A Master of Public Affairs (MPA [1] or MPAff [2] ) is a professional graduate degree that provides training in public policy and the operation of government. Courses required for this degree educate students in public and non-profit management, policy analysis, and applied technology. The degree is commonly applied to international and domestic policy careers. Many master of public affairs degrees are similar to a Master of Public Policy degree, whereas others fall closer to a Master of Public Administration degree. It is one of one of several public affairs degrees and has historically been a terminal degree.
Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), officially the John F. Kennedy School of Government, is the school of public policy and government of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school offers master's degrees in public policy, public administration, and international development, four doctoral degrees, and many executive education programs. It conducts research in subjects relating to politics, government, international affairs, and economics. As of 2021, HKS had an endowment of $1.7 billion. It is a member of the Association of Professional Schools of International Affairs (APSIA), a global consortium of schools that trains leaders in international affairs.
A Master of Public Administration (MPA) is a specialized professional graduate degree in public administration, similar or equivalent to a Master of Business Administration but with an emphasis on the issues of public services.
The Master of Public Policy (MPP), is one of several public policy degrees. An MPP is a master's-level professional degree that provides training in policy analysis and program evaluation at public policy schools. The MPP program places a focus on the systematic analysis of issues related to public policy and the decision processes associated with them. This includes training in the role of economic and political factors in public decision-making and policy formulation; microeconomic analysis of policy options and issues; resource allocation and decision modeling; cost/benefit analysis; statistical methods; and various applications to specific public policy topics. MPP recipients serve or have served in the public sector, at the international, national, subnational, and local levels and the private sector.
The Richard and Rhoda Goldman School of Public Policy, or the Goldman School of Public Policy (GSPP), is a public policy school and one of fourteen schools and colleges at the University of California, Berkeley. Originally named the Graduate School of Public Policy, it was founded in 1969 as one of the first public policy institutions in the United States. In 2016, the Goldman School was ranked as the #1 public policy graduate program in the country by U.S. News & World Report.
The Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs is the professional public policy school of Syracuse University, a private research university in Syracuse, New York. The school is organized in 11 academic departments and 13 affiliated research centers and offers coursework in the fields of public administration, international relations, foreign policy, political Science, science and technology policy, social sciences, and economics through its undergraduate (BA) degrees, graduate Master of Public Affairs (MPA), Master of Arts (MA), and PhD degrees.
The Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service is the public policy school of New York University in New York City, New York. The school is named after New York City former mayor Robert F. Wagner Jr. in 1989.
The Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs is a graduate school at the University of Texas at Austin that was founded in 1970 to offer training in public policy analysis and administration for students that are very interested in pursuing careers in government and public affairs-related areas of the private and nonprofit sectors. Degree programs include a Master of Public Affairs (MPAff), a mid-career MPAff sequence, 16 MPAff dual degree programs, a Master of Global Policy Studies (MGPS), eight MGPS dual degree programs, an Executive Master of Public Leadership, and a Ph.D. in public policy. The LBJ School is currently ranked 7th among public affairs programs in 2022 by U.S. News & World Report, up from 8th in 2021.
The School of Public and International Affairs (SPIA) at Virginia Tech offers graduate and undergraduate education in the fields of public administration, public policy, international affairs, urban affairs, and urban & regional planning. It has three campuses throughout Virginia: Arlington; Blacksburg and Richmond.
The Graduate School of Public and International Affairs (GSPIA) is one of 17 schools comprising the University of Pittsburgh. Founded in 1957 to study national and international public administration, GSPIA prides itself on its "Local to Global" distinction. As of 2018, it is one of only two policy schools with programs in the top 20 for both International Relations and City Management and Urban Policy. The former mayor of Pittsburgh, Bill Peduto, is a GSPIA alumnus.
The John Glenn College of Public Affairs is a public policy and management school at Ohio State University. The Glenn College offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral programs in public affairs. The Glenn College provides research, training and technical assistance to state, public and nonprofit organizations. The college is named after United States Senator and Astronaut John Glenn. On January 30, 2015, the Ohio State University Board of Trustees approved a change of status of the former John Glenn School of Public Affairs making the new John Glenn College of Public Affairs the 15th college at The Ohio State University.
The Hertie School is a German private, independent graduate school for governance located in Berlin's Friedrichstraße. Hertie School is according to the QS rankings, ranked as one of the most prestigious public policy schools in the world. It is accredited to confer master's and doctoral degrees. Half of the students in the Hertie School come from abroad, with more than 95 countries represented among alumni and currently enrolled students. The working language is English.
The James W. Martin School of Public Policy and Administration is the graduate school of Public Affairs at the University of Kentucky.
The Daniel J. Evans School of Public Policy and Governance is the school of public policy of the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington. The school is named after former Washington State Governor and U.S. Senator Daniel J. Evans.
The Robert M. La Follette School of Public Affairs, commonly known as the La Follette School, is a public graduate public policy school at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. It offers master's degrees in public affairs and international public affairs, and joint degrees with other departments. The La Follette School is housed in the Observatory Hill Office Building.
The School of Public Affairs and Administration (SPAA) is the public administration school of Rutgers University, and is located on the Rutgers-Newark campus.
The Trachtenberg School, officially the Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration (TSPPPA), is the graduate school of public policy and public administration in the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences of the George Washington University, in Washington, D.C.
The Bush School of Government and Public Service is an undergraduate and graduate college of Texas A&M University founded in 1997 under former US President George H. W. Bush's philosophy that "public service is a noble calling." Since then, the Bush School has continued to reflect that notion in curriculum, research, and student experience and has become a leading international affairs, political science, and public affairs institution.
The University of Massachusetts Amherst School of Public Policy is a school at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Formerly known and operated as the Center for Public Policy & Administration, the center was elevated to a school in 2016 to reflect its expanding mission. The school offers an undergraduate major in Public Policy and professional master's degrees in Public Affairs and in Public Policy & Administration. In October 2019, the school announced a five-year expansion plan that included the creation of an undergraduate public policy major which launched in the Fall of 2022 as well expansion of the faculty through tenure lines for faculty appointments solely in the School of Public Policy.
The Marxe School of Public and International Affairs is the public policy school of Baruch College. It was established in 1994. It is the only school under the City University of New York which is dedicated to public affairs. David S. Birdsell is the Marxe Dean of the Marxe School of Public and International Affairs.