MPP students recently visited Sacramento, attending hearings and visiting elected officials’ offices.
Graduate programs named among the best by U.S. News & World Report
UC Irvine’s Department of Urban Planning and Public Policy has earned its first-ever ranking in U.S. News & World Report’s prestigious annual survey of graduate public affairs programs, placing its Master of Public Administration (MPA) and Master of Public Policy (MPP) programs among the top tier of the 266 programs evaluated nationwide.
The ranking, released April 6, is based on peer assessments conducted early this year, in which deans, directors and department chairs at institutions across the country rated the academic quality of master's programs in public affairs and administration on a 5-point scale. More than 65% of those surveyed responded, lending significant weight to the results.
“It’s so meaningful to see us recognized in the year we are inaugurating our Master of Public Administration program,” says Jon B. Gould, dean of the School of Social Ecology. “Clearly, our Department of Urban Planning and Public Policy and the School of Social Ecology are on the rise nationally in the area of public affairs.”
The MPA program will welcome its first cohort in Fall 2026. It emphasizes leadership, analysis and management, preparing graduates to lead public and nonprofit organizations both domestically and internationally.
The university has been offering an MPP degree since 2011. More than 250 students have earned the title and work in city, state and nonprofit positions across California and beyond.
“The first-time ranking reflects growing national recognition of UCI’s commitment to rigorous, socially impactful graduate education, and we expect that reputation to continue to grow,” says Nícola Ulibarrí, MPA & MPP director and associate professor of urban planning and public policy.
For more information about the MPA program, visit mpa.soceco.uci.edu. For more information about the MPP program, visit mpa.soceco.uci.edu.
— Mimi Ko Cruz