Welcome to Watts College

Academic excellence and accessibility

The Watts College of Public Service and Community Solutions is home to one of the university's most inclusive learning environments—with high percentages of students coming from historically underrepresented racial and ethnic groups, students who are the first in their family to go to college and those facing high-financial need. Among our students are nearly 300 veterans, and we serve international students coming from 59 countries. Last year, we awarded over 2,500 degrees. Many of our students win local and national awards, and study concurrently in ASU's Barrett, the Honors College. We are proud to work closely with community partners to meet emerging workforce needs, and our commitment to hands-on, service learning helps prepare the next generation of public servants. Our highly ranked programs are available in person or online—and we offer degrees in Arizona at ASU's Downtown Phoenix Campus, ASU's West Valley Campus, in Tucson and Yuma, and in Hainan, China. 

Local impact, social embeddedness

ASU is an anchor institution, vital to the Phoenix metropolitan area. Regardless of where they study, the Watts College of Public Service’s faculty and students are close to the partners that we serve. Public service is a cornerstone of our academic programs, research endeavors and student experiences. We bring a spirit of experimentation and systems-level thinking to the shared challenge of creating and maintaining public goods. 

Solutions-oriented research

Our research is use-inspired, integrating the theoretical and the applied approaches to find solutions to complex issues of urban living and governance. Our unique structure—with expertise across a broad range of areas—complements our entrepreneurial approach. We are deeply embedded in the community-forging partnerships that take on projects with local, national and international impact.