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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. 

There are no formal concentrations, but elective credits let you build depth in any area. Student will have the opportunity to learn from and work with UVA Batten faculty who specialize in a wide array of policy areas including national security, congress, education, health, humanitarian aid, public safety, and environmental policy.

Students also have the opportunity to take graduate courses from other UVA schools. Examples of policy-relevant courses offered around the University include Urban Law and Policy (School of Law), U.S. Education Policy (School of Education and Human Development), Data Analysis and Optimization (Darden School of Business), Environmental Policy and Planning (School of Architecture), Global Health and Human Rights (Graduate School of Arts and Sciences), and Public Health Law, Ethics, and Policy (School of Medicine). Batten’s research centers also connect students with faculty and practitioners around shared policy interests.

Yes, financial aid is available.

For undergraduate students, AccessUVA will continue to meet 100% of financial need for all in-state and out-of-state students in our undergraduate major through a combination of grants, work-study, and need-based loans. Student Financial Services will determine your new need amount using the higher tuition and fees for UVA Batten. If you remain eligible for financial aid upon entering UVA Batten, your need, based on the higher cost of attendance, will continue to be met. 

For graduate students, funding options include merit-based fellowships, need-based aid, graduate teaching assistantships, and educational loans.

The Master of Public Policy (MPP) is a full-time, Charlottesville residential, two-year program.  New students enter the fall of each academic year. 

The Master of Science in Public Policy and Data (MSPP&D) is a primarily online program offered in both part-time and full-time formats. Coursework is asynchronous, with approximately one hour of synchronous engagement each week, supplemented by brief in-person experiences at the UVA in Northern Virginia campus for orientation at the beginning of the program and the culminating capstone. Full-time students complete the degree in 12 months and may begin in either the fall or spring semester. Students must complete 31 credits.

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.