George Mason University’s Schar School of Policy and Government has been ranked 10th in Best Value Schools’ list of 50 “Innovative Public Service Schools.”
Best Value Schools researches U.S. colleges in a variety of categories to determine those with the highest return on investment after graduation, the most available financial aid and assistance and the overall value, among other factors.
Last year George Mason merged the School of Public Policy and the Department of Public and International Affairs to create the School of Policy, Government, and International Affairs, one of the largest policy schools of its kind in the country. Classes are held at Mason’s Fairfax and Arlington, Va., campuses near Washington, D.C. The combined school boasts 14 degree programs, 90 full-time faculty members, 200 PhD students, 1,100 master’s degree students, 700 undergraduates and more than 13,000 alumni.
“The newly merged school is now an even better value to students,” says Dean Mark Rozell, “given our expanded faculty of scholars and practitioners, new degree programs and additional course offerings across two campuses in northern Virginia.”
The new Top 50 policy schools ranking is based on the number of degree programs and joint/dual/concurrent degree programs, the student-to-faculty ratio, the strength of internship programs and the results of rankings by QS World University Rankings and U.S. News & World Report. Schools were also graded for “number of innovative features.”
Best Value Schools concluded that Mason “is an up-and-coming public institution with a growing reputation for excellence in a number of areas…. Students are particularly attracted to its School of Policy, Government and International Affairs, which features distinguished faculty with professional experience in the federal government, military, and nonprofit sector. Working with a well-known economics department, SPGIA provides first-rate academics and competitive internships in nearby Washington, D.C.
Write to Buzz McClain at bmcclai2@gmu.edu