The School of Public Affairs and Administration (SPAA)
at Rutgers-Newark is highly recognized for its knowledge and competence in public service and administration, with particular attention to the fields of performance measurement, management, and improvement.

Guided by the principles of Knowledge, Competence, Diversity, and Service – with an emphasis on public service values and competencies for effective performance – SPAA promotes accountability, transparency, and performance in the public and nonprofit sectors.

Rutgers SPAA is highly ranked by U.S. News and World Report and accredited by NASPAA - the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration.

Exemplary Students

Rutgers SPAA educates and motivates students to choose careers in public service and administration through its innovative and comprehensive undergraduate program in Public Service (BA), Master of Public Administration (MPA), Executive MPA, PhD, and professional and graduate certificate programs.

• Over 1,000 students are registered annually in SPAA’s PhD, Master of Public Administration (MPA), Executive MPA, Masters in Public Health, and BA in Public Service degree programs, as well as our many certificate programs.

• Over 25% of SPAA students are international, representing over 30 countries.

• SPAA graduates are teaching and gaining tenure at dozens of universities and holding executive-level positions in the nonprofit and public sectors in the U.S. and around the world.

World Class Faculty

The school’s faculty generates knowledge and best practices in public service and administration, and collaborates with public and nonprofit sector organizations and professionals throughout the U.S. and the world.

• SPAA has over 25 faculty whose areas of expertise include public and nonprofit management and administration, public performance measurement and reporting, public budgeting and finance, economic development, health, and urban affairs.

• Five faculty are members of the Congressionally-chartered National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA).

• In the last three years, SPAA faculty have published over 40 books.­

• Members of SPAA faculty have been presidents of the major organizations in the public administration field, including the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA), the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration (NASPAA), and the Public Management Research Association (PMRA).

• SPAA faculty have won major awards in the field, including the NASPAA/ASPA Distinguished Research Award (2 faculty); the ASPA Dwight Waldo Career Research Award; the ASPA Joseph Wholey Distinguished Scholarship Award (2 faculty); the ASPA Charles H. Levine Award for Excellence in Public Administration Research, Teaching, and Service (2 faculty); and the American Political Science Association’s Herbert Simon Award for Best Book.