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Student Success The UGA School of Public and International Affairs’ mission to spread knowledge cements our reputation as one of the nation’s best programs.
The School of Public and International Affairs (SPIA) at the University of Georgia once again ranks among the top public affairs graduate schools in the nation, according to U.S. News & World Report. In the 2025 edition, SPIA ties for fourth place.
UGA has consistently ranked among the top-10 public affairs programs for over two decades. Among specialty rankings, SPIA is second in Public Management and Leadership, third in Public Finance and Budgeting, and fifth in Local Government Management.
As Matthew Auer, Dean of the School of Public and International Affairs points out, much of the credit goes to SPIA’s educators.
“Public administration and policy faculty at SPIA are exemplars of the ‘continuous improvement,’ model – continually honing their craft as instructors, mentors, and experts,” remarked Auer. “Our students and alumni are solving problems in locations far and wide – enabled by outstanding teachers and dedicated staff.”
Created at the start of the 21st century, SPIA was conceived as “a new school for a new millennium,” designed to enhance civic engagement, public leadership, scholarship on political institutions and policy, and effective governance.
In other words, to provide the tools that will help make a positive difference.
“Science and reasoning are starting points for our school. Even more fundamentally, we’re concerned about democracy, a thriving republic, and how to prevent both from unraveling,” said Auer. “Millennials and Generation Z are inheriting the world. We’re training two generations of leaders who, if we get it right, will preserve and strengthen our democracy.”
The effect is evident in UGA SPIA senior Mariah Cady, who was named a 2024 Rhodes Scholar. During her upcoming Master’s of study at Oxford University, she plans to engage in critical reflection on the ways in which governments can enhance refugee resettlement policies.
Opportunities to learn and get involved abound for students as SPIA continues to foster partnerships with local governments through MPA Director Eric Zeemering’s local government practicum Maymester class. For the last three years, MPA students have spent the first month of their summer break helping rural cities perform housing assessments. Students gained firsthand experience collecting and analyzing data while learning about housing policy, state and federal grants, and community development.
In collaboration with the Carl Vinson Institute of Government, which helped establish the MPA program in 1966, SPIA trains students to be skilled public servants and trusted partners for the communities they serve.
While rankings are incredible points of pride, it’s really the mission that drives SPIA’s students and staff.
“By 2028, Millennials and Generation Z will compose the majority of the U.S. electorate. Now is a good time to prepare for that moment, including by educating young voters about the fragility of democracy, the rule of law, and the role of government,” Auer noted. “It is difficult to name a more essential set of duties for our own School of Public and International Affairs (SPIA). We are the University of Georgia’s principal training ground for good citizenship.”
