UMBC, which is classified as a Research University (high research activity) by the Carnegie Foundation, enrolls nearly 14,000 students, including approximately 2,600 graduate students. UMBC is one of the 12 campuses of the University System of Maryland, and is located on 500 wooded, rolling acres just outside of Baltimore and about 45 minutes from Washington, DC. BWI-Thurgood Marshall International Airport is five minutes away, as are MARC Rail, AMTRAK and light rail stations.

The School of Public Policy is an interdisciplinary graduate only program that enrolls approximately 135 Ph.D. and Master’s students. We are among the top 10 public policy programs nationally in terms of faculty productivity. We are also among the top programs nationally in terms of Ph.D. enrollment and Ph.D. degrees granted in public policy. Faculty in the School are encouraged to develop close working relationships with research centers on campus, especially the Maryland Institute for Policy Analysis and Research (MIPAR), which currently reports approximately $23 million in external funding, and other centers as relevant to their scholarship.