Academic Advising for Master's Students
Academic advising in the Trachtenberg School has three parts: Choosing and planning classes, declaring a field of study and assignment to a relevant advisor in your field.
Trachtenberg School faculty are available to help students pick classes to get the most out of their experience.
Steps in the Advising Process
- Part I: When you enroll and before you declare a field of concentration, the Trachtenberg School Core Advising Teams can help you choose and plan your core classes.
- Part II: When you are ready to choose a field of study, complete the online Field of Study Declaration Form.
- Part III: Once you fill out the Field of Study Declaration Form, you will automatically be assigned to the relevant Field Advising Teams for the field (or the most closely related field if designing your own) for the duration of your MPA or MPP program.
Please note: Students earning a Master of Arts in Environmental and Sustainability Policy (MA-ESP) will be assigned to Rachel Emas as their advisor for the duration of their program. Additionally, students in the MA-ENRP do not pick a field of study.
Advising Team Directory
The advising teams of the Trachtenberg School are here to help students plan their classes. Please get in touch with the appropriate advisor if you have questions.
- MPAs with last names A-G: Prof. Anil Nathan
- MPAs with last names H-R: Prof. Michael Worth
- MPAs with last names S-Z: Prof. Anil Nathan
- MPAs who are active duty military: Prof. Jill Davis (Fall 2025); Prof. Anil Nathan (Fall 2025)
- BA-MPAs: Prof. Anil Nathan
- MPPs with last names A-R: Prof. Anil Nathan
- MPPs with last names S-Z: Prof. Kathy Newcomer
- MPPs who are active duty military: Prof. Jill Davis (Fall 2025); Prof. Anil Nathan (Fall 2025)
- BA-MPPs: Prof. Anil Nathan
- Budget and Public Finance (Prof. Joseph Cordes & Prof. Lang Kate Yang)
- Education Policy (Prof. Stephanie Cellini & Prof. Yas Nakib)
- Environmental Policy (Prof. Rachel Emas & Prof. Nina Kelsey)
- Health Policy (Prof. Anil Nathan & Prof. Sara Wilensky)
- Homeland Security and Emergency Management (Prof. Jill Davis (Fall 2025); Prof. Anil Nathan (Fall 2025)
- International Development (Prof. Jennifer Brinkerhoff & Prof. Robert Weiner)
- Managing State & Local Governments (Prof. Domonic Bearfield & Prof. Mary Tschirhart (On Leave)
- National Security & Foreign Policy (Prof. Joseph Cordes)
- Nonprofit Management (Prof. Michael Worth & Prof. Jasmine McGinnis Johnson (On Leave))
- Politics, Policy and Administration (Prof. Elizabeth Rigby & Prof. Lori Brainard)
- Program Evaluation and Policy Analysis (Prof. Stephanie Cellini & Prof. Kathy Newcomer)
- Public-Private Policy and Management (Prof. Christopher Carrigan & Prof. Kathy Newcomer)
- Regulatory Policy (Prof. Christopher Carrigan & Prof. Susan Dudley)
- Science and Technology Policy (Prof. Nina Kelsey & Prof. Scott Pace)
- Social Policy (Prof. Dylan Conger & Prof. Eiko Strader)
- Urban Policy (Prof. Leah Brooks)
“I love how approachable our faculty is. I felt very comfortable popping into any of my professors' offices to ask a question. I also found all of them to be accommodating and reasonable. They were respectful of the fact that many students work while being in school."
Brooke Siegel
MA-ENRP '20
Research and Communications Intern, World Resources Institute