School of Public Affairs at University of Southern California

School of Public Affairs at University of Southern California
Name	School of Public Affairs
Parent institution	University of Southern California
Established	1929
Dean	N/A
City	Los Angeles
State	California
Country	United States

Contents

School of Public Affairs at University of Southern California is a public policy and public administration school within the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. It offers graduate and undergraduate programs that engage with policy, management, and urban issues, interacting with institutions such as California State University, Long Beach, University of California, Los Angeles, Stanford University, University of California, Berkeley, Harvard University. The school connects students and scholars to agencies like California Department of Finance, City of Los Angeles, Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, World Bank.

History

Founded during the late 1920s alongside expansions at the University of Southern California, the school evolved through partnerships with entities such as New Deal, Works Progress Administration, Office of Price Administration, Bureau of Indian Affairs, and Federal Emergency Management Agency. Throughout the mid-20th century the school engaged with figures from Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, and institutions including RAND Corporation, Brookings Institution, Heritage Foundation, American Enterprise Institute, leading to curricular developments influenced by events like Great Depression, World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War. In the late 20th and early 21st centuries the school expanded programs following influences from California Proposition 13, Los Angeles Riots of 1992, North American Free Trade Agreement, 9/11 attacks, and collaborations with organizations such as United Nations, Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, Asian Development Bank.

Students engage with student organizations and networks including chapters of Pi Alpha Alpha, American Society for Public Administration, Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management, and interdisciplinary groups connected to USC Dornsife, USC Annenberg, USC Marshall, working on practicum placements with partners like Los Angeles Mayor's Office, California Department of Public Health, Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, California State Parks. Admissions criteria reflect standards comparable to Princeton University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Carnegie Mellon University, Columbia University, with application components referencing GRE or equivalent test waivers as practiced by Harvard University, Yale University, Stanford University, and professional experience expectations mirroring norms at World Bank recruitment and McKinsey & Company fellowship programs. Financial support mechanisms include fellowships, assistantships, and partnerships with agencies such as National Science Foundation, Fulbright Program, California Student Aid Commission.

Alumni serve in leadership posts across jurisdictions and sectors, including offices like Los Angeles Mayor's Office, California State Senate, United States House of Representatives, United States Senate, and institutions such as United Nations, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, United States Agency for International Development, Peace Corps. Graduates have held executive roles in nonprofits including American Red Cross, United Way, Kaiser Permanente, private sector positions at Google, Amazon, Walmart, and judiciary or advisory appointments connected to Supreme Court of California, California Courts of Appeal, and federal commissions like Federal Communications Commission and Federal Trade Commission. The school's policy influence is reflected in contributions to initiatives such as California Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities Program, Los Angeles County Measure H, Clean Air Action Plan and testimony before bodies like California State Legislature and committees of the United States Congress.