Masters in Public policy studies - USA

Public policy schools teach students policy analysis, policy studies, public policy, political economy, urban planning, public administration, and public management.

Public policy schools offer a wide range of public policy degrees. Master's degrees include the Master of Public Policy (MPP), the Master of Public Administration (MPA), the Master of Public Affairs (MPAff), the Master of Urban Planning (MUP), and the Master of International Affairs (MIA). Doctoral degrees include PhDs in Public Policy, Policy Studies, and Public Administration, as well as the Doctor of Public Administration (DPA).

In the United States, students pursue a public policy degree after having completed an undergraduate degree in some other field. American public policy programs are generally located in an autonomous graduate or professional school within a larger university.

The top programs in the United States

U.S. News & World Report provides rankings of Public Affairs (Master's) schools, as of 2008, via a peer reviewed process. The top 25 schools are:

• 1) Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University
• 2) John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University
• 2) School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University Bloomington
• 4) Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University
• 4) School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Georgia
• 6) Goldman School of Public Policy at the University of California, Berkeley
• 7) Department of Public Administration at the University of Kansas
• 7) Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan
• 7) School of Policy, Planning, and Development at the University of Southern California
• 10) H. John Heinz III College, School of Public Policy & Management at Carnegie Mellon University
• 10) Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University
• 10) Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service at New York University
• 10) Harris School of Public Policy Studies at the University of Chicago