The University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public and International Affairs has again been ranked as one of the top public affairs graduate schools in the country according to the latest U.S. News & World Report reputational survey.
GSPIA ranked #1 among public universities and #7 overall in the specialty rankings for International/Global Policy and Administration. This distinction is given to programs that educate students for a career in policymaking, global business or other international-focused fields.
This year it was also ranked #11 among publics and #18 overall in the specialty rankings for Urban Policy. This distinction is given to programs that educate students in fields such as urban planning, community development and policy analysis.
This year GSPIA ranked #38, placing it in the top 15 percent of public affairs schools across the nation.
“With our ‘preparing leaders local to global’ mission in mind, Pitt GSPIA is now one of only eight policy schools — and only two public universities — to rank in the top 20 for both International/Global Policy and Administration and Urban Policy,” Dean John T.S. Keeler said of the rankings, lauding GSPIA faculty for their continued commitment to quality teaching, rigorous research, and service to communities.
Aside from this accolade, in the past year GSPIA has added a new Social Policy major and opened two new research centers — the Center for Analytical Approaches to Social Innovation and the Center for Governance and Markets.
The U.S. News 2021 rankings of public affairs programs, completed in early 2020, are based solely on peer assessment surveys sent to deans, directors, and department chairs representing 276 master’s programs in public affairs and administration. Two surveys were sent to each school. The response rate was 62 percent. Respondents were asked to rate the academic quality of the master’s programs on a scale of 1 (marginal) to 5 (outstanding).