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Program Schedule

A Schedule That Works For You

The MPA is a 12-month or 14-month program that starts in mid-May of each year.  During the Summer Session, MPA students must complete core and elective courses in-person on the UC Berkeley campus. Over the fall and spring semesters, students may complete the program on-campus or online.

The Summer Session is full-time. However, Fall and Spring semesters are flexible enough that many students can return to their jobs while concurrently studying.

Incoming students can choose one of two start dates. The start date for the traditional summer program is Wednesday, May 15, 2024 for Orientation. The incoming cohort attends Summer Session A from May 20 to June 28, 2024. Alternatively, incoming students can select to begin remotely with Summer B Online Start beginning Wednesday, May 29, 2024 for Orientation and two online core classes beginning Monday, June 3 to June 28, 2024.

Please note: Federal Financial Aid requires a minimum of 6 units during the Summer, so U.S. domestic students only doing the Summer B Online Start (2 units), then pushing the remaining Summer units to the following Summer, e.g., the 14-month program, will not be eligible for federal Financial Aid for the Summer B Online Start. Students doing the traditional program structure will not have this issue.

Regardless of the start date, all students then complete the degree program with 3 more semesters - Summer D, Fall Semester and Spring Semester.

Flexible Format

Students may customize the program to meet their schedule needs: by splitting the summer requirements over two summers, and by opting for online coursework in the Fall and Spring terms.

By spreading the summer requirements over two summers, students can choose an alternate schedule that accommodates commitments outside of school such as full-time work or family obligations. Students who choose this option will increase their time to graduation from 12 to 14 months.

 

Experience Berkeley In The Summer (Full-Time Student)

The centerpiece of the MPA program is the summer core which emphasizes leadership skills, strategic thinking and multidisciplinary analysis. Students attend in-person courses with their cohort, which builds connections to the UC Berkeley campus, develops a strong sense of community among students and faculty, and enhances opportunities for networking. 

For the traditional Summer A program, MPA summer core classes run Monday through Friday from 8am to 4pm, for 6-8 hours each day, with additional out-of-class work. Alternatively, those students beginning with the Summer B Online Start, only take 2 core courses remotely and part-time, then need to take a heavier courseload over the remainder of the program. 

The dates for the cohort beginning 2024 are expected to be:

Summer A: May 20, 2024 to June 28, 2024 (Alternatively, Summer B Online Start begins May 29)

Summer D: flexible, students choose to take classes for at least 2 of 3 tracks running

D1: July 8 - July 21

D2: July 24 - August 2

D3: August 3 - August 9

 

Fall and Spring (Flexible Enrollment) - Elective Classes

In the Fall and Spring semesters, students take elective courses and the required Capstone course. MPA students also complete a minimum of six units of electives over the course of the program, taken either online or in-person**. The average MPA student typically completes 6 to 7 units each semester, which is about 20 hours per week of combined in and out-of-class time. 

For exact dates, please see the 2024-2025 Berkeley Academic Calendar. 

Minimum Unit Requirements For Degree Completion

MPA students are required to complete a minimum of 30 units over four terms (inclusive of summer). This breaks down to 17 units of core courses and at least 13 units of electives.
 

International students enrolled at UC Berkeley (F-1 or J-1 visa holders) must generally follow these guidelines -

Fall: at least 4 of the units must be in residency 
Spring: at least 4 of the units must be in residency 

These requirements are subject to change. Contact the Berkeley International Office (BIO) for the most current guielines.