Welcome to the website of the Reubin O’D. Askew School of Public Administration and Policy located within the College of Social Sciences and Public Policy at Florida State University! We offer a talented and nationally-regarded faculty, an exciting variety of topics and career tracks to study, and a tremendous group of students that you will join for your studies.
The Askew School offers the top-rated master’s degree in public administration in Florida, and one of the highest rated in the Southeast. The School is one of the oldest in the nation, dating back to 1947. Most of our faculty have been practitioners in government and the nonprofit sector, have been named Fellows of the National Academy of Public Administration, and about half have received teaching excellence awards from Florida State. Three of our 13 faculty members hold named professorships, and several have served in leadership positions in prominent national organizations and academic journals.
Our graduate students are highly diverse and bring outstanding qualifications and experiences to the Askew School. Each year our students attend and present papers at regional and national public affairs conferences, and they have ranked as highly as third in the nation in their frequency of journal publications. We provide funding to enable students to participate in these meetings, and support around two dozen master’s and doctoral students as research and teaching assistants to enable them to focus on their graduate studies. Students working in state government may take six hours of courses for free on a space-available basis. Out-of-state students can apply for in-state residency after living for one year in Florida.
Our large alumni base provides many mentorship opportunities for our students in a wide range of professional areas, as well as the opportunity to interact with these leaders of state and local government agencies during monthly alumni guest lectures. Further, our Public Administration Graduate Association provides a wide range of networking and social activities that enable students to form life-long friendships.
Our masters and doctoral programs offer a wide range of specializations as well as the flexibility for students to select electives from across the university to meet their preferred career tracks. Courses are taught in person with some availability online. A fully online MPA program is now available. As discussed in our MPA Handbook, our master’s level career tracks include:
- Local Government Management
- Leadership and Strategic Management
- Public Financial Management
- Evidence-Based Policymaking
- Managing Nonprofit Organizations
- Emergency Management and Homeland Security
- International and Non-Governmental Organizations
We also offer the opportunity to gain a joint graduate degree with other departments at Florida State University. Students must be accepted to both programs to participate, these include:
- Urban and Regional Planning
- Social Work
- Criminology
- Law
Tallahassee, Florida is an exciting place to study and live. The Askew School is located in the capital city of the third most populous state in the nation, which is known for policy innovation and professionalism. Tallahassee is also host to several hundred professional associations that seek to influence state policymaking as well as a dynamic set of nonprofit organizations. Tallahassee has a large and diverse population of young adults, a dynamic music scene, and many sports, cultural and recreational opportunities. This makes us a great place to both live and to study policymaking and public and nonprofit management.
Florida State University is one of the two premier research universities in Florida and has a combined enrollment of over 40,000 students. The Askew School, however, maintains a close-knit community feel both in the classroom and among our students.
If you have any questions after reviewing the information on our website, please feel free to contact via email or phone. We look forward to talking with you about your career aspirations and how our program can help you reach these aims.
Mission Statement
The Askew School seeks to inspire and prepare students for a wide range of public sector careers, equipping them to provide ethical and effective leadership in public, nonprofit, and for-profit organizations. We do so by providing cutting-edge research and educational programs that emphasize integrating theory and practice, engaged learning, creative problem solving, integrity and stewardship, and skills in communication, policy analysis, management, and teamwork.