, including those notified of presumptive waiver status, should follow this process for official permission to waive a core course. Please check with the appropriate faculty core course coordinator to learn about specific core course waiver criteria.
An approved waiver does not reduce the total number of credit hours necessary for graduation. Most students substitute an additional elective course in place of the required course that has been waived.
Waivers may be requested for the following MPAff core course requirements:
- PA 397 / Introduction to Empirical Methods
Faculty coordinator: Professor Pat Wong - PA 393K / Applied Microeconomics for Policy Analysis
Faculty coordinator: Professor Andrew Waxman - PA 391 / Public Financial Management
Faculty coordinator: Professor Martin Luby - PA 383C / Policy Development
Faculty coordinator: Professor Anna Gunderson - PA 384C / Public Management
Faculty coordinator: Professor Gordon Abner - PA 389D/ Communications
Faculty coordinator: Professor Amy Leff
Core Course Waiver Request Procedure
- Register for a class you wish to waive; approvals will be completed within the add/drop period. If a waiver is approved, you may be required to substitute a specific course or type of course for the waived one.
- Assemble supporting documentation and attach to the form. Documentation should include:
- Evidence of relevant coursework
- Evidence of significant and relevant work experience
- Proposed substitution course, when applicable
- Submit the core course waiver request form, along with the relevant documentation, to the appropriate Core Course Coordinator for consideration. You will be contacted if additional information is needed to consider your petition.
- Approved waiver requests will be documented in your student file by the MPAff Graduate Program Coordinator.