Mission Statements

The Trachtenberg School enhances the quality of democratic governance. We equip aspiring and current public service professionals coming from wide-ranging backgrounds with the tools to analyze policy and lead and manage organizations and teams. Our faculty’s scholarship informs debate on current and emerging policy and administration issues. We foster effective teaching to prepare students for active and reflective engagement in pursuit of the public interest.  

We value: respect for differences of all kinds, social equity, kindness, collaboration, fairness, civility, humility and inclusivity

MPA Mission Statement

The Master of Public Administration program at the Trachtenberg School prepares students for leading and managing public service organizations and programs in all sectors.

MPP Mission Statement

The Master of Public Policy program at the Trachtenberg School prepares students for leading, managing, and conducting public policy analysis, evaluation, and research in all sectors. 

Master of Arts in Environmental Resource Policy (ENRP) Mission Statement

The ENRP MA program prepares students for environmental policy careers in government, non-profit organizations, and the private sector. Our students are able to work at the intersection of the natural and human worlds on a broad and ever-evolving set of issues such as climate change, urban sustainability, biodiversity, environmental justice, land, air, and water pollution, renewable and nonrenewable resource use, and food and agriculture.

PhD Mission Statement

The multidisciplinary PhD program in Public Policy and Administration is designed to develop a range of competencies needed to undertake sophisticated research in public policy and public administration. Fundamental to the development of these competencies is a mastery of subjects in multiple academic disciplines, including politics, economics and quantitative and/or qualitative methods in policy research. Built upon the diversity and strengths of academic departments and faculty distributed throughout the Trachtenberg School and the University community, the programs offers an exceptional education across these disciplines.
 

Commitment to Teaching Quality

A Statement of the Trachtenberg School

We value:

  • Providing outstanding learning experiences for all students;
  • Providing useful and timely feedback to our students on their work;
  • Consistently receiving and incorporating feedback from our students and alumni about ways to enhance our teaching; and
  • Working collaboratively with our faculty colleagues, alumni, and employers to ensure the integrity and saliency of our curricula.

We use multiple processes to obtain data to help us evaluate our courses and our curricula:

  • Each individual course is evaluated by all students using forms that include both close-ended and open-ended questions;
  • Feedback on the curriculum and all school services and support is collected from all graduating MPA and MPP students during the capstone classes;
  • Capstone presentations are evaluated  to assess student competencies by faculty and alumni using structured feedback forms;
  • The overall program is reviewed using survey findings from alumni about their experience in the program;
  • The School’s program directors, as well as the faculty, meet at least annually to consider the student and alumni feedback about the curricula;
  • The School’s program directors meet at least annually to consider student feedback about the courses and instructors;
  • The School’s Advisory Board is consulted at biannual meetings about curricular matters and competencies needed in the workplace.
     

Trachtenberg School by the Numbers

Hajar stands with Washington Monument in background

In 2019-2020

  • 17 core faculty 
  • 68 full-time and part-time faculty teaching courses related to the Trachtenberg School degrees
  • 431 students
  • 162 MPA students 
  • 144 MPP students
  • 21 MA in ENRP students
  • 73 PhD Students
  • 31 Certificate students
  • Median Undergrad GPA: 3.6

International student talks with fellow female

MPA/MPP Statistics for Students Entering in Fall 2019

  • 77 Typical GRE verbal percentile
  • 54 Typical GRE quantitative percentile 
  • 75 Typical GRE writing percentile 
  • 25 Median age of students in the program 
  • 21-46 Age range of students 
  • 32% Students who are of racial minority heritage 
  • 13% Students who are of international heritage 
  • 63% Students who attend full-time 
  • 37% Students who attend part-time 

Recent Graduate Employment Statistics

For the 107 students who graduated with MPA and MPP degrees in August or December 2017 or May 2018 (invited to walk in May 2018) we learned the following employment information through surveys and research six months following their graduation. This represents ninety-two percent of the graduates.

MPA Class of 2018 Employment Statistics Six Month Post Graduation 

State, Provincial or Regional Government in the U.S. 1
City, County or other Local Government in the U.S. 0
Government not in the U.S. or International Quasi-governmental 9
Nonprofit domestic-oriented 9
Private Sector -- Research/Consulting 4
Private Sector but not Research/Consulting 8
Obtaining Further Education 7
Military Service 2
Unemployed (not seeking employment) 4
TOTAL 44
MPP Class of 2018 Employment Statistics Six Month Post Graduation 
State, Provincial or Regional Government in the U.S. 2
City, County or other Local Government in the U.S. 2
Government not in the U.S. or International Quasi-governmental 17
Nonprofit domestic-oriented 10
Nonprofit/NGOs Internationally-oriented 4
Private Sector -- Research/Consulting 5
Private Sector but not Research/Consulting 17
Obtaining Further Education 2
Military Service 0
TOTAL 59

MPA and MPP Graduation Rates

MPA Graduation Rates 2011-2015

Cohort Number Graduated in 2 Years Graduated in 2.5 Years Graduated in 3 Years Graduated in 4 Years Total Graduated
2011 71 62% 22% 13% 0% 97%
2012 62 61% 13% 18% 0% 92%
2013 54

70%

 17% 9% 1% 96%
2014 57 61% 21% 9% 2% 93%
2015 68 58% 30% 2% 0% 90%

MPP Graduation Rates 2011-2015

Cohort Number Graduated in 2 Years Graduated in 2.5 Years Graduated in 3 Years Graduated in 4 Years Total Graduated
2011 73 62% 15% 15% 0% 92%
2012  57 58%

9%

 25% 5% 96%
2013 62 60% 10% 19% 0% 89%
2014 55 73% 7% 7% 5% 93%
2015 67 71% 15% 5% 0% 92%