BUILDING LEADERS, SHAPING FUTURES
Why Choose
UVA Batten
Where policy meets leadership and ideas become impact. At the University of Virginia’s Batten School, you’ll combine policy analysis and leadership training to drive real-world change and build a meaningful career.
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Insights & Impact
See How UVA Batten is
Shaping the Future of Policy
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. is the 2026 recipient of the Thomas Jefferson Foundation Medal in Citizen Leadership, which is the highest external honor bestowed by the University and recognizes the achievements of luminaries who embrace endeavors in which Jefferson excelled and held in high regard.
Sarah Turner is a professor at the University of Virginia, with appointments in economics, education, and public policy. Turner is a leading expert in labor economics and the economics of education, focusing on higher education and high-skill labor markets. As part of our Women's History Month celebration, we asked Professor Turner some questions about her career at UVA.
On Friday, February 20, Dr. Francis Collins, preeminent genomic researcher, former Director of the National Institutes of Health and a UVA alumnus, joined Professor Melanie Egorin in Garrett Hall for a conversation on how to rethink complex policy challenges – and how to sway others to your side.
Our PEOPLE
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Community
Events & Opportunities
Join Us at an Upcoming
UVA Batten Event
12 – 1pm
No matter your current career path, whether that is HR, finance, IT, marketing, public service, or beyond, Batten's Graduate Certificate in Public Leadership and Graduate Certificate in Public Policy help you lead with greater clarity, courage, and evidence-based skill.Designed for working professionals, these flexible programs let you deepen your expertise without stepping away from your career and are eligible for the use of your UVA Education Benefits. And because the certificates stack toward Batten's Master of Public Policy, every course you complete is a step toward something larger.Join us for our in-person information session to explore our full range of offerings, including online options, and find the path that fits your goals. Join us Tuesday, June 16, 12–1PM in the Great Hall, Garrett — lunch is provided for all attendees!
7:30 – 8:30pm
Calling all Batten alumni: interested in giving back, supporting your fellow alumni, and staying connected to the Batten community? Consider joining the Batten Alumni Advisory Board (BAAB)! Those interested in joining the BAAB should attend our virtual interest meeting on Monday, June 22nd at 7:30p to learn more about the nomination and application process.See a schedule of key events below and a bit more information about what it means to be part of the board. We hope to see you online on 6/22!Schedule of Key EventsInterest Meeting: 22 June 2026 at 7:30 PM ETNomination Window: 24 June 2026 - 08 July 2026 (11:59PM ET)Election Week: 11 July 2026 - 18 July 2026 (11:59PM ET)Cohort Announced: 25 July 2026What’s the Batten Alumni Advisory Board?The Batten Alumni Advisory Board (BAAB) is a volunteer alumni organization that promotes, leads, and facilitates conversations between the Batten School and its alumni to strengthen the Batten network. Our goals include creating deeper ties within the alumni community, acting as a resource for career development of Batten students and alumni, and providing feedback and advice to the school on issues raised by alumni. We organize initiatives and events to strengthen engagement among alumni and connect students, alumni, staff and faculty.
2 – 2:45pm
At the Frank Batten School of Leadership & Public Policy, we are committed to solving the world’s toughest policy challenges. We know the complex issues of our time demand innovative, collaborative, cross-sector relationships within our walls and beyond. Our multidisciplinary approach to problem-solving and emphasis on ethics reinforce our focus on how leadership works, why context matters in decision-making and which actions lead to tangible results.Come hear more about our two-year Bachelor of Arts in Public Policy & Leadership, Accelerated Master of Public Policy, and Minors in Public Policy & Leadership or Social Entrepreneurship!This session is only open to students attending UVA's incoming first-year and transfer orientations.
Integrating Leadership & Public Policy
The Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy is designing a new model of public policy education – one that infuses leadership with policy, and policy with leadership. Our programs are defined by a multidisciplinary approach to problem-solving, rigorous quantitative and qualitative analytical training, experiential learning opportunities, and evidence-based decision-making.
World-Class Teaching & Research
Our community is defined not only by academic rigor, but also real-world experience, teaching, and mentoring. This approach has attracted a multidisciplinary faculty of leading scholar-practitioners in political science, social psychology, public administration, history, economics, and law from around the globe. Our research centers and policy labs are hubs for collaboration and impact.
Excellence with Humanity
At home in one of the world’s great public universities, we are passionate about improving lives and solving humanity’s toughest policy challenges. We seek to attract a community as diverse in thought, experience, background, and aspiration as the world we want to serve, and to bring them together in an intellectually courageous and collaborative environment. We are advancing new knowledge, new skills, and new solutions, cultivating leaders for our common future.
We offer a variety of graduate and undergraduate programs. For students interested in graduate studies, we offer a two-year Master of Public Policy program in addition to six dual degree options with other schools at the University of Virginia, and two graduate certificates – one in Public Leadership and one in Public Policy. Current UVA (and prospective transfer) students may pursue a Bachelor of Arts in Public Policy and Leadership, a Minor in Public Policy and Leadership, a Minor in Social Entrepreneurship, and an Accelerated MPP, which allows students to earn undergraduate and graduate degrees in just one additional year of study.
Our programs prepare students for a wide variety of policy-oriented careers in the public, non-profit, and private sectors. The Batten School offers its own career advancement team that supports students from landing a summer internship and full-time position, to making career changes long after graduation. They help with resumes, interviews, and networking, among other things.
Example employers include congressional committees, federal agencies (e.g., EPA, GAO, CBO, CRS, FTC, CDC), cabinet departments, various state and local government agencies, the World Bank, consulting firms (e.g., Deloitte, McKinsey, Accenture), and non-profits and NGOs in many policy sectors, such as environmental, health, education, and international development policy.
The MPP is a full-time, residential, two-year program. New students enter the fall of each academic year.
The Accelerated MPP program begins in the fall of each academic year and takes place over the course of your final undergraduate year at the University plus one additional year as a full-time graduate student. It cannot be expedited further or taken part-time.
Batten’s Graduate Certificate programs are offered both part-time and full-time, online or in-person, and can be started in the fall or spring semesters. Students must complete 12 credits for each certificate, and students can take one to four classes a semester.