Welcome to the website of the School of Planning and Public Affairs (SPPA) at the University of Iowa.
With over 1,000 alumni, SPPA has provided high-quality professional graduate education for 60 years. Accredited by the Planning Accreditation Board, our Master of Urban and Regional Planning (URP) program is nationally ranked #16 in the most recent Planetizen Guide to Graduate Urban Planning Programs. The program prepares students to become professional planners who make positive change in communities, cities, and regions. Our vision is to promote inclusive human settlements in which economic development, environmental sustainability, public policy, and social justice collectively contribute to prosperity, resilience, and the quality of life from local to global scales.
In 2020, SPPA launched a Master of Public Affairs (MPA) program. We educate future leaders in public and nonprofit sectors who can address the most pressing economic, social, and environmental challenges humanity faces in the 21st century. Leveraging campus-wide resources and interests in public policy at a world-class research university, our MPA students excel academically and professionally. Ranked #1 public affairs graduate program in Iowa by U.S. News & World Report, the MPA program achieved another milestone in 2025 by earning accreditation from the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration (NASPAA).
SPPA is a national model in student-centered community engagement. SPPA’s Iowa Initiative for Sustainable Communities collaborates with communities across Iowa to identify, facilitate, and supervise student capstone projects. In partnership with SPPA faculty, our graduate students have made tangible impacts even before graduation.
SPPA boasts internationally recognized and award-winning faculty who excel in various fields, including community and economic development, land use, housing, transportation, environmental sustainability, public and nonprofit management, public finance, and policy analysis. They are strongly committed to student success.
Additionally, SPPA provides opportunities for UI undergraduate students through accelerated Undergraduate-to-Graduate (U2G) programs and our popular minor in Public Policy and minor in Urban Studies.
Leadership. Action. Policy. It all starts here. We invite you to join the SPPA family and change the world with us.
For further information about SPPA, please contact me at haifeng-qian@uiowa.edu. Admissions-related inquiries can be directed to Abbi Castle at abigail-castle@uiowa.edu.
Haifeng Qian, PhD
Professor and Director