Inaugurated in 2001 as the University of Georgia’s fourteenth college, the School of Public and International Affairs (SPIA) was formed from the existing Department of Political Science in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences. Emerging at a critical time in US history, SPIA’s existence since 2001 has coincided with public policy challenges and threats to democratic governance.

Now, more than ever, the nation and the world require scholars and students to focus their attention on the pressing policy and governance issues of the day. SPIA prepares undergraduate and graduate students for good citizenship and careers in public life and trains future generations of teachers and scholars in the fields of international affairs, political science, and public administration and policy.