Welcome from the Dean

To welcome you to our web site and school, I’d like to give you an overview of our background, our guiding educational philosophy, our students, our graduates, and our outlook for the future, not only for the school, but also for careers in public service.

Since its beginnings in 1967 as a legislatively mandated research, service and teaching institute, the school has grown into an internationally recognized institution that offers the best possible preparation for public-service careers and for research and teaching in public affairs, planning, and administration. It ranks as one of the best graduate schools of public affairs in the nation, in the US News and World Report 2005 Graduate School Rankings.

The school administers master’s and doctoral-level programs in public administration, city and regional planning, and urban affairs, conducts scholarly research on critical political and policy issues, and provides advice and assistance to elected and appointed public officials and to the public, in general, as each of these struggles to cope effectively with complex and costly policy issues.

Throughout, we have been guided by the philosophy that an understanding of the increasingly complex public-sector environment requires an academic program broad in scope and rich in intellectual experience. Our multidisciplinary faculty offers a curriculum that balances the “theoretical” with the “applied” aspects of public policy concerns.

Our students are a culturally diverse group that comes not just from Texas, but from across the nation and around the world. Some come straight from undergraduate programs, but many are working professionals seeking to enhance their careers. They follow programs of course work and research that vary to suit personal interests, academic backgrounds and professional experience, and are often involved in real-world projects to assist local governments.

A large majority of our more than 800 graduates hold significant and rewarding positions of responsibility in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. Many hold key management positions. Some are city managers and economic-development directors. Others are city planners and transportation analysts. Some work in historical preservation or environmental protection. Some in criminal justice and some in social work. Our programs provide knowledge and skills useful across a broad spectrum of disciplines.

SUPA is continually changing and adding programs to accommodate the dynamics of the workplace. We have added tracks to our PhD program in nursing and education administration. On the advice of our planning-program advisory board, we recently restructured our planning program. We have also added five certificate programs, in city management, geographic information systems, nonprofit management, development review, and law and public policy. We expect more additions and changes in the future, particularly since the “devolution” of federal responsibilities to state and local governments is creating the need for more public-service employees in both the public and nonprofit sectors.

There never has been a more exciting or opportune time to undertake a program of graduate study in public administration, city and regional planning, or urban affairs. After you review our program pages, please feel free to e-mail or phone us for more information.

Richard L. Cole, Dean