Humphrey School of Public Affairs

What Humphrey School of Public Affairs does

The Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs is a professional graduate school within the University of Minnesota system, located on the West Bank of the Twin Cities campus in Minneapolis. Founded in 1971 as the Graduate School of Public Affairs and renamed in 1981 to honor Senator and Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey, the school currently enrolls approximately 177 incoming students per year across six master's degrees (Master of Development Practice, Master of Human Rights, Master of Public Affairs for mid-career professionals, Master of Public Policy, Master of Science in Science Technology and Environmental Policy, and Master of Urban and Regional Planning), a PhD in Public Affairs, six certificate programs, and fellowship offerings. The school is led by Dean Nisha Botchwey and employs approximately 271 faculty and staff.

The Humphrey School generates revenue primarily through tuition and fees, with master's programs priced at $27,240 per academic year for in-state residents and $39,024 for out-of-state residents in the MURP program; application fees are $75 for domestic and $95 for international students. Programs are delivered primarily on-campus in Minneapolis, with the MPA program using a cohort-based hybrid format (monthly weekend sessions) and the Election Administration certificate delivered fully online. The school leverages dual-degree partnerships with the Carlson School of Management, UMN Law School, School of Social Work, School of Public Health, College of Liberal Arts, Civil Engineering, and Landscape Architecture to offer cross-credentialed pathways. Experiential learning is central, including a 200-hour internship requirement for MPP and MURP students, capstone projects, and MDP field experiences across 32 countries with partners such as the Rainforest Alliance, Ekialo Kiona Community Center, and Peace Corps.

The Humphrey School is ranked No. 9 nationally among public affairs graduate programs in the 2026 U.S. News & World Report rankings, with graduate employment outcomes of 94-100% for the Class of 2024 across degree programs. As a unit of the state's land-grant university, the school operates under the University of Minnesota Board of Regents and does not function as an independent commercial entity; it has no disclosed revenue figures and no stock listing.

Name

Humphrey School of Public Affairs

Legal name

Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota

Website

https://hhh.umn.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1971

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

The Humphrey School of Public Affairs is a University of Minnesota graduate school offering six master's degrees, a PhD, six certificate programs, and fellowships in public policy, planning, human rights, development practice, and environmental policy, serving students, mid-career professionals, and international fellows.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Affairs and Public Policy Higher Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Policy, Public Administration & Nonprofit Management Schools (within Business Schools) (EDAHAHAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Executive Education & Corporate Programs (Non-degree) (EDAHAHAN), Public Research Universities with Comprehensive Graduate & Professional Schools (EDAHAAAF)

Keywords

• Public affairs education
• Graduate degree programs
• Public policy programs
• Urban planning education
• Public administration programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Minneapolis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Fees: The school generates revenue primarily through tuition and fees charged to graduate students enrolled in master's programs, doctoral programs, and certificate programs. Tuition rates vary by residency status (in-state vs. out-of-state) and program type.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Humphrey School of Public Affairs delivers graduate-level education and professional development in public affairs, policy, planning, and leadership. It offers six master's degrees, one PhD, six certificate programs, multiple fellowship programs, and dual-degree pathways focused on policy analysis, urban planning, human rights, environmental policy, and international development.

Product overview

The Humphrey School of Public Affairs offers a comprehensive portfolio of educational programs including six distinctive master's degrees (Master of Development Practice, Master of Human Rights, Master of Public Affairs, Master of Public Policy, Master of Science in Science Technology and Environmental Policy, and Master of Urban and Regional Planning), a doctoral degree in Public Affairs, six certificate programs (Early Childhood Policy, Election Administration, Nonprofit Management, Policy Issues on Work and Pay, Public Affairs Leadership, and Sustainable ESG Leadership), and various fellowship programs (International Fellows, International Scholars, Policy Fellows). The school also offers accelerated pathways including an MDP Peace Corps Track and a 4+1 dual degree program for undergraduates. Programs focus on public policy, planning, leadership, social justice, human rights, and environmental sustainability, preparing students for careers in government, nonprofit, and private sectors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Master of Development Practice (MDP)

Quantifiable outcome

• 96% of MPP Class of 2024 graduates employed or continuing education
• +3 more outcomes

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Rainforest AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLongstanding partnership with Rainforest Alliance since early 2000s supporting community-based natural resource management and community forest enterprises in Guatemala's Maya Biosphere Reserve. MDP student teams have engaged through more than ten projects focusing on market systems development, livelihood diversification, sustainable tourism, and education.
• Ekialo Kiona (EK) Community CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUnique collaboration on Mfangano Island in Kenya involving the Center for Global Health and Social Responsibility and Development Practice program. MDP students have supported strategic planning, organizational sustainability, cultural preservation, and development of local radio programs.
• GerHub (Mongolia)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with GerHub working on innovative solutions for ger areas (unplanned settlements in Ulaanbaatar). MDP students have contributed to strategic planning, social enterprise transition, and community engagement for sustainable tourism.
• Center for Integrated Natural Resources and Agricultural Management (CINRAM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity center that facilitates MDP student projects with Rainforest Alliance and other international development partners. Provides academic coordination for field experiences.
• Peace CorpscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership offering Peace Corps Track for Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCVs) to complete MDP degree in 12 months. Also provides Paul D. Coverdell Fellowship for financial support.
• Carlson School of ManagementcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDual degree partnership for MPP/MBA program allowing students to complete both degrees in approximately three years. Also collaborated on Sustainable ESG Certificate program.
• University of Minnesota Law SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDual degree partnership (MPP/JD, MS-STEP/JD, MURP/JD) allowing students to earn law degree and public affairs degree concurrently with shared credits.
• School of Social Work (UMN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDual degree partnership (MPP/MSW, MURP/MSW) combining public policy or urban planning with social work. Students can share approximately 21 credits between programs.
• School of Public Health (UMN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDual degree partnerships (MPP/MPH, MURP/MPH) combining public affairs with public health training. Up to 12 HHH credits can apply to MPH and 14 public health credits to HHH programs.
• Institute for Environmental and Earth SciencescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Sustainable Environmental, Social, and Governance Certificate program, incorporating hands-on experiences and sustainability concepts relevant to modern organizational positions.
• College of Liberal ArtscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint support for Master of Human Rights program, combining Humphrey School's policy expertise with College's human rights research and teaching expertise. Also jointly supports graduate minor in human rights.
• Department of Civil EngineeringminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDual degree partnership (MURP/MSCE) for students specializing in Transportation Planning and Engineering or Environmental Planning and Engineering. Up to 18 credits can be double-counted.
• Department of Landscape ArchitectureminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDual degree partnership (MURP/MLA) allowing students to combine urban planning with landscape architecture. Up to 37 credits can be double-counted between programs.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Harvard Kennedy School: Harvard's graduate school of public policy offering MPP, MPA, and doctoral programs; the top-ranked direct competitor in the same applicant pool for public affairs graduate study.
• Carnegie Mellon Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy: Carnegie Mellon's graduate school combining policy, analytics, and information systems; competes for analytically oriented applicants interested in evidence-based public policy.
• Georgetown McCourt School of Public Policy: Georgetown's professional school offering MPP, policy analytics, and dual-degree programs; competes directly for applicants seeking Washington DC exposure and policy careers.
• UC Berkeley Goldman School of Public Policy: Berkeley's public policy school offering MPP and PhD programs; a top-10 ranked direct peer competing for the same public-university applicant pool on the West Coast.
• USC Sol Price School of Public Policy: USC's public policy school offering MPP, MPA, and PhD programs; a comparable urban-focused public affairs school competing for West Coast and international applicants.
• Syracuse University Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs: Syracuse's public affairs school offering MPA, MPP, and PhD programs; a longstanding top-ranked direct peer in the public affairs graduate category.
• Indiana University O'Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs: Indiana's public and environmental affairs school offering MPA, MSES, and PhD programs; a direct peer with comparable environmental-policy and public management specializations.
• Princeton School of Public and International Affairs: Princeton's MPA program and related graduate degrees; ranked among the very top public affairs schools and a direct competitor for policy-oriented applicants seeking elite credentials.
• University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy: Chicago's graduate public policy school offering MPP and PhD programs; a top-ranked direct competitor with strong analytical and economics orientation.
• University of Michigan Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy: Michigan's public affairs school offering MPP, MPA, and PhD programs; a direct peer on Big Ten public-university rankings and a comparable public-university model to Humphrey's.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/mdpumn
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/humphrey-school-of-public-affairs

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Humphrey School of Public Affairs