Media, Law & Policy

Maxwell School Again Ranks No. 1 in U.S. News & World Report Ranking

Tuesday, March 17, 2020, By Jessica Smith

The Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University once again ranks No. 1 in the nation for public affairs according to the U.S. News & World Report reputational survey. This year, Maxwell shares the top ranking with Indiana University’s O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs.

For 25 years, since U.S. News began ranking graduate public affairs programs in 1995, Maxwell has held the No. 1 spot in every survey except one. This is the 10th time the survey has been conducted. According to Maxwell Dean David M. Van Slyke, this consistency is a testament to the school’s commitment to providing the very best undergraduate and graduate education in public affairs and to preparing service-minded professionals and informed citizens to address the challenges of a complex world.

“We are grateful to receive the recognition of our peers, at the same time we recognize with deep appreciation the excellence and hard work of our colleagues and friends at institutions around the country,” says Van Slyke. “Collectively our work has never been more important as public-service oriented professionals around the world are mobilizing in response to the coronavirus pandemic. They are a powerful example of the essential role that public service plays, on the front lines and behind-the-scenes, in times of crisis and in times of calm.”

Among specialty areas, Maxwell remains No. 1 in Public Management and Leadership and No. 2 in the areas of Nonprofit Management and Public Finance and Budgeting. The school also ranks highly in six other specialties, including International Global Policy and Administration (No. 4), Public Policy Analysis (No. 7), Local Government Management (No. 7), Environmental Policy and Management (No. 8), Urban Policy (No. 10) and Social Policy (No. 14).

The U.S. News 2021 rankings of public affairs programs, completed in early 2020, are based solely on peer assessment surveys sent to deans, directors and department chairs representing 276 master’s programs in public affairs and administration. Two surveys were sent to each school. The response rate was 62 percent. Respondents were asked to rate the academic quality of the master’s programs on a scale of one (marginal) to five (outstanding). The MPA programs at Syracuse University and Indiana University-Bloomington each earned an average rating of 4.4 out of 5.