University of Pittsburgh School of Public & International Affairs

Home
United States
Pittsburgh, PA
University of Pittsburgh School of Public & International Affairs

Directions Website Contact the university

Be a leader that shapes the world you want. Undergrad BA in Public Policy, minors in Public & Global Policy, certificate in Nonprofit Management.

Master's in Public Administration/Policy, International Affairs & International Development. We are a diverse community of faculty, staff, students, and alumni committed to making significant contributions to society through public service. As a part of the University of Pittsburgh, GSPIA is a leader in education, a pioneer in research, and an engaged partner in our region and around the world. For more than 60 years, our legacy has inspired graduates to make public institutions better, advance public interest, and realize a more equitable and inclusive society.

10/23/2026

They've already made their mark. And they're just getting started.

From founding a nonprofit that has donated more than $100,000 in health products worldwide to researching housing insecurity in Ireland, exploring educational equity in India and advancing healthcare access for underserved communities, these students bring an impressive range of accomplishments and experiences.

Now, they're coming together as SPIA's 2026-27 Policy and Social Impact Fellows.

The 12 undergraduate fellows represent diverse academic interests and perspectives, bringing new opportunities for collaboration, learning and engagement around complex policy challenges.

We're excited to introduce this year's cohort and look forward to sharing more about the people, perspectives and experiences behind their work in the months ahead.

10/20/2026

Two Pittsburgh universities. One goal: learning how to work across differences.

Our new BRIDGE Fellows Program brings together students from Pitt and Carnegie Mellon to develop skills in dialogue, conflict resolution and civic leadership.

Read how the inaugural BRIDGE Fellows are learning to lead across differences: https://www.spia.pitt.edu/news/pitt-carnegie-mellon-students-build-skills-talk-across-difference-new-bridge-fellows-program.

10/14/2026

Exciting news from the SPIA alumni network! 💙💛

We're celebrating the latest career moves of three graduates whose work is advancing global education, transportation policy, and teaching and learning at Pitt.

🌎 Julianne Norman (MPIA '14) has joined the What Works Hub for Global Education as Associate Director, helping connect research with action to improve learning outcomes for children worldwide.

🚉 Yoni Preuss (MPA '26) has joined Transportation for America as a Policy Associate, returning to the organization where he interned as a SPIA student.

🎓 Bridget Ridge (MPPM '15) has been named Co-Executive Director of the University of Pittsburgh's Teaching Center, helping advance teaching and learning across Pitt.

Congratulations to Julianne, Yoni, and Bridget!

10/07/2026

Who comes to mind when you think of a SPIA graduate making an impact?

Nominations are open for the 2027 SPIA Alumni Awards, recognizing graduates whose leadership, service and impact reflect the very best of our community.

⭐ Rising Star Award — recognizing exceptional recent graduates making an impact early in their careers.
🏆 Impact Award — SPIA’s highest alumni recognition, honoring significant and lasting contributions to a profession, community or society.

Know someone whose work deserves to be celebrated? Nominate them by Friday, November 13, 2026!

Learn more and submit a nomination: https://www.spia.pitt.edu/alumni/alumni-awards.

09/30/2026

Homecoming is about coming back and getting a look at what’s ahead. 💙💛

Members of our Board of Visitors got a special peek inside the Posvar Hall renovation during Homecoming weekend, touring the space with SPIA Director of Development and proud grad Laura Latini (MPPM ’24).

Who knew hard hats could be Homecoming chic? 👷

09/21/2026

Two SPIA faculty. Two new books. Two timely contributions to how we understand power, institutions and policy. 📚

Assistant Professors Zoila Ponce de León and Siyao Li have each published new books with Cambridge University Press, tackling consequential questions in public and international affairs. In “The Politics of Healthcare Expansion,” Ponce de León examines the political forces that determine whether healthcare reforms endure, drawing on research in Chile, Mexico and Peru. In “Closing the Institutional Gap,” Li explores how foreign investors can influence institutions and governance in emerging markets.

Together, their work reflects the depth and range of scholarship at SPIA and the big policy questions our faculty are working to understand.

Learn more about their books and research: https://www.spia.pitt.edu/news/two-new-books-spia-faculty-tackle-politics-behind-healthcare-and-global-investment.

09/18/2026

Good policy starts with asking whether the numbers actually add up.

In a new op-ed for The Hill, SPIA Professor Jeremy Weber examines the economics behind film tax incentives and what the evidence tells us about their return for taxpayers.

Weber brings an economist’s perspective to a policy debate playing out across the country, connecting research and evidence with questions facing policymakers, communities and taxpayers.

Read his perspective in The Hill: https://thehill.com/opinion/energy-environment/6096773-film-tax-incentive-poor-return/.

09/17/2026

Some research deserves a much bigger conversation.

SPIA and Pitt researchers recently brought work on online violence against women in politics to the Women & Girls’ Online Safety Conference in the UK, joining an international group of researchers, policymakers and advocates examining the challenges taking shape online — including the growing role of AI.

Important work, shared in the rooms where people are thinking seriously about what comes next.

🔗 Read the full story: https://www.spia.pitt.edu/news/spia-researchers-carry-pitts-work-online-violence-against-women-uk-conference.

09/14/2026

Experience changes what you need from a graduate degree.

Pitt’s Master of Public Policy & Management (MPPM) is designed for professionals who are already building careers and want the flexibility, expertise and perspective to take them further.

The MPPM makes it possible to build new skills, strengthen leadership capacity or prepare for a career pivot without putting your professional life on hold.

On September 24, we’re hosting an in-person information session at SPIA to share more about the program, the experience and the opportunities it can open.

📅 Thursday, September 24 | Noon
📍 3903 Posvar Hall
🥪 Box lunch provided (RSVP required!)

Join us or share with someone in your network who should know about the MPPM.

Register here: https://pittforms.tfaforms.net/424210.

09/11/2026

AI isn’t just changing how we work. It’s beginning to reshape how societies govern, communicate and participate in democracy.

On Tuesday, SPIA’s Ford Institute for Human Security welcomes Dr. Sarah Lister, Director of Governance, Rule of Law and Peacebuilding at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), for “Democracy, Reprogrammed? Democratic Governance in the Age of AI,” the 2026 Professor Saul M. Katz Lecture.

Drawing on more than 30 years of experience in democratic governance around the world, Dr. Lister will explore the implications of AI for democratic institutions, civic engagement, information integrity and public leadership — and the choices governments and citizens face as the technology continues to evolve.

For anyone interested in democracy, technology, public policy or the future of government, this is a conversation worth being in the room for.

📅 Tuesday, Sept. 15 | 1–3 p.m.
📍 University Club, Conference Room A
Refreshments provided.

Register → https://forms.cloud.microsoft/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=ifT5nqDg606HzDpSYRL9DeLLZqDws0dAk3s1oCQVsu5UMjUzTTdHTVk0TllGVktVNkQwU0RNWUVLVy4u&route=shorturl.

Address

Posvar Hall
Pittsburgh, PA
15260

Website

http://www.spia.pitt.edu/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when University of Pittsburgh School of Public & International Affairs posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The University

Send a message to University of Pittsburgh School of Public & International Affairs:

Want your university to be the top-listed university in Pittsburgh?