Maxwell School Proudly Ranks No. 1 for Public Affairs in 2025
The Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs has earned the No. 1 overall spot in the latest U.S. News & World Report Best Public Affairs Schools rankings. This year’s top ranking follows Maxwell’s yearlong celebration of its founding 100 years ago as the first school in the nation to offer a one-year graduate program in public administration.
“We are honored to be recognized for our work by peers at institutions of higher education dedicated to public service,” says Dean David M. Van Slyke. “It is a challenging time for many with a commitment to effective public service, yet our mission remains clear: to prepare the next generation of leaders dedicated to improving their communities, strengthening democracy and leaving the world better than they found it.”
The Best Public Affairs Schools rankings are based solely on surveys of deans, directors and department chairs representing 268 master’s programs in public affairs and public administration. Each school is numerically ranked by peer school leadership on a 5-point scale, with the average score determining the school’s overall rank. Additionally, survey respondents can nominate up to 15 schools for excellence in 12 subspecialties, with the number of nominations determining each school’s position in the ranking.
U.S. News began ranking graduate programs in public affairs in 1995. Since then, the Maxwell School has been ranked No. 1 in every survey but one. In addition, the school remains highly ranked in 10 subspecialties:
- Environmental policy and management
- Health policy and management
- International global policy and administration
- Information and technology management
- Local government management
- Non-profit management
- Public finance and budgeting
- Public management and leadership
- Public policy analysis
- Social policy
“We are honored for this recognition and thankful to our peers,” says Len Lopoo, associate dean, chair and professor of public administration and international affairs. “I believe it speaks to the tremendous research and teaching done by our faculty and the outstanding contributions to public affairs made by our many accomplished alums.”
Launched in 1924 as the School of American Citizenship by Syracuse University alumnus George Holmes Maxwell, the school began with a graduate program in public administration, an undergraduate citizenship course and a weekly seminar in political science. Today the school is home to 12 academic departments and 15 interdisciplinary research centers and institutes, where students and scholars grapple with a range of issues, including environmental sustainability; autonomous systems policy; population health and aging; law and security; conflict resolution; democracy and journalism; global affairs; and regional studies.
