MPA program’s national ranking shows excellence in public service education

Augusta University’s Master of Public Administration program is ranked in the top 50% of the Best Public Affairs Programs in the nation for the second year in a row and the third time in four years.

The U.S. News and World Report released its rankings, and AU is tied at No. 129 with Clemson University and Texas Tech University, among others, and is in the top 48% of programs in the country, up from last year.

Other programs in Georgia ranked in the top 50% include University of Georgia, Georgia State University, Georgia Tech and Kennesaw State University.

Wesley Meares, PhD, director of the MPA program and a professor of political science and public administration in the Katherine Reece Pamplin College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, said the rankings are determined by other public affairs programs. The institutions rank each other based on the prestige of the program.

“Being ranked, especially among those that are in the top half of the country, is an honor,” Meares said. “It demonstrates the hard work of our faculty, publishing and presenting research and providing stellar service to the field and the community. Also, the alumni who are doing well in the field demonstrate the value of an Augusta University MPA.”

Meares and William Hatcher, PhD, chair of the Department of Social Sciences, said the ranking solidifies the hard work of the department, which includes Martha Ginn, PhD, and Emily Boykin, PhD, who recently were recipients of awards for their work.

“The ranking is based on how our peers in the field of public administration view our program. Thus, it demonstrates what we already know – that we have an outstanding Master of Public Administration program and AU is a destination for students and scholars interested in public service,” said Hatcher, who noted that, over the past year, faculty have been published twice in public administration’s top academic journal, Public Administration Review. “The faculty are not just outstanding scholars; they are also amazing instructors.”

Hatcher said student success in the program remains high, with graduation rates over 80%, and credits Meares and the MPA faculty for their “amazing work.”

“Their dedication to studying and teaching public service is why our AU MPA program is having such an effect in our community and the broader field of public administration,” Hatcher said.