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.
Learn more about UVA Batten
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.
On Friday, March 13, the Public Engagement in Governance Looking, Listening, and Learning Laboratory (PEGLLLLab) at the UVA Batten School hosted The Violence Intervention Forum at Charlottesville’s City Hall where a panel of community leaders examined the causes, impacts, and potential solutions for gun-related violence on March 13, 2026.
Our PEOPLE
Hear from the UVA Batten
Community
Events & Opportunities
Join Us at an Upcoming
UVA Batten Event
12 – 1pm
Join us for Careers in Focus, a dynamic series of panel discussions featuring alumni who have built impactful careers in specific policy sectors. These events provide an inside look at diverse professional journeys, offering valuable insights into the skills, experiences, and strategies that lead to success in the field. Our June Careers in Focus is centered on healthcare policy. Whether you’re a student exploring career options or an alum seeking to expand your network, Careers in Focus is an opportunity to learn directly from those who have navigated the challenges and opportunities of policy work. Panelists will share their perspectives on industry trends, career development, and practical advice for breaking into and thriving in these sectors. All alumni and students are welcome to attend! Alumni Panelists: Pending Confirmation, more information to be shared soon!
12 – 1pm
No matter your current career path, whether that is HR, finance, IT, marketing, public service, or beyond, Batten's graduate certificates 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.Lunch is provided for all attendees!
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.