The American University School of Public Affairs (SPA) is an
institution of
higher education
Higher education is tertiary education leading to award of an academic degree. Higher education, also called post-secondary education, third-level or tertiary education, is an optional final stage of formal learning that occurs after comple ...
and
research
Research is " creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge". It involves the collection, organization and analysis of evidence to increase understanding of a topic, characterized by a particular attentiveness ...
located in
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
that grants
academic degrees in
political science
Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...
,
public administration
Public Administration (a form of governance) or Public Policy and Administration (an academic discipline) is the implementation of public policy, administration of government establishment (public governance), management of non-profit est ...
,
public policy
Public policy is an institutionalized proposal or a decided set of elements like laws, regulations, guidelines, and actions to solve or address relevant and real-world problems, guided by a conception and often implemented by programs. Public p ...
, and justice, law and criminology. Established in 1934 as part of
American University, the school houses three academic departments - Public Administration & Policy, Government, and Justice, Law & Criminology - as well as ten centers and institutes.
History
SPA was created on March 3, 1934, with a $4,000 grant from the
Rockefeller Foundation to provide training to 80 promising young federal government employees in downtown D.C. By 1937, its enrollment had grown to more than 1,000 students, and it quickly expanded its mission to include undergraduate and graduate degrees.
SPA's institutional role shifted several times over the next twenty years. In 1957, it was renamed the School of Government and Public Administration, and in 1973, it was combined with the existing Schools of Justice and International Service to become the College of Public and International Affairs. In 1988, the School of International Service was recreated as a freestanding school, and the College of Public and International Affairs was once again the School of Public Affairs.
The dean's office, department offices, and most faculty are located in Kerwin Hall. The executive education programs occupy the Watkins building, and some faculty and staff have offices in Hurst Hall.
Department of Public Administration & Policy
The Department of Public Administration & Policy (DPAP) is home to 32 full-time faculty members and enrolls about 70% of SPA's graduate students.
[http://www.american.edu/provost/oira/upload/ADRB-2013-14-web-version.pdf ]
Degree programs
*
Master of Public Administration
*
Master of Public Policy
The Master of Public Policy (MPP), is one of several public policy degrees. An MPP is a master's-level professional degree that provides training in policy analysis and program evaluation at public policy schools. The MPP program places a focu ...
* Master of Public Administration and Policy
* Key Executive Master of Public Administration
* Master of Science in
Organization Development
Organization development (OD) is the study and implementation of practices, systems, and techniques that affect organizational change, the goal of which is to modify an organization's performance and/or culture. The organizational changes are ...
* Ph.D. in Public Administration and Policy
The MPA, Key Executive MPA, and MPP are accredited by the
. The school is also an institutional member of the
Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management.
Research centers
* Center for Environmental Policy
* Center for Public Finance Research
* Institute for the Study of Public Policy Implementation
* Metropolitan Policy Center
Recognition
DPAP's programs are routinely recognized by ''
U.S. News & World Report'' as being among the top 20 in the country. In the 2020 ranking of graduate schools of public affairs, the department's masters programs are ranked 13th.
[https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-public-affairs-schools/public-affairs-rankings ]
Notable faculty
*
Cornelius Kerwin
Cornelius Martin "Neil" Kerwin (born April 10, 1949) is an American academic in public administration and former president of American University.
A 1971 undergraduate alumnus of American University, Kerwin continued his education with a Master o ...
, former president of American University
*
Laura Langbein
Laura Irwin Langbein is a quantitative methodologist and professor of public administration and policy at American University in Washington, D.C. She teaches quantitative methods, program evaluation, policy analysis, and public choice. Her artic ...
, quantitative methodologist and author of ''Public Program Evaluation: A Statistical Guide''
*
Howard E. McCurdy, space policy expert and author of ''Space and the American Imagination''
*
Kenneth J. Meier Kenneth J. Meier (born March 3, 1950) is a distinguished scholar in residence at American University and holds faculty appointments at the Cardiff School of Business (UK) and Leiden University (the Netherlands). He is known for his studies on public ...
, Founder of the Journal of
Behavioral Public Administration
Behavioral Public Administration (BPA) is the study of psychological methods and findings in political administrative settings, that is, cognitive and decision biases and discriminations by bureaucrats, the interaction between citizens and bureauc ...
and an expert on the political economy of regulatory agencies
*
David H. Rosenbloom, expert on administrative law and the
National Partnership for Reinventing Government
The National Partnership for Reinventing Government (NPR), originally the National Performance Review, was an interagency task force created under the Clinton administration to reform the way the United States federal government works. The NPR was ...
*
Barbara S. Romzek, expert on public management, accountability, and government reform.
Department of Government
The Department of Government is home to 29 full-time faculty members
and focuses primarily on offering undergraduate
political science
Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...
courses to its 900 majors.
The Department of Government's three undergraduate academic advisers are Nathan Williamson, Tyler Poling, Jamie Juene, and Monica Barrera. James Helms is the administrative assistant.
Degree programs
* Bachelors of Arts in Political Science, Communication, Legal Institutions, Economics, and Government (CLEG),
Justice and Law, Legal Studies
* Master of Arts in Political Science
* Master of Arts in Political Communication
* Master of Science in Data Science
* Ph.D. in Political Science
Research centers
*
Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies
Founded in 1979, American University's Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies (CCPS) serves scholars, students, policymakers and the public by propelling actionable research, providing public education and promoting reasonable democrati ...
* Center for Data Science
* Political Theory Institute
*
Women & Politics Institute
The Women & Politics Institute (WPI) is a research institute located in the School of Public Affairs at American University, in Washington, D.C. Their mission is to close the gender gap in political leadership. The institute provides young women ...
* First Ladies Initiative
* Peace & Violence Research Lab
* Washington Institute for Public Affairs Research
* Analytics and Management Institute
* Project on Civil Discourse
Recognition
''
U.S. News & World Report'' ranks the Department of Government at #72 in the field of political science. The
National Research Council National Research Council may refer to:
* National Research Council (Canada), sponsoring research and development
* National Research Council (Italy), scientific and technological research, Rome
* National Research Council (United States), part of ...
ranks the department among the top 100 programs in the United States.
Notable faculty
*
William M. LeoGrande, professor, co-author of "Back Channel to Cuba: The Hidden History of Negotiations between Washington and Havana"
* David Lublin, marriage equality advocate and town mayor of
Chevy Chase, Maryland
*
Jennifer Lawless, former candidate for office and current manager of
Women and Politics Institute
*
Connie Morella
Constance Morella (; née Albanese; born February 12, 1931) is an American politician and diplomat. She represented in the United States House of Representatives from 1987 to 2003. She served as Permanent Representative from the U.S. to the Organ ...
, former U.S. representative from Maryland's 8th District
*
Karen O'Connor
Karen Lende O'Connor (born February 17, 1958) is an American equestrian who competes in three-day eventing. Although she did not come from a family of equestrians, her interest in horses started at an early age, and she received her first hor ...
, author of best-selling introductory American government text ''American Government: Roots and Reform''
*
James A. Thurber
James Allen Thurber (born May 29, 1943) is university distinguished professor of government and founder (1979) and former director (1979-2016) of the Center for Congressional and
Presidential Studies (american.edu/spa/ccps) and affiliate distingu ...
, author of ''Obama in Office'' and campaign management specialist
Department of Justice, Law, & Criminology
The Department of Justice, Law & Criminology is home to 24 full-time faculty, 210 undergraduate majors, and approximately 85 graduate students.
JLC is home to AU's
mock trial
A mock trial is an act or imitation trial. It is similar to a moot court, but mock trials simulate lower-court trials, while moot court simulates appellate court hearings. Attorneys preparing for a real trial might use a mock trial consisti ...
team, which has become a nationally competitive squad under the guidance of faculty coach Don Martin.
Degree programs
* Undergraduate majors in Justice and Law & Society
* M.S. in Justice, Law, & Criminology
* M.S. in Terrorism and Homeland Security Policy
* Ph.D. in Justice, Law & Criminology
Research centers
* Justice Programs Office
* Wrongful Convictions Project
Notes
External links
Official website
{{Authority control
American University