Skip to main content
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • Videos
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Library
    • Research
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Media, Law & Policy
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • |
  • Alumni
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
Sections
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • |
  • Alumni
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • Videos
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Library
    • Research
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Media, Law & Policy

Maxwell School Ranks No. 1 for Public Affairs in 2020

Tuesday, March 19, 2019, By Jessica Smith
Share
Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs

The Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs is once again ranked #1 in the nation for graduate education in public affairs, according to the latest U.S. News & World Report reputational survey. This year, the Maxwell School shares the #1 ranking with Indiana University Bloomington. Maxwell has consistently ranked among the top schools since the category was created in 1995.

sculpture inside Maxwell Hal

“This is an exciting time to be part of the Maxwell School and Syracuse University,” says Dean David M. Van Slyke. “As a student-centered college of social science and public affairs within a top-tier R1 research university, the school is uniquely positioned to examine and prepare graduates to manage across the spectrum of contemporary and emerging policy issues.”

Among specialty areas, Maxwell remains #1 in public management and leadership, and #2 in the areas of nonprofit management as well as public finance and budgeting. The school also ranked highly in nine other specialties, including excellence in information and technology management (#4), international global policy and administration (#6), public policy analysis (#7) and environmental policy and management (#8), among others.

“The Maxwell School was established nearly a century ago for the express purpose of elevating the professional practice of public administration and empowering individuals with the knowledge and skills to make a difference in their communities and in the world,” says Robert Bifulco, associate dean and chair of public administration and international affairs (PAIA). “We strive continuously to move the discipline forward by reinvesting in our strengths—that is, our teaching and research excellence across the social sciences and public administration, and opportunities for students and faculty to engage in interdisciplinary discovery across policy areas through Maxwell’s ten research centers and institutes.”

New Initiatives

In January, the Maxwell School announced a new campus-wide initiative to support teaching and interdisciplinary research of Autonomous Systems Policy, Law and Governance. The initiative will leverage Syracuse University’s breadth of expertise at the intersection of technology and policymaking, drawing from the fields of public administration, social science, public health, the humanities, law, engineering, business, data science and communications.

“This initiative will give students incredible exposure to, and expertise in, the field and allow faculty to reach across disciplinary lines to conduct much-needed research into the policy implications of our increasing reliance on autonomous technologies,” says Chair and Professor of Geography Jamie Winders, who is leading the effort. On May 6, the school will host the Autonomous Systems Policy Initiative Symposium to convene University faculty and outside experts on autonomous systems to shape and structure the effort.

Earlier this year, Maxwell announced a new data analytics for public policy area of study for master of public administration (M.P.A.) degree candidates, and added an internship option for all M.P.A. candidates. “Maxwell alumni already enjoy meaningful careers in data science and data analysis at institutions like the World Bank, the Government Accountability Office, the NYS Department of Education, in private companies, and in academic research settings,” says Bifulco. “Codifying this as an area of study will allow us to deepen and expand our strong relationships with employers in this area and ensure that Maxwell remains at the leading edge of this rapidly evolving field.”

The school also launched a “fast-track” B.A./M.A.I.R. program, through which any undergraduate at Syracuse University may apply, in their junior year, to prepare for direct matriculation into Maxwell’s highly ranked master’s program in international relations. Students in this four-plus-one program, after completing their bachelor’s degree, immediately begin work on an M.A., which they receive after one full year of graduate study, decreasing the usual timeframe by a full semester.

Also for undergraduates, Maxwell added an integrated learning major in environment, sustainability and policy, a new interdisciplinary double major program for students looking to complement their base major in the social or natural sciences, or one of the professional schools.

About the Rankings

The U.S. News 2020 rankings of public affairs programs, completed in 2019, are based solely on a survey of deans, directors and department chairs representing 285 master’s programs in public affairs and administration. Two surveys were sent to each school. The response rate was 52 percent. Respondents were asked to rate the academic quality of the master’s programs on a scale of 1 (marginal) to 5 (outstanding). The M.P.A. programs at Syracuse University and the University of Indiana Bloomington each earned an average rating of 4.4 out of 5.

  • Author

Jessica Smith

  • Recent
  • Eight New Recruits Begin Campus Peace Officer Academy
    Thursday, May 19, 2022, By Christine Weber
  • Media Tip Sheet: Consequences of China Lockdown
    Thursday, May 19, 2022, By Vanessa Marquette
  • Dean Rajiv ‘Raj’ Dewan to Step Down as Dean of the School of Information Studies
    Thursday, May 19, 2022, By News Staff
  • 2022 Graduates Reflect on Service as Academic Coaches
    Thursday, May 19, 2022, By Ellen de Graffenreid
  • Funding Expands for Newhouse Professors’ Work on Technology to Combat Fake News
    Wednesday, May 18, 2022, By Wendy S. Loughlin

More In Media, Law & Policy

Funding Expands for Newhouse Professors’ Work on Technology to Combat Fake News

Two professors from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications who are working on the development of technology to detect manipulated media and combat the spread of fake news are supported by a subcontract that now tops $1.1 million, thanks…

As the School of Education’s Italy Program Returns, Sara Jo Soldovieri ’18, G’19 Reflects on Its Influence

Now a doctoral student researching inclusive education, Sara Jo Soldovieri ’18, G’19 was a sophomore when she took Literacy, Inclusion and Diversity in Italy, a study abroad short course offered by the School of Education and Syracuse Abroad. Soldovieri matriculated…

New Law Scholarship Honors the Ongoing Legacy of the Hon. Theodore A. McKee L’75

Syracuse University College of Law is pleased to announce the establishment of the Hon. Theodore A. McKee L’75 Endowed Law Scholarship with a generous gift from Syracuse University Trustee and College of Law Board of Advisors Member Richard M. Alexander…

College of Law Holds Commencement for Class of 2022

On Friday, May 6, the College of Law held Commencement for its 199 J.D. and 33 LL.M. graduates. The event, the first in-person Commencement since 2019, featured the first cohort of graduating online J.D. students. Luke Cooper L’01, CEO of…

College of Law Graduates Inaugural Class of Its Groundbreaking Online JDinteractive Program

On May 6, students in the inaugural class of Syracuse University College of Law’s first-of-its-kind JDinteractive (JDi) program graduated alongside their peers in the college’s residential J.D. program. JDi, a fully ABA-accredited program, was the first to combine live online…

Subscribe to SU Today

If you need help with your subscription, contact sunews@syr.edu.

Connect With Us

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
Social Media Directory

For the Media

Find an Expert Follow @SyracuseUNews
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
  • @SyracuseU
  • @SyracuseUNews
  • @SUCampus
  • Social Media Directory
  • Accessibility
  • Privacy
  • Campus Status
  • Syracuse.edu
© 2022 Syracuse University News. All Rights Reserved.