Academic Credit

Option for Graduate Academic Credit for Students Enrolled in the 2027 CPM Program in Arlington, Texas

In January 2027 students in the 2027 Arlington CPM Program will have the option of taking each CPM track for graduate academic credit on a Texas State University transcript.

Two differences between taking CPM courses for certification and academic credit are the cost and the amount of work required to complete the course. The cost for taking each CPM track for graduate academic credit is $1,727.88 per course instead of $695 per course. Additional work per course is also required to receive graduate academic credit. Students seeking academic credit will also have to register through the Texas State University Banner registration system.

If you are not currently enrolled in a graduate academic degree program you can count 2-4 courses (6-12 credit hours) toward a Texas State University Master of Public Administration (MPA) degree or a Master of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies (MSIS) degree. Both graduate degrees are now being offered in asynchronous and hybrid formats and require a minimum of travel to the university campus. If you are not currently a student in the Texas State University MPA Program to register for academic credit, you will need to complete several online forms identified in the instructions below.

Instructions for CPM participants to register for graduate academic credit as a non-degree seeking student

If you are a CPM participant that is not currently enrolled as a regular student in a graduate academic program at Texas State University, you will need to apply as non-degree seeking student. The Graduate College allows applicants to apply until shortly before the first day of class which is January 20, 2027. Information on the process can be found by going to the link below.

https://www.gradcollege.txst.edu/programs/non-degree.html

You will also be required to fill out a form for non-degree seeking students. The information on this form will have to be filled out in consultation with Dr. Howard Balanoff, hb02@txstate.edu 512/694-7864 the Academic Advisor for of the Arlington, Texas CPM Program and in cooperation with either Dr. Sherri Mora, sm43@txstate.edu, Director of the Texas State University MPA Program or Dr. Shetay Ashford-Hanserd, sa1137@txstate.edu, OWLS Department Chair & Advisor for the Master of Science/Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies.

The non-degree seeking application basically specifies the course or courses that you wish to take during the Spring 2027 semester. To register for the Spring 2027 semester, you should list the following courses on the form PA 5330 which is CPM Track 1 and PA 5320 which is CPM Track 2. Please note that students taking CPM courses as non-degree students, with the approval of the graduate advisor may count to 4 courses (12 hours) toward a Texas State University MPA or an MSIS degree.

To register for graduate academic credit, students must have approval from their academic advisor. The academic advisor for students wishing to receive graduate credit for CPM courses offered in Arlington, Texas is Dr. Howard R. Balanoff hb02@txstate.edu 512/694-7864.

The Master of Public Administration (MPA) Degree

If you wish to apply for the Master of Public Administration (MPA) degree which is a 36-hour (12 course) program. Open the link below and follow the instructions from the Graduate College for admission to the MPA Program.

Public Administration (M.P.A.) : The Graduate College

Contacts for the MPA Program Admission

In addition to completing an application for admission to the Master of Public Administration (MPA) Program you will need to contact Dr. Sherri Mora, the MPA Director at sm43@txstate.edu and Alexis Finley, Political Science Department Admin at alexis.finley@.edu 512/408/3772. Please copy me at hb02@txstate.edu on all your correspondence when you email Dr. Mora and/or Alexis Finley.

It takes a while to process an application for admission to the Graduate College and the MPA Program which is the reason that an applicant can take 2 MPA courses as a non-degree seeking student and count these courses toward their MPA degree program.

Cost for CPM Courses taken for Academic Credit

1 Course (3 graduate hours) – $1,727.88

2 Courses (6 graduate hours) – $3,123.66

7 Courses (21 graduate hours) – Estimated at $12,095.16

12 courses (36 graduate hours– Estimated at about $21,000 is required for completion of the Master of Public Administration (MPA) Degree )

Each CPM costs $695 for certification credit only. Total Cost for the 7-course CPM Program for certification credit only is $4,865. The cost for graduate academic courses (which includes the CPM certification cost) is shown above. The estimated cost for the 7-course CPM program for both certification and academic credit would be about $1,727,88 X 7 = $12,095.16 which is the total cost for the CPM certification and 21 hours of graduate academic credit .

Note: Each CPM Tracks (course) is scheduled to start and finish about every 2 months. It takes about 14 months to complete the entire 7 course CPM program and accumulate 21 hours of graduate academic credit toward a Masters degree.