School of Public and International Affairs

Urban Affairs and Planning (Blacksburg and Washington, D.C., Area*)

Urban Affairs and Planning (UAP) prepares students to explore the intersections of planning, policy and practice at the metropolitan, community, and neighborhood scales and in the diverse contexts of rural and urban, poor and affluent, fast growing and declining communities. The program engages issues affecting where people live, work and play; where they shop and receive medical attention; how they get from place to place; what communities look like; how communities work and how we use our resources. The Master of Urban and Regional Planning degree has a dual objective of training graduates for their first planning job, and more importantly instilling conceptual and critical thinking necessary for lifelong learning and career development. Graduates are able to assume professional responsibilities in a wide variety of positions in public service or in the private sector.

Center for Public Administration and Policy

The Master of Public Administration (M.P.A.) degree, offered through the Center for Public Administration and Policy, prepares students to lead and manage in public service while developing managerial, analytic, and normative evaluation skills.

The M.P.A. is available for full and part-time students and is offered on four campuses: Arlington, Blacksburg, and Richmond, as well as online. Courses are in-person, hybrid synchronous (in-person/online), and online synchronous.