In the spirit of public service toward all impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service is launching a special admission cycle for Fall 2020 enrollment.
With many programs, fellowships, and internships being suspended or postponed in recent weeks, this new admission cycle provides students and professionals the opportunity to consider the school’s Master of Public Service degree program.
The Clinton School specifically reaches out to college graduates whose employment options have changed; AmeriCorps members whose terms will end this summer; and Peace Corps, Fulbright, and other international fellows whose programs have been unexpectedly cut short.
Prospective students who complete their application by this special May 25 deadline will be considered for enrollment in August 2020. There is no application fee and no GRE required in order to be considered for both admission and scholarships.
“As a parent of a Tulane student whose plans were suddenly interrupted as a result of Hurricane Katrina, I appreciated the opportunities offered to her and other displaced students by other colleges and universities,” Dean James L. “Skip” Rutherford III said. “We’re doing the same for those whose academic and public service plans have been disrupted by COVID-19.”
Applicants are invited to share what they were planning to do before the COVID-19 pandemic, and if appropriate, may also feel free to submit any essays, reference letters, and materials that were prepared for other pursuits.
The Clinton School partners with Peace Corps through the Paul D. Coverdell Fellows program, which is a graduate fellowship program that offers financial assistance to returned Peace Corps Volunteers.
The Clinton School provides a “single match” scholarship of an admitted student’s unused Segal AmeriCorps Education Award for up to five qualified admitted AmeriCorps alumni each year.
“We understand that unexpectedly changing directions makes this a challenging time for applicants, so we want to make the Clinton School application process as smooth as possible,” Enrollment Director Alex Thomas said. “During this special application period, individual admission and scholarship decisions will be expedited and sent within two weeks of an application becoming complete. Our public service program will positively position graduates to more effectively serve the needs of our changing world for these important years ahead.”
While learning valuable lessons in the classroom, Clinton School students enrolled in the MPS degree program also complete for-credit public service projects, ranging from local work in Arkansas communities to international projects on each of the world’s six inhabited continents.
The first school in the nation to offer a master’s degree in public service, the Clinton School welcomes students who are interested in pursuing or enhancing their careers in a variety of industries, including nonprofit, for-profit, and governmental work.
The Clinton School MPS program also offers concurrent degree programs in law, public health, and business. Partnerships with those degree programs include the Sam M. Walton College of Business (Master of Business Administration) at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville; the Fay W. Boozman School of Public Health (Master of Public Health) at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS); and the William H. Bowen School of Law (Juris Doctor) at UA Little Rock.
The Clinton School Speaker Series hosts more than 100 speakers per academic year, including senators, cabinet officials, ambassadors, academics, CEOs, philanthropists, authors, and journalists.
Clinton School alums enjoy positions in government, education, and nonprofits, as well as sectors like business development, entrepreneurship, and fundraising. The unique partnerships afforded by the Clinton School enable matching opportunities with organizations and businesses around the world.
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