UT’s Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs announced its first undergraduate degree program in a July 11 press release. 

The Bachelor of Public Affairs will focus on building leadership, policy analysis, data analytics and communication and organizational management skills, according to the press release. The program will begin accepting applications for Fall 2025 on Aug 1.

According to the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Union, the U.S. gained 581,000 state and local government jobs in 2023, but also saw 850,000 vacancies in November of that year. UT’s program hopes to boost employment in the public sector to improve public services such as education, health and safety, the University said in the press release.

“For more than 50 years, the LBJ School has trained graduate students to become leaders for Texas and elsewhere, including a governor, non-profit CEOs, a university president and many other change-makers among its alumni,” University president Jay Hartzell said in an Instagram reel announcing the program. “Now, we are expanding that proud tradition of public service education to Longhorn undergraduates.”