The University of Massachusetts Amherst

School of Public Policy Unveils New Prospectus

Cover image of SPP brochure

The UMass Amherst School of Public has unveiled a new prospectus that celebrates the accomplishments of the program, which is in the midst of a multi-pronged expansion.

"Public policy education at UMass Amherst has a great tradition and an exciting future," SPP Director Alasdair Roberts writes in an introductory letter. This year marks the fiftieth anniversary of the establishment of the university's first graduate degree in public affairs — a program that over the decades has grown to become what is now the School of Public Policy.

The prospectus highlights recent developments at SPP, including the creation of a one-year Master of Public Policy degree and the expansion of its two-year Master of Public Policy and Administration program. In addition, SPP will launch an undergraduate public policy major, with a focus on social change, in the fall of 2022.

SPP's faculty is growing as well. The program added its first tenure-line faculty members in 2019 and has hired six new faculty members since 2020, with more hiring in the next few years. The new members join SPP's core of highly regarded multidisciplinary faculty. 

"We're honored by recognition of our progress," adds Roberts, noting that SPP is now in the top twenty-five percent of graduate public affairs programs in the United States, according to US News & World Report. The School of Public Policy has risen by twenty-eight spots in the rankings since 2014 and is the top-ranked program at any Massachusetts public university and in the top five overall in New England.

In addition to faculty, the prospectus spotlights SPP's students and alumni, highlighting the passions and interests that bring students to the program and the many ways they effect positive social change after graduation. "Our aim is to build a world in which all people are empowered and treated with dignity," Roberts writes. "We pursue this aim in many ways — professional education, research, and policy dialogue."

The piece was designed by Susan Bergeron-West of Sirius Design.

View or download the School of Public Policy prospectus

About the School of Public Policy: Established in 2016, the UMass Amherst School of Public Policy prepares students for leadership in public service. The program’s focuses include social change and public policy related to science and technology.

Contact: Maureen Turner, associate director for marketing and communications, School of Public Policy

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