Rutgers University - School of Public Affairs and Administration

Rutgers SPAA: Where Service Meets Leadership

As a highly ranked school dedicated to public service, Rutgers School of Public Affairs and Administration provides our diverse student body with a high-quality education, produces high-level scholarship, and serves our community in a thoughtful and fulfilling manner, fostering public understanding of societal issues and stimulating action for positive and ethical change.

Rutgers SPAA is ranked

#1 in New Jersey;

#1 Metro NY/NJ;

#2 in the Tri-State area; and

#2 in the Northeast

for public affairs among public institutions in the 2022 U.S. News & World Report Best Graduate Schools Rankings. 

The School of Public Affairs and Administration, through a culture of innovation based upon the values of diversity, competency, knowledge, service and ethical practice, pursues an evidence-based approach to the effective, equitable, and accountable implementation of public policy. Distinguished academic scholars, complemented by adjunct faculty rich in relevant government and nonprofit experience, deliver a capacity-based curriculum. We are dedicated to student success in applying knowledge to effective ethical public service leadership.

Values

Competence: The efficacy of our curriculum is regularly confirmed by our colleagues: our MPA program is accredited by the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs and Administration (NASPAA); our MPA graduates are placed in positions of high responsibility at the federal, state and local levels; and our doctoral graduates are teaching and gaining tenure at more than two dozen universities around the world.

Diversity: We are proud that Rutgers University-Newark is, according to U.S. News & World Report, the most diverse campus in America, and that our MPA and PhD programs contribute substantially to that diversity. SPAA seeks to foster diversity through faculty, research, and student networks.

Knowledge: Our curriculum is continually revised to reflect the changing nature of the field of public administration. Specializations ensure that students have access to key areas such as performance management, finance and budgeting, nonprofit management, and technology.­

Service: Our faculty, alumni, and students are leaders in the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA), locally, nationally and internationally. Several faculty members are fellows of the National Academy of Public Administration. We have helped develop the knowledge and practice of public administration through the United Nations, in China, Korea, and South Africa. In New Jersey, our faculty is instrumental in assisting the city of Newark and regional governments in the urban area.

Ethics: With an emphasis on public service values and competencies for effective performance, SPAA promotes accountability and transparency in the public and nonprofit sectors.