As a student in the School of Planning, Public Policy and Management, you won’t have to wait to make a difference in shaping policies, organizations, communities, and environments. The curriculum is designed to give you hands-on learning experiences to gain valuable experiences while you are still in school. Our tailored professional development services prepare you in and out of the classroom to get employed upon graduation (our grads are getting placed at nearly 100% each year). PPPM students are learning in a living policy laboratory in Oregon and live in a welcoming and vibrant state with unmatched natural beauty.
We encourage applicants to visit the facilities and meet the faculty members. We offer tours during most of the year.
A Hands-on Experience
Our teaching, degree programs, and research are applied to society's real-world problems. Hand-on and community-engaged learning will be at the core of your curriculum. Your courses will focus on concepts and skills, and you'll explore how to implement them within communities, organizations, and governments. In the classroom, you will work on projects for real organizations that give you highly valued professional experience and provide connections for the job market.
Tailored Professional Development
Our individualized approach to professional development gives students the attention they need to leave our program ready to get the job in the field they want to work. Within 6 months of graduation, 92 percent of our graduates have a job in their field.
An Oregon Sense of Community
Our programs have a great sense of community. For graduate students, this begins in their first year with a retreat in the Cascade Mountains and continues with small classes and supportive faculty. Students in our graduate programs work closely together and are in direct contact with faculty members, government officials, nonprofit professionals, and peers. Getting your degree at the University of Oregon in PPPM gives you access to a network of alumni across the region, some of the most beautiful landscapes in the world, and a cutting-edge policy environment. Oregon, Eugene, and UO campus offer a welcoming and diverse learning environment.
Engaged Faculty
You’ll learn from and work with faculty members who are internationally recognized scholars with a wide range of training and research interests.
Graduate Degrees Offered
Graduate Certificates Offered
Our Community and Regional Planning master’s degree ranks in the top 25 of planning programs worldwide, providing students with a high-level planning education.
Our Public Administration master’s degree has been voted as one of the best Grad Schools in the US by US News and World Report
Alumni Spotlight
All-American athlete Megan Patrignelli came to the UO with dreams of competing in the Olympics. The Master of Nonprofit Management alumna found a new dream at the School of Planning, Public Policy and Management—advocating for accessibility and equity.
“I’m passionate about this field because I see the way nonprofit programs fill the gaps in our community,” said Patrignelli, who is a volunteer trainer for the Special Olympics.
Funding
Awarded annually, graduate employment opportunities provide significant financial support, as well as teaching and professional experience.
Accreditation
Programs in the School of PPPM have been accredited by the:
- Nonprofit Academic Centers Council (NACC)
- Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration (NASPAA)
- Planning Accreditation Board (PAB)
The University of Oregon is a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU), an organization made up of more than 60 leading public and private research institutions in the United States and Canada.