Rankings Up Sharply for Rutgers School of Public Affairs and Administration

In the 2012 U.S. News & World Report "Best Graduate School" rankings, the School of Public Affairs and Administration (SPAA) at Rutgers University in Newark again ranks as one the top public affairs programs in the country. SPAA is among the top-10 graduate programs in the United States in the areas of public management and administration, information and technology management, and public finance and budgeting. SPAA also falls within the top-25 graduate programs nationally in public affairs, city management and urban policy, non-profit management, and public policy analysis.

SPAA now ranks higher in six categories compared to the 2008 rankings:

• in public management and administration (SPAA’s core field of study) (7^th, up from 10^th);
• in the broader category of public affairs (23^rd, up from 32^nd);
• information and technology management (4^th, up from 9^th);
• public finance and budgeting (10^th, up from 11^th);
• city management and urban policy (11^th, up from 14^th);
• public policy analysis (24^th, up from 32^nd); and
• non-profit management (18^th, no change).

The rankings are based on the results of a peer assessment survey completed in 2011 by deans, directors and department chairs representing 266 master’s programs. The survey measures the academic quality of each program on a scale of 5 (distinguished) to 1 (marginal).

According to Dr. Marc Holzer, dean of SPAA, “We are really pleased that SPAA has gained signficant ground in public administration ratings areas and is now in the top ten in public management and administration, technology and finance/budgeting. This is a tribute to the faculty, staff, alumni and students who exemplify the highest levels of scholarship, teaching and practice in our field. Many of our faculty, staff and alumni are leaders in our national and international journals and associations.”

MORE ABOUT SPAA

Founded in 2006, SPAA is the first new school established at Rutgers University in more than 20 years. SPAA’s mission encompasses competence, diversity, knowledge and service, and the school faculty members equip future leaders and educators with the tools necessary to efficiently and effectively deliver government services. It is the only such school at a public university in New Jersey. SPAA enhances New Jersey’s capacity to develop more effective government at all levels, offering degree and non-degree programs, research and technical assistance to make government more transparent to citizens. The school’s most recent initiatives include a national network on performance measurement and reporting, a municipal public performance measurement system, the development of the E-Governance Institute, and an undergraduate major in public service. For more information about the school, visit http://spaa.newark.rutgers.edu