WASHINGTON – The George Washington University boasts the most current congressional staff members with graduate degrees, according to a recent study published by LegBranch.org.
The study finds that 169 congressional aides obtained a graduate degree from the George Washington University, 55 more than the second-place institution, Georgetown University. GW also tops the rankings when it comes to active congressional staffers with bachelor’s degrees with 109, the only institution to crack the century mark.
“The road to Capitol Hill runs through GW,” said Dr. Steven Billet, director of the Legislative Affairs master’s program at GW’s Graduate School of Political Management (GSPM).
GW graduates are present at every level of the Capitol Hill hierarchy. In 2019, 31 congressional chiefs of staff and four deputy chiefs of staff held degrees from GW. 11 of those chiefs of staff and all four deputy chiefs of staff graduated from GSPM.
The Legislative Affairs master’s program at GSPM is the only master’s degree in the U.S. exclusively devoted to the study of applied politics in the legislative arena. Graduates of GSPM’s Political Management and Strategic Public Relations master’s programs also serve on congressional staffs.
The study was published by LegBranch.org and conducted by Dr. Casey Burgat, Senior Fellow at the R Street Institute, and Trey Billing, a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Maryland, using information from Legistorm’s congressional staff database and from the National Center for Education Statistics.
The Graduate School of Political Management at the George Washington University is the first and foremost school of applied politics, advocacy, and communications. For more information, visit gspm.gwu.edu. Connect with GSPM on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @GSPMgwu.
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