
About The Bush School
Mission | History | Collaborations | Visit
The Bush School of Government and Public Service was founded in 1997 under President George H. W. Bush’s philosophy that “public service is a noble calling.” Since then, the Bush School has continued to reflect that notion in curriculum, research, and student experience and has become a leading public and international affairs graduate institution.
The Bush School offers four graduate programs for students aspiring to careers in public service. Degrees in Public Service and Administration, International Affairs, and International Policy, as well as an online Executive Master in Public Service and Administration develop principled leaders for professional careers in public service. The Bush School also offers graduate certificates in Advanced International Affairs, Homeland Security, Nonprofit Management, Public Management, Geospatial Intelligence, and Cybersecurity Policy. The Bush School has joined with several Texas A&M departments to offer seven Bachelor’s/Master’s 5-Year (3+2) Programs that allow students to enter the Bush School at the beginning of their fourth year and receive both their undergraduate and master’s degrees in five years.
The Bush School’s vision to inspire excellence in the noble calling of public service will be greatly expanded with the opening of the Washington, DC, Teaching Site. Classes commence in early 2021, with the teaching site offering instruction toward the Master of International Policy (MIP) degree, a 30-credit-hour, non-thesis program.
A rigorous curriculum and internationally acclaimed faculty have propelled the Bush School to rank in the top 12 percent of graduate public affairs schools in the nation, according to U.S. News & World Report, 2020. Among public universities, the Bush School is ranked in the top 20 of public affairs programs. In 2020, the Bush School was named the no. 1 ranked “best value” in both residential MPA programs and executive online MPA programs by Value College.
Located in College Station, Texas, Bush School programs are housed in the newly renovated Robert H. and Judy Ley Allen Building, part of the George Bush Presidential Library Center on the campus of Texas A&M University, a top-tier research institution. This location affords students a wealth of resources to access throughout their graduate education, including research opportunities at any of the three research institutions housed within the Allen building, access to the archival holdings of the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum, and invitation to numerous events and prestigious speaking engagements hosted by the George Bush Foundation.
The Bush School prepares students to become principled leaders in their fields and to reflect the value of public service throughout their careers.
Recognitions
- 1st in the nation for best value for residential MPA, Value Colleges, 2020
- 1st in the nation for best value for executive online MPA, Value Colleges, 2020
- Top 12% in Public Affairs Programs, U.S. News & World Report, 2020
- 5th among public universities and 26th in the nation for its International Affairs program, Foreign Policy, 2018
- 5th among public universities and 10th in the nation for its Homeland Security and Emergency Management program, U.S. News & World Report, 2020
- 13th among public universities and 18th in the nation for its Nonprofit Management program, U.S. News & World Report, 2020
- 20th among public universities for its Public Affairs program, U.S. News & World Report, 2020
Accreditations
- The Master of Public Service and Administration program is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration.
- The Master of International Affairs program is one of thirty-nine full members of the Association of Professional Schools of International Affairs.

