Becoming Batten

No matter if you are interested in pursuing an undergraduate or graduate program here at UVA Batten, you will have the opportunity to explore your interests in public policy and leadership through coursework. Take a look below at some of our offerings for the Fall 2026 semester!

Hurley discusses how the Certificate in Public Policy courses transformed her thinking and led her to pursue a Master's in Public Policy, what it’s like balancing online coursework with a career, and why she thinks even skeptics should give public policy a chance.

Owen Hart, a UVA Batten Master of Public Policy graduate serves as the National Association of Counties' legislative director for Agriculture & Rural Affairs, where he spearheads advocacy efforts on federal rural development policy that can better support America's 3,069 counties and the rural communities they serve.

Alex Pinckney completed her Master of Public Policy at UVA Batten in 2022 and began a career in healthcare consulting. She credits her time at UVA Batten with strengthening her analytical ability and with changing her career trajectory to the path she's on today.

Savannah Rogers was drawn to the UVA Batten MPP for a variety of reasons including its full-time format and generous scholarship funding. She thinks Batten provides the skills, leadership, and community to make you better at your job from day one.

Read about four courses UVA Batten is offering this fall that highlight the range of our undergraduate and graduate course offerings!

Karly Ball Isaacson chose to pursue a Master of Public Policy at UVA Batten because of its rigorous policy training and serious leadership development component which allowed her to think bigger about how to pursue her policy interests.

Madison Roberts (MPP '20) now serves as a Law Clerk at White & Case LLP in New York, but the principles she learned during her coursework at UVA Batten have remained relevant in her career where negotiation, stakeholder management and relationship-building are central to daily practice.

Batten graduates enter public service equipped with the knowledge, skills, and commitment to address the complex policy challenges facing our world today. Career pathways often include federal, state, and local government leadership, consulting and strategy, private sector and research, and nonprofit roles. We asked one of our amazing alumni, Jacklyn Chen (BA ‘21) to learn more about what she has done after graduation.

Graduates from the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy at the University of Virginia enter the work force equipped with the knowledge, skills, and commitment to address the complex policy challenges facing our world today. Career pathways often include federal, state, and local government leadership; consulting and strategy; private sector and research; and nonprofit roles. We sat down with one of our amazing alumni, Michael Pugh (MPP '22) to learn more about his time after UVA Batten!

UVA Batten graduates enter a variety of sectors and fields after graduation. While many go on to public service careers, working in local, state, federal, or even international policy areas, other Batten graduates go on to work in the private sector, including finance. We asked one of our amazing private sector alumni, Sebastian Singh (Accelerated MPP ‘24) about his time after Batten!

UVA Batten graduates enter a variety of sectors and fields after graduation equipped with the knowledge, skills, and commitment to address the complex policy challenges facing our world today. While many go on to public service careers, working in local, state, federal, or even international policy areas, other Batten graduates go on to work in the private sector, including consulting. The Batten Admissions team sat down with one of our amazing private sector alums, Olivia Nguyen-Dillon (BA ‘23) to learn more about her time after Batten!