What are the admissions requirements?

Admissions requirements vary based on the program you are applying for. For more specific information regarding your program of interest, please view our Quick Stats Guide. However, university wide admissions criteria include the following:

  • Bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited U.S. college or university (or current enrollment in final semester of undergraduate studies). AAP's Post-Masters' certificates also require the completion of a master degree or equivalent.
  • Applicants who received their bachelor's degree in a country outside of the United States are required to provide a course-by-course credential evaluation and TOEFL or IELTS scores if English is not their first language.
  • Minimum GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. (Meeting the minimum GPA requirement does not guarantee admission.)
  • AAP online application.
  • Nonrefundable application fee of $75.
  • Unofficial transcripts from domestic colleges and universities must be uploaded to the online application as part of the application process and include name, school name, cumulative GPA (if applicable), and degree confirmation (if applicable). Transcripts depicting fewer than 12 credits are not required unless prerequisites are listed on them.
  • If offered admission, all required official transcripts must be mailed or delivered in a sealed institutional envelope to the AAP D.C. office or sent from the institution through a secured system, such as SCRIP-SAFE or Docufide prior to the beginning of the second term in which they enroll. Applicants are encouraged to send in their official transcripts prior to the start of their intended term.
  • Course-by-course credential evaluation for all course work completed outside of the U.S.
  • Applicants must hold a baccalaureate degree in study areas relevant to the curriculum (Anthropology, Archaeology, Architecture, Preservation, Art History, Conservation, Environmental Sciences, Geography, Preservation, Cultural Management or Tourism, Public History, or related field).

Program Specific Requirements

  • One semester of introductory microeconomics, passed with at least a B grade.
  • One semester of introductory macroeconomics, passed with at least a B grade.
  • One semester of undergraduate calculus, or equivalent, passed with at least a B grade. (Any of these three courses above can be substituted by a CLEP exam with at least 65 points, scaled, or an AP exam with at least a grade of 4.)
  • Intermediate economic theory courses [especially Micro] are helpful and desirable, but are not essential.
  • A higher grade in a more advanced course in Micro and Calculus trumps a lower grade in a less advanced course, but a repeated course grade is not acceptable.