Individualized Studies + Masters in Advocacy and Political Leadership

College of Individualized Studies / Individualized and Interdisciplinary Study
Accelerated combined degree / Master of Science

About The Program

Metro State’s Masters of Advocacy and Political Leadership (MAPL) program prepares students to bring about social change and influence public policy. The Individualized Studies Bachelor of Arts allows students to design their own course of study with guidance from faculty. For students who are interested in designing an Individualized Studies BA course of study that includes advocacy, organizing, politics, or policy, the Individualized Studies BA + MAPL program is a great opportunity to potentially earn masters credit while completing a bachelor degree.

The Individualized Studies BA + MAPL program allows students to overlap up to sixteen (16) credits of coursework between their Individualized Studies BA degree and their Masters of Advocacy and Political Leadership (MAPL) degree, reducing the total credits needed for these two degrees from 160 to 144 and enabling students to complete their MAPL degree as soon as one year after completing their BA. Upon acceptance to the program, students may include MAPL courses in their Individualized Studies degree plan and earn credits towards a BA and MAPL degree simultaneously.

Students should apply to the Individualized Studies BA + MAPL program upon or near completion of 90 credits of coursework and PRSP 301.

How to enroll

Program eligibility requirements

Applicants must complete or demonstrate the following:

Prerequisite courses completed before starting the 4+1 program:
1. PRSP 301: Perspectives: Educational Philosophy & Planning. Students should either be enrolled in this course or have already taken this course prior to applying for the IS+MAPL 4+1 program.
2. General Education: Students should have a plan to complete required general education distribution courses by the semester students plan to start the IS+MAPL 4+1 program.
Minimum Credits: At least 60 semester credits earned.
GPA of 3.0 or better, either overall or in the last two semesters.
Declaration of an Individualized Studies major.
Two years of volunteer or work experience in nonprofit advocacy, public sector, community organizing, political organizing, or labor organizing.

Application instructions

Metro State University is participating in the common application for graduate programs (GradCAS). Applications are only accepted via the CAS website.

Application Deadlines

Fall deadline: August 1
Spring deadline: December 1
Summer deadline: April 1

CAS steps

Select the term for which you are seeking admission (below), and navigate to the CAS website. Open applications include:
- Summer 2026, Fall 2026 or Spring 2027 Application
Create or log in to your account and select the Individualized Studies + Masters in Advocacy and Political Leadership program.
Carefully review all instructions and complete all four sections of the application.

Specific application requirements for individual programs can be found on each program page in CAS. Carefully read the instructions that appear throughout the application pages. You can only submit your application once. If you need to update information you have submitted, please notify graduate.studies@metrostate.edu

Application fee

A nonrefundable $38 fee is required for each application.
Applications will not be processed until this fee is received.

Active-duty military, veterans, and Metro State alumni are eligible for an application fee waiver. Once your application is complete and ready for submission, please contact graduate.studies@metrostate.edu.

Please note: only one application fee waiver code is provided per applicant.

Courses and Requirements

SKIP TO COURSE REQUIREMENTS

Students should refer to the program requirements for the Individualized Degree Program, which starts with the required course, PRSP 301: Perspectives.

Students planning on applying to the 4+1 program must include in their degree plan (created while enrolled in PRSP 301) the MAPL courses they plan on taking while still pursuing
their bachelor’s degree. These courses should connect to the learning goals in their degree plan. Any changes to this plan will need to be approved by an individualized studies faculty advisor, using the degree plan amendment process.

If students have previously completed PRSP 301 and wish to begin the 4+1 program, they can work with an advisor and faculty to complete a degree plan amendment adding the specific MAPL courses they will take as a bachelor’s student. This amendment should include any related changes to their undergraduate learning goals.

Students who start and then choose not to continue in the 4+1 pathway may, likewise, seek to amend their degree plans to remove the MAPL courses and update their learning goals.

Overview

Metro State’s College of Individualized Studies and College of Community Studies and Public Affairs jointly offer this accelerated option for individualized program students to pursue a Masters in Advocacy and Political Leadership (MAPL). This "4+1" opportunity allows students to complete 4-15 credits of coursework towards the MAPL degree as part of their undergraduate program, shortening the time to completion of the master's program.

+ Who is this degree for?

This opportunity is best-suited for students who are completing their undergraduate degree with substantial real-world community experience. These enterprising students will be allowed to enroll in graduate courses and will be able to double count the credits towards both their undergraduate and graduate degrees. If you are an individualized studies student interested in advocacy and politics, pursuing a MAPL degree might be a natural extension of your educational plan. This opportunity allows you to access graduate program faculty, advising, and courses so that you can gain the competencies that are critical to your learning goals. If you are interested in pursuing a MAPL degree but have not yet earned an undergraduate degree, this accelerated option is an efficient pathway. You don't have to complete an enter bachelor's program before starting on the program you're truly interested in. You can make real progress, sooner, getting where you want to go.

+ How does it work?

All individualized program students create a degree plan in a foundational course, PRSP 301: Perspectives, Educational Philosophy and Planning. Student pursuing this 4+1 option simply include 4-15 credits of masters-level MAPL courses in their individualized degree program. Only students who have applied and been accepted into the 4+1 pathway are allowed to included these courses in their undergraduate plan. After completing their individualized BA or BAS degree, students will have 36-25 credit remaining to complete their MAPL degree.

+ What is the application process?

To be admitted into the IS+MAPL 4+1 program, students must meet the minimum requirements (below), and must be referred by a professor or advisor. Then, prospective undergraduate students must arrange a one-on-one meeting with a MAPL program representative. After their 4+1 undergraduate plan is approved, conditionally admitted students will be eligible to take masters courses that fit into their undergraduate degree plan. To be then be formally admitted into the MAPL program, students must complete the MAPL program application, which they should do in the final semester of their undergraduate degree. Students are not required to continue on in the MAPL program, if they decide not to, and can still use MAPL courses to satisfy BA degree requirements. Students must apply to enroll in MAPL within 5 years of completing their individualized studies degree in order to count courses taken as an undergraduate towards their graduate degree.

+ Can I use financial aid?

Undergraduate students who participate in the IS+MAPL 4+1 program may use undergraduate financial aid to pay for tuition and course fees related to graduate courses that count towards their bachelor degrees. In order to apply undergraduate financial aid to MAPL courses, each specific graduate-level course must be included in the student’s degree plan. Once they have satisfied requirements for their undergraduate degree, students are required to complete bachelor's degree program. When students continue in the MAPL program at this point, they are classified as graduate students for the purpose of financial aid. A student cannot continue taking graduate courses while they are classified as an undergraduate student if they have met the requirements to complete their undergraduate degree. It is important for students to note that graduate tuition is more costly, on a per-credit basis, than undergraduate tuition. Prospective students are encouraged to meet with their academic advisor and financial aid representative to determine effects that participating in this program may have on financial aid.