The Master of Public Administration Program at the University of Georgia is one of the nation's best for public service education. It is the highest rankedgraduate degree program at UGA and is ranked 4th in the nation among hundreds of public affairs programs. (U.S. News & World Report, 2008). The MPA Program is fully accredited by the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration (NASPAA). To accommodate working professionals, courses are offered in the evenings at UGA's main campus in Athens and at the University of Georgia at Gwinnett in suburban Atlanta.

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The mission of the PhD Program at the University of Georgia is to achieve distinction as a leader in public administration and policy education and research. Our students are actively involved in pursuing this mission. Over the past decade, our PhD graduates have received more national dissertation awards in public administration -- thirteen -- than graduates from any other school. Our faculty enjoy national
and international reputations, and the placement record for graduates is excellent.

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MPA Students Gain Real-World Experience Through Partnership With Georgia Municipal Association

From left to right, Tyler Reinagel, Grace Bagwell, GMA Executive Director Jim Higdon, Leigh Tenewitz, Phil Brown and Michael Leinwand. Photo is from GMA website.

MPA students enrolled in the Department of Public Administration and Policy's Local Government Practicum made their final presentations to their client cities, guest city officials and Georgia Municipal Association staff on Thursday, December 11, 2008. The Local Government Practicum is led by Professor Joe Whorton, and provides students with a semester of real-world experience working with a city government.

Working with the Roswell City Administrator, Grace Bagwell prepared a strategy for employing “Millenials” – also known as Generation Y. Phil Brown worked with the city of Cornelia to develop a proposed strategy for the redevelopment of housing in one of the city’s neighborhoods. Michael Leinwand assisted Winder with an analysis of the city’s operating budget. Tyler Reinagel worked with city officials in Douglas to develop a business plan for the city’s municipal compost service. Leigh Tenewitz worked with the Athens Nurses’ Clinic, a nonprofit organization in Athens, Georgia, to develop a business model for the clinic.

Professor Rainey Wins Waldo Award

Dr. Hal Rainey has been selected to receive the 2009 Dwight Waldo Award from the American Society for Public Administration. 

The Waldo Award is presented to persons who have made outstanding contributions to the professional literature of public administration over an extended career. To be eligible the nominee must have had at least one article published in Public Administration Review and a minimum of 25 years of active scholarship that has furthered the discipline of public administration.