page_title: Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration / History
caption_attribution_description: English: The Media and Public Affairs building at 805 21st St, the corner of 21st and H Streets.
context_page_description: The Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration is the graduate school of public policy and public administration in the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences of the George Washington University, in Washington, D.C. The Trachtenberg School is one of the most prestigious schools of public policy and public management in the United States.
  US News & World Report University Rankings ranks the Trachtenberg School as the 10th best public affairs school in the United States and as having the 11th best public management program, the 14th best health policy program, and the 20th best social policy program in the U.S.
  Notable alumni include numerous prominent political and public figures, including John Michael McConnell, former Director of National Intelligence, Susan Schwab, former United States Trade Representative, Henry Cisneros, former U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, and Thad Allen, former Commandant of the Coast Guard.
  The Trachtenberg School offers Master of Public Policy, Master of Public Administration, Master of Arts in Environmental and Natural Resources Policy, and a PhD in Public Policy and Public Administration.
context_section_description: Education in public service and government began at George Washington University with the construction of the Hall of Government in 1927.  The university gradually expanded its offerings in the field, and by 1950, public administration courses were offered in the School of Government, Department of Business, and the Department of Political Science.  In 1953, the Department of Political Science organized these offerings into a Master of Arts in Public Administration degree.  To address the call for professional training in public administration, in 1956, graduate level public administration courses were consolidated into the newly formed Department of Business and Public Administration in the School of Government.  The school was subsequently reorganized in 1963 into the School of Government and Business Administration, including a Department of Public Administration.  That same year, the department began offering a Master of Public Administration degree. The program consisted of 36 credit hours of coursework following the early guidelines of the National Association of Public Administration and Public Affairs.  Further changes to the program expanded the course of study to a 40 credit hour program.  The Columbian College of Arts and Sciences also established Masters of Public Policy and PhD in Public Policy programs.  In 2003, all three programs were merged into the School of Public Policy and Public Administration within the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences.  The School was recognized as one of the seven academic units designated as signature programs of selective excellence within the University.  Most recently, in 2007, the university Board of Trustees renamed the School of Public Policy and Public Administration the Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration in recognition of President-emeritus Stephen Joel Trachtenberg.
caption: The Media and Public Affairs building.
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