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In 1934, as president Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed his famous "New Deal" legislation, the School of Public Affairs at American University was born at 19th & F Streets, NW to train many of those who were part of the pioneering plan. At the beginning, it was a program to instruct federal workers in techniques to make the New Deal a success, but it would grow into one of the top schools of public affairs in the nation

To this day, FDR's vision remains at the heart of the School of Public Affairs (SPA) — a vision of building a bridge between academic thought and policy planning, while inspiring change at every level.

At SPA, we continually search for students who exemplify the spirit of our storied school — future leaders, political advocates, and policy change-makers with a desire to roll up their sleeves and face some of the world's most complex challenges in public policy and administration; government and politics; and justice, law, and criminology.

Our students are driven by a sense of higher purpose — the desire to leave the world a better place. They choose The School of Public Affairs for its academic rigor and reputation and for meaningful and practical experiences, set against the inspiring backdrop of our nation's capital, that will help them realize their full potential.