At SIPA, students may not double-count courses that fulfill degree core or concentration core requirements. Each course may only be applied once to meet degree or concentration requirements.

For students in the Master of International Affairs (MIA) and Master of Public Administration (MPA) programs who have the option to declare an additional minor, the following rules apply: 

Minors within the Same Program as a Student’s Concentration

Students pursuing a minor offered by the same program as their concentration may not double-count any courses.

• Example: A student concentrating in Climate, Energy, and Environment (CEE) who also elects to complete the Sustainable Investing minor may not count any course toward both programs.

Minors in a Different Program from a Student’s Concentration

Students pursuing a minor offered by a different program from their concentration may request that one 3-credit course, or two 1.5-credit courses, from their concentration be considered for double counting toward the minor.

• Such requests must be reviewed by the faculty director overseeing the minor.
• Approval is at the discretion of the faculty director.
• If a faculty director determines that no double-counting will be permitted for their minors, that rule will be listed in the Bulletin.
• Example: A student concentrating in International Finance and Economic Policy (IFEP) who wishes to complete the Sustainable Investing minor may request that one 3-credit or two 1.5-credit IFEP courses count toward the CEE minor, subject to approval by the CEE faculty directors.

Unidirectional Rule

Double counting is strictly unidirectional. A concentration course may be counted toward a minor with faculty director approval. A minor course may not be counted toward a concentration.