UM Master of Public Administration Ranked No. 1 in Montana

MISSOULA – The University of Montana has the top graduate program for public affairs in Big Sky Country, according to new rankings by U.S. News & World Report.

On the report’s 2020 Best Graduate Schools list, UM ranked No. 123 in the nation for Best Public Affairs Programs. This rank establishes UM as the top institution for public affairs in Montana and No. 2 in the Big Sky Conference.

UM’s Department of Public Administration and Policy is the first of its kind in Montana, offering the only accredited MPA program in the nation within a school of law. A part of the Alexander Blewett III School of Law’s Max S. Baucus Institute, the department provides an innovative public service education for pre-career and in-career public and nonprofit administration students.

“The past year has made it clear how much we all depend on our public servants,” said Paul Kirgis, dean of UM law school. “This ranking shows the quality of the training our MPA students receive and the value they will contribute to their communities and to our state.”

Other institutional rankings place UM’s MPA among the top programs in the country. Best Value Schools issued top rankings this year about the MPA program, placing it fourth nationally out of the Best 25 Masters in Public Administration Schools in 2021 and fifth out of the Best Masters in Nonprofit Management Programs.

For more information, visit the Department of Public Administration and Policy website at https://www.umt.edu/law/mpa.

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Contact: Dr. Sara Rinfret, Department of Public Administration and Policy Chair, 406-243-4702, sara.rinfret@umontana.edu.