The Ivy League public policy schools outlines the universities within the Ivy League that offer public policy or public administration degrees. These public policy schools often provide Bachelor of Arts (BA), Master of Public Policy (MPP), Master of Public Administration (MPA), Master of International Affairs, or Doctor of Philosophy in Public Policy and/or Administration degrees. The public policy programs at the Ivy League rank as some of the best in the world.
Many schools allow students to specialize in certain policy areas. Depending on the university's specialty, these fields may include domestic policy, foreign policy, health policy, urban policy, economic policy, international affairs, security studies, and more. Students who graduate these programs often work in various branches of government or at NGOs. Some graduates go on to work in the private sector or academia.
History The oldest program for the study of public policy and administration began at Princeton University in 1930, founded as the School of Public and International Affairs. The school's mission was to prepare students for "leadership in public and international affairs" in accordance with President Woodrow Wilson who desired a school that could train students for public service. Harvard University soon followed with their own school, the Graduate School of Public Administration, in 1936.
The most recently established school of government was at Yale University through the Jackson Institute for Global Affairs in 2010. The goal of the Jackson Institute was to enhance the university's current offerings of social science research and courses. The Institute currently specializes in international affairs, but is planning to expand to domestic policy in the near future.
List School nameParent institutionLocationImageDegree programs offeredYear foundedPrinceton School of Public and International Affairs Princeton UniversityPrinceton, NJAB, MPA, MPP, PhD1930Harvard Kennedy School Harvard UniversityCambridge, MAMPA, MPP, PhD1936Fels Institute of Government University of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia, PAMPA1937School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) Columbia UniversityNew York, NYMPA, MIA, PhD1946Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy Cornell UniversityIthaca, NYBS, MPA/E-MPA, MHA/E-MHA, PhD2021Watson School of International and Public AffairsBrown UniversityProvidence, RIBA, MPA, MPP1979Nelson A. Rockefeller Center for Public Policy and the Social SciencesDartmouth CollegeHanover, NHUndergraduate minor1983Yale Jackson School of Global Affairs Yale UniversityNew Haven, CTBA, MA, MAS2010
Impact These schools have served as the model for other programs around the world, most notably at Oxford University. The Blavatnik School of Government was founded in 2010 and is the first of its kind in Europe. It currently offers MPP and DPhil in Public Policy degrees. Pundits believe the Blavatnik School seeks to differentiate itself with a more well-rounded curriculum, thereby competing with the American monopoly on public policy schools.
Rankings Based on the volume of global leaders produced, research output, and brand recognition, Harvard's Kennedy School ranks as No. 1 out of all policy schools, followed by Princeton’s SPIA and Columbia's SIPA. Based on number of publications, the Kennedy School also ranks No. 1, followed again by SPIA and SIPA.
The Ivy League's international relations programs are ranked in Foreign Policy's "Best International Relations Schools in the World" article. The rankings provide a glimpse of international relations as an academic and professional discipline, aggregating responses from 1,514 international relations scholars at U.S. colleges and universities around the country.
UniversitySchool nameForeign Policy undergraduate rankingsForeign Policy master's rankingsForeign Policy PhD rankingsUniversity of PennsylvaniaFels Institute of Government 19 N/A 27Columbia UniversitySchool of International and Public Affairs 5 5 4Princeton UniversityPrinceton School of Public and International Affairs 2 4 4Harvard UniversityJohn F. Kennedy School of Government 1 2 1Dartmouth CollegeNelson A. Rockefeller Center for Public Policy and the Social Sciences 12 N/A N/AYale UniversityJackson Institute for Global Affairs 6 13 6Cornell UniversityJeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy 18 28 13Brown UniversityWatson School of International and Public Affairs 22 N/A 28
See also Public policy school List of Ivy League law schools List of Ivy League business schools List of Ivy League medical schools Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies Tufts University's Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy Oxford University's Blavatnik School of Government
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