Master of Public Administration

Saddam Salim came from Bangladesh as an 8-year-old. After bouts of homelessness and reliance on public support, the 2012 and 2015 Schar School graduate is now a Virginia state senator. But his public service journey is hardly over: He is now running for Congress. Read what the keynote speaker at the Degree Celebration will tell the audience on May 16.

George Mason University’s Schar School of Policy and Government earned strong marks in the latest U.S. News & World Report graduate rankings, with five MPA specialty areas in the top 30 nationally and all seven in the top 50. The rankings also highlight the school’s leadership in Virginia and the broader DMV region.

With NATO and U.S. relations in the headlines—and, apparently, on the rocks—this Schar School study-abroad trip to Europe’s international security landmarks was well timed.

Schar School graduates are on the move! Read about Gerica Goodman, Governor-elect Abigail Spanberger’s pick for the Virginia statehouse’s top legislative position, and other alumni finding success in leadership positions.

MPA graduate and adjunct Craig Fifer heads an agency striving to bring the region’s governments together. See how his degree helps him in this important mission.

More than 60 Master of Public Administration students attended the 28th Local Government Night to listen to county leaders—many of them graduates from the same MPA program—discuss their careers. Read what they said.

Schar School graduate student Zayd Hamid helped organize a hands-on workshop on how to craft a piece of legislation, supervised by Virginia State Senator and Schar School graduate Saddam Salim.

Why would anyone run for public office in today’s turbulent political climate? We asked these two Schar School graduates why they are charging into the fray with ambitious campaigns to win local offices. Their answers might surprise you.

A summer study-abroad adventure took students to London and Oxford—with the Schar School dean. See what they did and who they met and learn why study-abroad is vital to higher education.

A weeklong study-abroad visit to Mexico brought the theories of classwork to life for Schar School students. See where they visited, who they met, and what they learned.