Getting a Degree in Urban Policy

If you are looking for a school that offers advanced degrees in Urban Policy you might be having a hard time finding what you are looking for. That is because until the last three years or so not many schools actually offered separate Urban Policy degrees but lumped it together with Public Affairs. These days, however, there are plenty of schools that offer Urban Policy degrees. Often combined into an Urban Policy and City Management degree; here is a short list of the top five programs in the country as ranked by the U.S. News. You might be surprised who is at the top of this list and who isn't.

University of Kansas - Department of Public Administration

Although it is ranked 7^th overall in the wider Public Affairs category in the specialty area of Urban Policy there is no one better. The University of Kansas is located in Lawrence, KS. You can visit their admissions website here: http://www2.ku.edu/~kupa

Cleveland State University - Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs

Located in Clevland, OH this might be the best deal out there. Ranked 45^th overall in the wider Public Affairs category it is often overlooked by many people. However, if you are looking for a specialty in Urban Policy it is ranked second. Visit their admission site here: http://urban.csuohio.edu/academics/graduate_programs.shtml#masters

Northern Illinois University-Division of Public Administration

Ranked #41 overall in Public Policy this is another school that is often overlooked by many prospective students. But it's ranking in the specialty category of Urban Policy is third - on of the best out there. Visit http://www.mpa.niu.edu/pub_ad/ for more information.

University of Southern California - School of Policy, Planning & Development

If you are thinking about Urban Policy where better to go than to one of the largest cities in the U.S. the University of Southern California is located in Los Angeles California and is ranked 7^th overall in Public Policy and 4^th in Urban Policy. Go to http://www.usc.edu/schools/sppd for more information about their program.

University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill -School of Government

Ranked 5^th in Urban Policy and 14^th overall in Public Affairs, the School of Government at the University of North Carolina -Chapel Hill is a great option for anyone interested in Urban Policy. As the oldest public university in the country UNC-Chapel Hill has a great reputation. Visit http://www.mpa.unc.edu for more info.

Before picking a school make sure you visit each school's website and read about their admissions process, cost and available programs. It is also a good idea to check professor to student ratios in the specific program you are interested in. While national ranking is important often the difference between getting a job and not is how good of an alumni network a school has, so make sure you check job placement percentages too.

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