School of Public Affairs ranked in top tier

The U.S. News and World Report recently highlighted the best graduate programs in the nation and the ASU School of Public Affairs once again ranked in the top tier.  Several programs within the school, which is committed to advancing urban governance in a global context, also earned high ratings.

In the newest issue of “America’s Best Graduate Schools,” the ASU School of Public Affairs graduate program ranked 25th nationally among nearly 300 schools considered in the report, and among the top 15 publics. This year the school is among the top five universities in the western United States.

“We don’t do what we do for rankings, but we are honored and excited that two of our programs ranked in the top ten nationally,” said Robert B. Denhardt, director of the School of Public Affairs. “As the 21st century ushers in dramatic changes in the process of governance, we hope to continue our long tradition of developing outstanding public leaders, people who are well prepared to meet the rigorous demands and substantial challenges of the future.”

In addition to the overall ranking, the school did well on the report’s “specialties” list. The city management and urban policy program ranked No. 6; The Public Management and Administration program came in at No. 8 while the Public Finance and Budgeting program drew a No. 18 ranking.

The U.S. News and World Report annually ranks professional school programs in business, education, engineering, law and medicine as well as graduate programs. The rankings are based on two types of data: expert opinion about program quality and statistical indicators that measure the quality of a school’s faculty, research, and students.

The ASU School of Public Affairs is in the College of Public Programs. For more information visit http://spa.asu.edu/