Prospective Students
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School of Urban and Public Affairs (SUPA) 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 was established in 1967 as the Institute of Urban Studies, by an act of the Texas Legislature. The institute’s legislatively mandated mission is to conduct research and provide technical assistance to urban entities of Texas cities and county governments and public agencies, and to offer education and teaching opportunities for individuals either already in or contemplating public-service careers.
In 1990, after significant expansion of academic programs and major urban research contributions, the Institute of Urban Studies became the School of Urban and Public Affairs. The Institute continues to operate as an integral part of the school and contributor to the Urban Community.
A distinguishing feature of the school is its location in the heart of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, a rich urban laboratory of more than 200 cities with a total population of approximately 4.5 million.
This complex urban arena offers a wide array of opportunities for student projects, internships and employment. SUPA faculty, staff and students work on “real-life” urban and public affairs projects in cooperation with city governments, public agencies and nonprofit organizations through the school’s Center for Economic Development Research and Service (CEDRAS) and its Center for International Research, Education, and Development (CIRED), funded by the US Department of State.
More than 900 students have earned graduate degrees at SUPA. Many hold key management positions in local governments, public agencies and nonprofit organizations nationwide. Currently, SUPA has a diverse student body of approximately 225 students. Many of these students also hold full-or part-time positions in government, private or nonprofit organizations.
Located on the fifth floor of University Hall on the main UTA campus, SUPA has modern classrooms and its own state-of-the-art computer laboratory, with GIS database-management and spreadsheet capabilities, as well as access to the Internet and World Wide Web.
SUPA offers courses in the afternoons, evenings, and on weekends to accommodate working professionals. It also offers online courses and Winter & May intersessional courses which are courses offered between semesters.
SUPA currently offers three Master’s programs and two Doctoral Programs:
Master of Arts in Urban Affairs
Master of City and Regional Planning
Master of Public Administration
On-line Master of Public Administration
Ph.D. in Urban and Public Administration
Ph.D. in Urban Planning and Public Policy
In addition, SUPA offers six graduate Certificate programs:
Development Review
Geographic Information Systems
Public Budgeting and Financial Management
Urban Journalism
Urban Nonprofit Management
Certified Public Manager Program (non-credit)
SUPA has partnered with various other graduate programs within UT Arlington to offer dual-degree programs :
Architecture
Civil Engineering
Criminology and Criminal Justice
Education
Environmental Science
Landscape Architecture
Nursing
Social Work
It also cooperates with the UTA colleges of Engineering and Science in an interdisciplinary program leading to masters’ and doctoral degrees in environmental science and engineering.
SUPA is the home of UT Arlington’s Interdisciplinary Studies (INTS) undergraduate program which offers customized degree plans designed to meet the needs of a career or academic goal.
SUPA offers an undergraduate student the opportunity to “minor” in public administration, urban planning and the environment, and urban affairs and public policy. See programs for undergraduates for more details.
We invite you to schedule an appointment to contact an academic advisor supa@uta.edu or call 817-272-3071.
Thank you for allowing us to share some of our facts about the School of Urban and Public Affairs with you!