Master of Public Administration

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MPA Concentrations

For Prospective Students

For Current Students

Evergreen MPA Program Statistics Prerequisite Info

The MPA program requires that admitted students complete an MPA-approved statistics course before beginning coursework in the Fall of admission. Proof of statistics completion must be received by the September 15th before the Fall quarter of admission (details below).

Statistics course requirements:

  • Course must be preapproved by the Evergreen MPA program
  • Course must have been completed within the last three (3) years with a minimum grade of “C”(minimum 2.0 grade points)
  • 4 quarter credits (or 3 semester credits) minimum
  • Course content must include elementary descriptive and inferential statistics, including: probability, binomial and normal distributions, hypotheses testing, correlations, t-tests and chi-squared tests

The courses listed below meet our statistics prerequisite requirement.

If you wish to take a statistics course that is not listed below, MPA staff must review detailed course information and pre-approve the course before you register. We will be looking for the information in the bulleted paragraph above, especially the “course content”. Please email course information (name of school, web link, course name and number, dates course is offered, credit amount, copy of detailed course description or syllabus) to the contact person for your concentration (Erin Genia for the Tribal concentration; Randee Gibbons for the non-Tribal concentrations).

If you have previously taken a statistics course that is not listed, MPA staff must review detailed course information and determine that the course meets our prerequisite requirements. We will be looking for the information in the “Statistics course requirements” paragraph above, especially the “course content” description. Please email course information (name of school, web link, course name and number, dates course is offered, credit amount, copy of detailed course description or syllabus) to the contact person for your concentration (Erin Genia for the Tribal concentration; Randee Gibbons for the non-Tribal concentrations).

If you regularly use descriptive and inferential statistics in your work, you may apply for a waiver of the statistics requirement. Email the MPA Director (Lee Lyttle) with a detailed description of the work you have done, with specific descriptions of the kinds of statistics you have used for data analysis. Include documentation, such as a job description, a letter from a supervisor detailing the work, and/or examples of your work. The MPA Director will be looking for evidence of the use of descriptive and inferential statistics techniques and concepts listed in the “course content” bullet under the “Statistics course requirements” paragraph above, such as: probability, binomial and normal distributions, hypotheses testing, correlations, t-tests and chi-squared tests.

Official transcripts (or other acceptable official evidence) documenting satisfactory completion of statistics MUST be received before students begin their 1st year core courses in the fall quarter. For example, for students admitted in Fall 2013, the deadline for the MPA program to receive documentation is September 15, 2013.

If you take statistics at Evergreen, good news: no need to request a separate transcript -- just email the contact person for your concentration with the course name, CRN and date of completion and we will check your registration records in the Banner system and inform the Admissions and Registration offices. If you are a non-admitted (“special”) student, go to this link for registration instructions or call Registration at 360-867-6170: http://www2.evergreen.edu/wikis/computin/index.php?title=MyEvergreen_Special_Student_Guide

If you take statistics somewhere other than Evergreen, request an official transcript from the school to be sent to Jan Hays, MPA Office Assistant, at: the MPA Program, Mailstop: Lab 1, The Evergreen State College, 2700 Evergreen Pkwy NW Olympia, WA 98505. Note that delays in processing may happen, so it is prudent to request an official transcript as soon as you have completed the course.

Approved courses: Evergreen options

FALL, WINTER and SPRING quarters (regular academic year): Statistics I is typically offered every quarter. For the most up-to-date information, please go to the 2012-13 catalog: http://www.evergreen.edu/catalog/2012-13/index.

For registration instructions and information, go to: http://www.evergreen.edu/registration/home.htm and see the “Special Student Registration Guide”: http://wikis.evergreen.edu/computing/index.php?title=MyEvergreen_Special_Student_Guide or contact the Registration Office directly, at 360-867-6180. Students not admitted to the college (“special students”) may register for these undergraduate statistics courses by mail, fax (360-867-6680) or in person. Print and submit the Special Student Registration Form: http://www.evergreen.edu/registration/forms/revised_special_reg_formfws0803.pdf

Non-admitted students may begin registering for undergraduate courses typically the week after registration opens for admitted students: May 29th for Fall 2012; Dec 10th for Winter 2013; March 18th for Spring 2013. Note that Statistics I typically fills quickly, but several prospective students have reported that they've successfully taken the course by attending the first few weeks and officially registering when people drop the course. Talk with the instructor to see what is possible.

SUMMER Quarter: Summer quarter information is found at: http://www.evergreen.edu/summer/. We expect that Summer 2013 info will be available at this link by April 2013. Typically, 3-4 courses are taught at Evergreen each summer that meet the MPA statistics prerequisite requirement. Students admitted to the college for Fall 2013 are considered non admitted students (“special students”) for Summer and may register for these undergraduate statistics courses by mail, fax (360-867- 6680) or in person at the Registration Office, beginning on Tuesday, May 28. Print and submit the Summer Special Student Registration Form:http://www.evergreen.edu/registration/forms/revised_special_reg_formfws0803.pdf.  For more information, contact the Evergreen Registration Office at 360-867-6180.

In Summer 2013, we expect that 3-4 undergraduate statistics courses that meet the statistics prerequisite requirement will be offered at Evergreen. See the Summer catalog: in the "filter" box on the upper right, type in "statistics". All courses with "statistics" in the course title meet our prerequisite requirement, including "Statistics for Public Administration", which is taught by an MPA faculty member, Doreen Swetkis.

Approved courses: Non-Evergreen options

Washington Community and Technical Colleges have recently implemented a common course numbering system. You can now fulfill the MPA statistics prerequisite by taking a course with this course number at Washington community or technical college: “MATH& 146,” which usually carries the course title “Introduction to Statistics”. For more information about common course numbering, go to: http://www.sbctc.ctc.edu/college/e_commoncoursenumbering.aspx

If you have previously completed a statistics course at one of the Washington community or technical colleges before the common course numbering system was

College Web site Course ID
Bates http://www.bates.ctc.edu Math 146
Bellevue http://www.bellevuecollege.edu BA 240 or Math 130
Big Band http://www.bigbend.edu/ Math 146
Cascadia http://www.cascadia.edu/Default.aspx Math 146
Centralia http://www.centralia.edu/ Math 146
Clover Park http://www.cptc.edu/ Math 146
Columbia Basin http://www.columbiabasin.edu/ Math 146
Edmonds http://www.edcc.edu/ Math 146
Everett http://www.everettcc.edu/ Math 146
Grays Harbor http://www.ghc.edu Math 146
Green River http://www.greenriver.edu/ Math 146 or 256
Highline http://www.highline.edu/ Math 146
Lake Washington http://www.lwtc.edu/ Math 146
Lower Columbia College http://www.lowercolumbia.edu/ Math 210
Northwest Indian College http://www.nwic.edu/ Math 107
Peninsula http://www.pc.ctc.edu Math 146
Pierce http://www.pierce.ctc.edu/ Math 146
Renton http://www.rtc.edu/ Math 146
Seattle Central
 http://www.seattlecentral.edu/ Bus 210, Math 109 or Math 146
Seattle North
 http://www.northseattle.edu/ Bus 210 or Math 146
Seattle South
 http://www.southseattle.edu/ Bus 210 or Math 146
Shoreline http://www.shoreline.edu/ Math 146 or 211
Skagit Valley
 http://www.skagit.edu/ BA 215, Math 146
South Puget Sound
 http://www.spscc.ctc.edu/ Math 108 or 146
Tacoma http://www.tacomacc.edu/ Math 146
Wenatchee Valley
 http://www.wvc.edu/ Math 146
Whatcom
 http://www.whatcom.ctc.edu/ Math 146
Yakima Valley
 http://www.yvcc.edu/ Math 146

Other Northwest Colleges

This is a list of courses that have already been preapproved. It is extremely likely that other Northwest colleges offer statistics courses that meet the MPA statistics prerequisite requirement: students who wish to take a course at a Northwest college that is not on this list must follow the instructions on page 1 to get preapproval for the course before enrolling.

Eastern Oregon University http://www.eou.edu/ Stat 243: Elementary Statistics
Pacific Lutheran University http://www.plu.edu/ Stat 231: Introductory Statistics
University of Washington See “Distance Learning” below
University of Washington,
Tacoma		 http://www.tacoma.washington.edu/ TBGEN 200: Intro to Stat in Business
TMATH 110: Intro Stat w/Applications
Western Washington University

http://www.wwu.edu/ and see “Distance Learning” below

 Sociology 304: Social Statistics

Distance Learning

These schools offer distance learning courses that will meet our prerequisite requirements (for additional options, check with community colleges listed above). Courses are taught online, or using course materials on CD or DVD, or through guided correspondence, or though some other method not requiring regular inperson attendance. Contact each school for details.