Why Rutgers SPAA

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Rutgers SPAA: Where Service Meets Leadership

Students from across the region and around the globe come to Rutgers School of Public Affairs and Administration (SPAA) to experience a world-class education from renowned faculty, to learn cutting-edge knowledge and skills, to advance their careers, and to help create a better world.

> Discover why Rutgers SPAA is the place for aspiring leaders to gain the knowledge and skills required for successful Careers in government or the nonprofit sector
> Learn about our exceptional Students
> Read stories about our Alumni to see what they do with their degrees from SPAA

A World-Class Education

Rutgers SPAA educates and motivates students through its innovative, world-class degree programs – Public and Nonprofit Administration (BA), Master of Public Administration (MPA), Executive MPA, and PhD – and professional and graduate certificate programs.

• More than 800 students are registered annually in SPAA’s degree programs, as well as our many certificate programs.
• Over 25% of SPAA students are international.
• Courses are offered both on campus and online.
• SPAA graduates hold executive-level positions in the the nonprofit and public sectors in the U.S. and around the world.

Renowned & Engaged Faculty

The school’s award-winning Faculty generates knowledge and best practices in public and nonprofit administration, and collaborates with organizations and professional networks in the region as well across the country and around the globe.

• SPAA has over 20 faculty members whose research areas include public administration, nonprofit management, human resources and labor relations, public finance and budgeting, administrative law, health administration, philanthropy, international affairs, urban policy, and other areas of expertise.
• Our faculty has published hundreds of articles in leading journals and authored dozens of books that shape knowledge and influence policy and practice.
• SPAA faculty has won major awards and have been elected NAPA Fellows – the National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA) is a non-partisan organization chartered by Congress to advance government practices through studies and projects held to the highest standards of efficiency and excellence.
• Members of SPAA's faculty hold leadership roles in major professional organizations, including the:
  – American Society for Public Administration (ASPA)
  – Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action (ARNOVA)
  – Public Management Research Association (PMRA)
  – Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration (NASPAA)
  – International Research Society for Public Management (IRSPM)
  – Association for Budgeting and Financial Management (ABFM)

Cutting-Edge Research

SPAA is a hub of cutting-edge Research in the field of public affairs and administration. Through our Centers & Institutes, SPAA furthers its mission to generate and diffuse knowledge and best practices. And SPAA’s Projects & Initiatives help to serve the community and address pressing social issues. Through various Journal Editorships, housed at SPAA, our faculty help publish research that reaches other scholars and students across the globe.

Diversity & Opportunity: Rutgers University–Newark

Rutgers University–Newark is known for the extraordinary racial, ethnic, and cultural diversity of its student body. And the campus is actively engaged with the Newark community, the State of New Jersey, and the nation.

• Rutgers University–Newark ranks highest among schools in the Northeast for the diversity of its students and faculty in the Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education College Rankings.
• RU-N is one of 119 U.S. colleges and universities to receive the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching’s Community Engagement Classification, an elective designation that indicates institutional commitment to community engagement.
• Alumni of Rutgers-Newark have attained national and international distinction in many professions and disciplines. Prominent graduates include United States senators and congressmen, New Jersey Supreme Court justices, and leaders in the fields of law, nursing and health care, business, arts and humanities, and the public sector.

For More Information

To learn more, Request Information or Join a SPAA Info Session. If you have questions about a program or the application process, contact Aaron Gibbs, associate dean of student and academic services, at algibbs@rutgers.edu.