The Graduate School of Public and International Affairs is now the School of Public and International Affairs, reflecting the undergraduate as well as graduate programs that the school offers.
The school announced the name change on March 20, saying the new name “reflects our commitment to welcoming and preparing students at every stage of their academic and professional journey. While our graduate programs will continue their legacy of excellence, this evolution ensures that undergraduates, too, will find a home here as they chart their own paths in public policy.”
The first majors in the the Bachelor of Arts in Public Policy program will enroll this fall. It also has two minors in Public Policy, which started in fall 2023, and Global Policy, as of spring 2024. The school also has launched the Policy and Social Impact Fellows Program, offering an immersive experience that connects students with hands-on projects, mentorship and real-world policy work.
“We’ve found that undergraduate students are increasingly motivated by opportunities in public and international affairs,” Dean Carissa Slotterback said in an announcement on the school’s website. “By engaging with students earlier, we’re helping them build the foundational skills of leadership and public service that are needed now more than ever.”
In the past 10 years, the school has seen a sharp decline in enrollment — from 405 in fall 2015 to 247 in 2024.
It joins Pitt Public Health, which started offering undergraduate degrees in fall 2022 and had 310 students enrolled in those programs in fall 2024.
— Susan Jones
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