Master's Programs
at the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies

“Since international students began coming into our mix, all of our perspectives have become more global. This coming together of views and concerns causes us all to better appreciate how complicated the issues have become. International students come to us for an education, and for a technical background that will serve them well when they return to their respective countries. But they also go home with a better sense of our country, and a better sense of how our economy works. As our namesake Andrew Young is fond of saying, 'to know someone is to be able to work with them on the world stage.'"
– Dean Roy Bahl, The Briefing (Spring/Summer 2004 issue)

America's Best Graduate Schools. The April 2004 edition of U.S. News and World Report's America's Best Graduate Schools 2005 ranking of Public Affairs graduate programs rated Georgia State University among the top 25 universities in the nation. The rankings place AYSPS programs and curriculum in the top 10 percent of more than 200 schools in four key areas: 5th in Public Finance and Budgeting, 12th in City Management and Urban Policy, 16th in Public Management Administration and 21st in Public Policy Analysis.

Newly Admitted Master's Students

The Master of Arts in Economics continues to attract highly qualified students, many of whom are international students sponsored by agencies such as the Edmund S. Muskie and Freedom Support Act Fellowship Program of American Councils for International Education and the International Research and Exchanges Board. The expectation of these students is that they will complete their master's degrees and return home to assist their developing countries in transitioning to market economies. Many of the Ph.D. students in Economics choose to acquire a master's degree in the course of their studies.

Applicants to the Master's in Economics program aspire to accomplish important goals by completing their graduate degree. Here are a few excerpts from some of the goals statements submitted by students during the application process:

"…I plan to expand my knowledge specifically studying Macroeconomic Fluctuation and Forecasting… I would enjoy using my new degree at the Federal Reserve or another government body as an economist."

"…I have always had an interest in working in the public sector, and have seriously considered a career with the Central Intelligence Agency as an Economic Analyst."

"My professional goal is to become a Foreign Service Officer for the State Department, [which] will allow me to work with economic aid given to developing countries. I feel strongly that the combination of my efforts toward a Master's degree and my Peace Corps service will be an important step in preparing me for my career."

"I will be prepared not only with ideas on how to help small businesses and governments develop, but most importantly, will have the training needed to implement these ideas into successful programs."

"Matched by the social science degree I already have, the degree in economics would be extremely useful in every Russian public organization concerned with people's prosperity…"

The Master of Science in Urban Policy Studies provides an ideal vehicle for studying important public policy issues facing our urban areas and provides a distinctive and flexible curriculum that addresses urban policy, planning, local governance, and research methods.

In addition to the master's degrees, the school now offers four graduate certificate programs in Disaster Management, Nonprofit Leadership, Natural Resource Management and Planning and Economic Development. These programs allow students to take several courses focused on a specific specialization without completing the entire master's degree. This year saw a marked increase in the overall number of applicants to these certificate programs.

As a result of changing priorities and a resulting shift of faculty resources, the Master of Science in Human Resource Development (M.S.-HRD) program admitted its last class of entering students in Spring 2004. It will take approximately two years to allow current students to complete their degree. PAUS will continue to offer a Human Resources specialization in the M.P.A. degree and that curriculum is currently being revised.

The AYSPS graduated 40 Masters in Public Administration (M.P.A.) students in Spring 2004, the largest number yet. The program continues to attract top caliber applicants, many of whom are already employed in the public and nonprofit sectors. M.P.A. students' average age is 32 and most are returning to academia to augment their professional experience and increase their advancement potential and marketability.

In the words of current M.P.A. students, here are some of the reasons they seek out the M.P.A. degree:

A full-time employee with the Environmental Protection Agency writes, "As I gain more experience as a regulatory agent it amazes me to see the perspective of the regulated community towards the regulations. It is this understanding that I believe is critical in order to find ways to reach those doing the polluting and giving them alternatives to better manage their impacts. It is this dynamic of understanding the social pressures and applying them to my job as a government agent that has interested me in the M.P.A."

The director of a nonprofit agency providing business development services for women writes, "I seek to gain a broader perspective of the interdisciplinary development field through sharing with the AYSPS community, and consolidate my network in the U.S."

A paralegal specialist and political refugee from Iraq says, "Following my graduate studies, I plan to pursue work with a government agency or a not-for-profit organization such as The Coalition on Human Needs, which is an organization working to address the needs of low-income and other under served populations, or CARE."

A planning official indicates, "I am looking for a comprehensive post-graduate education that offers relevant research experience. That educational experience will allow me to begin working in a policy analyst position with a state or federal agency. Ultimately I would like to work as a city manager and be responsible for the administration of a local government."

A lawyer writes, "Years of practicing law has given me a strong education in the realities of urban economics and how public policy affects the individuals within a community as well as the community as a whole. I am looking forward to learning the underlying theory and expanding my understanding of those factors which drive a community, and being able to apply this knowledge to real world issues."

AYSPS graduate student organizations were active this year. The newly organized Policy Leaders of Nia, under the leadership of the founding president, Dionne Hill, held a facilitated discussion with an expert on community based research and development policy in February, provided partial funding to some of its members for a field trip to Egypt, and held a social event at the end of the spring semester to celebrate the end of the academic year and the graduation of several of its members. Gregory Lewis is faculty advisor of the group. The Graduate Student Association, led by Edward Sennoga with faculty advisor Erdal Tekin, held its first meeting of the year on February 6 to unveil an action plan for the calendar year. They hosted a featured speaker on April 27 and discussed the issues facing America regarding trade with China and India and closed out the spring semester with a picnic at Indian Creek Lodge. The group recently elected new officers: Eric Sarpong, president, and Robert Salvino, vice president.