Where public affairs education, research and service meet:
The Trachtenberg Experience
The Trachtenberg School of Public Policy & Public Administration
according to U.S. News & World Report’s 2021 rankings of public affairs schools
of 2018 graduates were employed in their field within six months of graduation
of top journals in public affairs include our faculty as editors or authors.
of our student-run journal, Policy Perspectives (we’ve got a blog and the GW Wonkcast podcast, too)
Graduate Virtual Open House: October 18–28
Registration is open for the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences (CCAS) Graduate Virtual Open House! The online event includes program-specific information sessions and opportunities to engage with current graduate students, faculty and our admissions team.
The Trachtenberg School is hosting information sessions for prospective graduate students on Tuesday, October 19, and Wednesday, October 20.
Our Programs
Explore the three masters degrees, one PhD, and multiple graduate certificates to determine which Trachtenberg School degree is right for you. All programs are academically rigorous and dedicated to preparing graduates for opportunities across academia as well as the public, private and nonprofit sectors.
Our People
“At least twice a day, I use things I learned in Trachtenberg School classes about evaluation, statistics and nonprofit management to improve the programming at my current job."
Mariah Brothe Gantz
Master of Public Administration, 2017
Faculty in the Trachtenberg School are researchers, teachers, mentors and advocates. Faculty conduct in-depth research on a variety of issues and bring their findings into the classroom to ensure their courses are as up-to-date as possible.
Alumni of the Trachtenberg School believe that informed and engaged citizens bring positive change to all sectors of society and make a difference in jobs including governments at the local, state or federal levels, nonprofits, consulting firms, international organizations, academia, research and think tanks.
Attend classes part-time or full-time. Be in the heart of Washington, D.C. and apply your knowledge to opportunities with world-changing organizations a few minutes away from your classroom. Connect with like-minded students, faculty and alumni also committed to doing good and doing it well.
Our Work
At the Trachtenberg School, we integrate theory and practice. Faculty and students conduct detailed and respected research on a variety of public policy and administrative topics.
Climate justice. Healthcare reform. Gender equality. These topics (and many others) are the research focus of Trachtenberg School faculty and students. Research conducted at the Trachtenberg School is timely, technical and theoretically sound. Students publish in Policy Perspectives, our student-run policy journal, and faculty are subject-matter experts featured in leading academic journals and the media.
To ensure students can take the theoretical and apply it to the world, students in the Trachtenberg School take a Capstone Seminar as their final core course. Teams of students provide substantive pro bono research and evaluation services to a real client. Apply what you've learned in class to analyze a significant policy issue for your client and then present your findings to the school and your client.
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