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ABOUT THE HOBBY SCHOOL OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS

The Hobby School of Public Affairs is focused on putting creative, solutions-oriented public policy to work for the world through education, research, support and service. For us, the world is all-encompassing, local, regional, national and international, as the challenges communities face and the answers we can help deliver are universal.

The Hobby School of Public Affairs offers a Master of Public Policy (MPP) degree, as well as several graduate dual degree programs and accelerated pathway programs (4+1 undergraduate/graduate programs), and Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Science undergraduate programs. The dual degrees provide enhanced interdisciplinary study, combining public policy with such areas as economics, law, social work, psychology, business and a UH Honors College option. Additionally, the Hobby School offers six graduate certificate programs in data analytics, energy policy, ethics, health care policy, public policy and public administration.

The Hobby School extends its education mission by offering various summer institutes, most notably the Empirical Implications of Theoretical Models (EITM) Institute and the Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) Summer Program in Quantitative Methods of Social Research. The EITM program started in 2012 with funding provided by the National Science Foundation. The ICPSR workshops are offered by a selective group of academic institutions across the U.S. as part of a national initiative to train social scientists in research methods.

The research portfolio of the Hobby School encompasses study and analysis of local, national and global public policy issues. The school is known for advanced expertise in creative quantitative and data analytics across a variety of disciplines. Our team of faculty and student researchers often collaborate with colleagues across UH, with other universities, research institutes and public and private partners. Recent reports and studies have focused on impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic, natural disasters, the opioid epidemic in Texas, energy policy and electoral and voting trends. The Hobby School is home to various research centers such as the Center for Public Policy and the Elizabeth D. Rockwell Center on Ethics and Leadership.

Public service and community engagement are also vital components of the Hobby School’s mission, providing critical experiential learning opportunities for our students, while also offering valuable service and support to public and private partners. Our flagship internship programs include the Hobby Fellows, Leland Fellows, Harris Fellows and Civic Houston Internship Program. Additionally, the school offers the nationally-accredited Certified Public Manager program and the Civic Engagement Boot Camp.

The Hobby School’s Master of Public Policy is a Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration (NASPAA) accredited degree program. It ranked among the top 100 public policy programs in the country by the U.S. News & World Report. The Hobby School is a Full Member of NASPAA and an Institutional Member of the Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management (APPAM). The Hobby School also maintains a Pi Alpha Alpha chapter, the global honors society for public affairs and administration.