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Public Policy the Maryland Way

Students walking past Testudo statue on campus

Big problems call for bold solutions.

Today, our communities are being reshaped by technological, economic and social disruptions. With no shortage of big problems, we need bold solutions: solutions that see government, businesses and nonprofits working together. Actions that are guided by evidence and grounded in values. Communities who are engaged with the issues and championing progress.

Change the world. It's our policy.

Most importantly, we need solutions conceived by people passionate about changing things for the better—those who bring together the skills, knowledge and experience that make an impact. We need today's leaders to rely upon a web of analysis and decisions—the act and art of public policy—to implement tomorrow's solutions.

Studying public policy prepares you to understand the problems and design the solutions. Practicing public policy is the power to change the world.

The School is a home for those committed to translating their passions into action. As we develop the next generation of policy leaders and push the boundaries of knowledge, we teach, research and impact public policy the Maryland way:

  • Advancing a 21st Century approach to policy with multi-stakeholder governance at its heart, recognizing that the most effective and enduring solutions lie not solely with government but at the intersection of the public, private and nonprofit spheres
  • Exploring policy from local to global to local, seeking to understand and solve problems whether they exist only in the community or the state, or if their impacts cross jurisdictions and borders
  • Harnessing our location between the corridors of the U.S. Capitol and the hallways of Annapolis, providing rich opportunities to directly participate in local, national and global policymaking
  • Staying true to our public mission as a land-grant institution, deploying the assets of the only Tier-1 research university in the Capital region to benefit people in the state, country, and across the world
Experience Public Policy the Maryland Way