Five master’s degree programs offered by the Schar School of Policy and Government are ranked in the Top 50 in the country according to the latest U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Master’s Program Rankings.”
The annual rankings are based on statistical surveys of some 2,054 programs and from reputational reports from 22,018 academic professionals. (Note: Programs around the country have different foci and emphases, so the names provided by U.S. News often do not match those of programs in any given school.)
The Schar School’s programs and concentrations in security studies are rated 10th in the country, putting them close to Harvard University and Columbia University. As defined by the Program Rankings, security studies includes the school’s international security and biodefense programs, as well as a concentration in emergency management and homeland security, and an emphasis in national security.
Centers supported by those programs include the Terrorism, Transnational Crime and Corruption Center (TraCCC), the Center for Security Policy Studies, and the Michael V. Hayden Center for Intelligence, Policy, and International Studies. No other university in the region placed in the Top 10 in these areas.
"The Schar School is honored to have five Top 50 national program rankings, including our international security program that in its most recent three years has been in the Top 10 each year,” said Schar School Dean Mark J. Rozell. “These strong rankings are validation of the quality education we deliver to our students across several fields of government and public policy studies."
The Local Government Management program placed in the Top 20 at No. 19 in the country. Public Management/Leadership is ranked 28th best in the country. Those categories draw on the strength of the Schar School’s Master’s in Public Administration degree, which includes the Northern Virginia Public Service Fellows Program. No other regional universities were ranked by U.S. News in local government management.
The Schar School’s Public Policy program is tied with the University of Virginia, ranking 30th in the country. Overall Public Affairs at the Schar School is in the Top 50 of the country, at 49. Public Affairs programs measured in the survey include public policy, economics, analysis, and management.
ABOUT THE SCHAR SCHOOL
The Schar School of Policy and Government is one of the 10 schools and colleges of George Mason University with approximately 2,000 students, 90 full-time faculty members, and 13 degree programs offered on Mason’s campuses in Fairfax and Arlington, Va. Among the degree programs are government and international affairs, public policy, public administration, political science, international security, and international commerce and policy. The Schar School prepares undergraduate and graduate students to be leaders and managers who solve problems and advance the public good in all sectors and levels of government—in the United States and throughout the world.
For more, contact Communications Manager Buzz McClain at bmcclai2@gmu.edu.
A dynamic education for an evolving world.