For over 50 years, the Paul H. O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs has provided students with the skills and real-world experience needed to lead public service and make a meaningful impact in the world. We are a renowned and respected leader in the industry, with our Master of Public Affairs (MPA) consistently topping U.S. News Best Grad Schools rankings for Public Affairs.
We also have a well-established and recognized partnership with the Peace Corps, working with returned volunteers to help them match your skills and experiences with best-in-class master’s degrees that will help you go on to a successful career in leading for the greater good.
To help make this a reality, the O’Neill School offers all Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCVs) a 3-credit hour reduction per year of service (up to 6 credits), a waiver of the experiential program if it’s required for your selected degree, and an application fee waiver.
Continue “leading for the greater good” with a top-ranked master’s degree
75% of O’Neill master’s students receive funding packages of at least 25%
Competitive funding packages are available to assist in making our top-ranked school affordable.
Take the first step
Complete your master’s degree in just one year
The top-ranked O’Neill School offers different pathways that can help you complete your master’s degree in just one year. The O’Neill school will help you to seamlessly transition into master’s degree coursework immediately following the completion of your undergraduate degree. 4+1 pathways are offered by the following master’s programs:
- Master of Environmental Sustainability (MES)
- Master of International Affairs (MIA)
- Master of Science in Healthcare Management (MSHM)
Top-ranked curriculum
O’Neill is home to one of the nation’s top Master of Public Affairs programs.
- #1 MPA among public universities
- #2 MPA among public and private universities
- #1 Environmental Policy & Management
- #1 Nonprofit Management
- #1 Public Finance & Budgeting
- #1 Public Management & Leadership
- #4 Health Policy & Management
- #5 Public Policy Analysis
- #7 Local Government Management
- #10 Social Policy
- #20 Urban Policy
—U.S. News and World Report, 2025–26
99%of reporting 2023-24 master's students went into employment, service, military, or continuing education upon receiving their degree
Small school experience with big benefits
O’Neill offers the unique combination of a tight-knit community with all the resources of a Big 10 university. This means you experience one-on-one mentorship and develop close relationships with your classmates while learning from experts in every field and gaining access to leaders and practitioners from across the globe—all at a more affordable cost than many other top-tier schools.
O’Neill creates leaders who go out into the world and make a difference. It’s great to be in a school where doing good is at the top of everyone’s priority list.
—Colin Knapp, MAAA’21