The Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at The University of Texas at Austin saw a 35 percent jump in applications for fall 2009 entry into its master’s degree programs compared with fall 2008, the school announced today. For fall 2009, only 130 slots are available for new students.
For fall 2009, the LBJ School of Public Affairs received 671 applications for its two master’s degree programs, up from 496 applications for fall 2008.
In the Master of Public Affairs (MPAff) program, the LBJ School of Public Affairs received 461 applications for fall 2009, up from 373 for fall 2008–a 24 percent rise. In the Master of Global Policy Studies (MGPS) program, the school received 210 applications for fall 2009, up from 123 for fall 2008–a surge of 71 percent. Of the total number of applicants for the two programs, 41 percent are Texas residents and 59 percent are non-Texas residents, representing 38 states and 28 countries.
“Over nearly 40 years, the LBJ School of Public Affairs has built a proud tradition of public service and cutting-edge research on the most important public policy challenges of our time,” said Admiral Bobby R. Inman, USN (Ret.), interim dean of the LBJ School of Public Affairs and the LBJ Centennial Chair in National Policy. “Notably, this past year has been one of unique celebration. We honored our founder’s centennial birthday, successfully introduced a new master’s degree in global policy studies, hosted a nationally televised presidential debate and saw members of our distinguished faculty receive senior appointments in the Obama administration, including Dean James B. Steinberg.
“And now, as we move through the fall ’09 admission cycle, it is especially gratifying to see that more and more prospective students are looking to the LBJ School to equip them with the tools and knowledge necessary to be leaders in a contemporary global environment, helping to shape public policy for the 21st century.”
Student enrollment at the LBJ School for 2008-09 stands at 339. Of those, 310 are master’s students and 29 students in the Ph.D. in Public Policy Program. Fifty-eight percent of the students are from Texas, while the remaining 42 percent come from across the country and globe.
The LBJ School of Public Affairs, a graduate school, offers professional training in public policy analysis and administration for students interested in pursuing careers in government and public affairs-related areas of the private and nonprofit sectors. The school’s degree programs include a Master of Public Affairs (MPAff), a midcareer MPAff sequence, 13 MPAff dual-degree programs, a Master of Global Policy Studies, six MGPS dual-degree programs and a Ph.D. in Public Policy. The MGPS was added to the school’s degree offerings in fall 2008.
The LBJ School includes 35 permanent professors and more than a dozen extended and visiting faculty members.
Related:
The LBJ Centennial Celebration, commemorating the 100th birthday of Lyndon Baines Johnson, was a yearlong (2008) tribute to the legacy of the 36th president of the United States.
The Master of Global Policy Studies degree (MGPS), first offered in 2008, is the school’s second master’s degree program. The MGPS is designed to help graduates become leaders in government, business and international organizations by acquiring core professional skills and expertise in an increasingly interdependent world.
The Democratic presidential debate brought together then Senators Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton for a primary debate (February 21, 2008, The University of Texas at Austin) presented by the university, the Lyndon B. Johnson Foundation on behalf of the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum, CNN and Univision Communications, Inc.
Former Dean of the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs James B. Steinberg was confirmed as deputy secretary of state in the new Obama administration.
