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| Type | Public |
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| Established | 1981 |
| Dean | Gustavo Flores-Macías |
| Location | ,, United States |
| Campus | Suburban |
| Nickname | SPP |
| Affiliations | NASPAA,APSIA,TPC |
| Website | spp |
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TheSchool of Public Policy is thepublic policy school at theUniversity of Maryland, College Park.
On October 26, 1978,University of Maryland PresidentJohn S. Toll appointed the Committee on a School of Public Affairs to pursue the question of whether the College Park campus should establish a new school. With the support of theSloan foundation and key individuals such asU.S. SenatorJoseph Tydings andpublisher Philip Merrill, the Maryland School of Public Affairs was established on the campus of theUniversity of Maryland, College Park in 1981. By April 1981, Albert Bowker was appointed the first dean of the school and a group of faculty was recruited. The first seven faculty includedAllen Schick,Robert Pastor,Catherine Kelleher, Frank Levy,Peyton Young, George Eads and Mark Winer. The school's doors opened in 1982 and degrees were conferred on a dozen students during the school's first graduation exercises in 1984.
The School of Public Affairs changed its name to the School of Public Policy in 2004.
The School of Public Policy expanded to offer an undergraduate program in the Spring of 2017 aimed at developing skills necessary to have a positive impact on the global community.[1]
In fall 2022, the school moved from Van Munching Hall—its longtime shared home with theRobert H. Smith School of Business—into Thurgood Marshall Hall, a newly constructed 77,000 square-foot facility featuring modern teaching spaces, a parliamentary-style deliberation chamber, and areas designed to foster public engagement and collaboration. Named in honor ofSupreme Court JusticeThurgood Marshall, the building reflects the school’s mission to advance the public good and promote civic dialogue.[2]
The school is a full member of theAssociation of Professional Schools of International Affairs (APSIA), a group of schools of public policy, public administration, and international studies.
The school enrolls close to 500graduate students and offers full-time and part-timeMaster of Public Policy (MPP) andMaster of Public Management (MPM) degrees, as well as aPh.D. inPolicy Studies.
The Master of Public Policy (MPP) program equips students with the analytical, leadership, and communication skills needed to tackle complex public challenges and drive meaningful change. The interdisciplinary curriculum combines rigorous quantitative analysis with coursework in policy theory, economics, ethics, and management, preparing graduates for leadership roles in government, nonprofits, international organizations, and the private sector. Students may choose from a range of specializations, including social policy, environmental policy, international development, nonprofit management, and education policy, among others. Many students also gain hands-on experience through internships, capstone projects, and professional development opportunities in nearby Washington, D.C.
The school offers a Master of Public Management program in two tracks for students who have at least five or more years of professional policy or management-related experience after their undergraduate studies. The 36-credit, policy-oriented curriculum tracks the MPP curriculum with 12 fewer elective credits. The Executive Master of Public Management (EXPM) follows a prescribed 30-credit, management-oriented curriculum. Many EXPM students attend evening classes twice a week in Washington, D.C. Students move through the program as a cohort and have the opportunity to participate in numerous enrichment activities.
The School of Public Policy offers a Dual Bachelor/Master Program, commonly referred to as the 4+1 program, which allows high-achieving undergraduate students to begin earning credits toward a Master of Public Policy (MPP) degree while completing their bachelor’s degree. Students accepted into the program can take up to 18 graduate-level credits as undergraduates, enabling them to complete both degrees in as little as five years. This accelerated path is designed to prepare students early for impactful careers in public service, policy analysis, and leadership across sectors.
The school has also established joint degree programs with the University of Maryland's A. James Clark School of Engineering, the College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences Conservation Biology program, theRobert H. Smith School of Business, and theUniversity of Maryland School of Law inBaltimore.
The centers and institutes located within the Maryland School of Public Policy offer students opportunities to work on research projects with practitioners who make significant contributions to global and domestic policy. They include:[3]
Located in:College Park, Maryland –Founded: 1856 | |||||||||||
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38°58′58″N76°56′50″W / 38.98278°N 76.94722°W /38.98278; -76.94722
