Life at O’Neill

More than classrooms

The O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs is a friendly school within a large university. Your classmates—and your professors—will become part of your support network while you examine big ideas and gain concrete skills. As an interdisciplinary school delivering undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral education, your community can include students of all ages and interests—all coming together to lead for the greater good in an atmosphere that actively strives to cultivate diversity, equity, and inclusion. You’ll find programs, organizations, and opportunities to explore your passions while working toward your future.

Explore student organizations Find enrichment opportunities Meet the faculty
Students talk about their O'Neill experience

Description of the video:

[Music]

 

I think what makes O'Neill special are the people.

 

The relationships I've created since I've been here have been one of the most important parts of the experience, and being in a classroom with people that have the same passions has been so important.

 

Just having that ability to connect with my classmates in my courses has been a real highlight for my program.

 

Despite the massive size of IU Bloomington, and how large and diverse the student body is, I definitely feel at home here.

 

I really wanted my experience in grad school to be a feeling of community; a feeling of support; a really close-knit, one-on-one experience with professors and other students.

 

The cohort system has been fantastic, making sure that I didn't feel so alone coming in to the O'Neill School.

 

When you look at the people that you work with, the people that you learn with every day, you're really learning with people that you can really call family.

 

The welcoming and encouraging dynamic that we have within our cohort is really exemplified in

 

the number of different friends that I've been able to make throughout the program, and I couldn't ask for anything more.

 

[Music]

[Music]

 

I think what makes O'Neill special are the people.

 

The relationships I've created since I've been here have been one of the most important parts of the experience, and being in a classroom with people that have the same passions has been so important.

 

Just having that ability to connect with my classmates in my courses has been a real highlight for my program.

 

Despite the massive size of IU Bloomington, and how large and diverse the student body is, I definitely feel at home here.

 

I really wanted my experience in grad school to be a feeling of community; a feeling of support; a really close-knit, one-on-one experience with professors and other students.

 

The cohort system has been fantastic, making sure that I didn't feel so alone coming in to the O'Neill School.

 

When you look at the people that you work with, the people that you learn with every day, you're really learning with people that you can really call family.

 

The welcoming and encouraging dynamic that we have within our cohort is really exemplified in

 

the number of different friends that I've been able to make throughout the program, and I couldn't ask for anything more.

 

[Music]

Make yourself at home

You’ll find students in our buildings around the clock—studying, collaborating, or just grabbing coffee. While the O’Neill School is centrally located on campus, close to IU’s main Herman B Wells Library and restaurants and food courts, you can also find what you need without leaving the building. We have multiple lounges, an inviting, airy atrium, research assistance in our library, and our own Campus Café, complete with hot sandwiches and Starbucks coffees.

Learn about the Business/SPEA Library

Find Campus Café details

Find the support you need

At the O’Neill School we believe in serving the whole student—personally, professionally, and academically. Your experience at O’Neill will be both rewarding and demanding. You may find that you need a little support along the way. That’s why we developed an initiative to expand mental health resources to support students in need, build community, and lessen the stigma around mental health.

Learn about the Resilience and Wellbeing Initiative

See it for yourself

There’s no better way to experience life at the O’Neill School than in person. We can’t wait to meet you—contact your degree program to set up a visit.

Undergraduate visit information Master’s visit information 

Doctoral visit information

Life at the O’Neill School

Description of the video:

00:06
[Madison Oday] You see 'lead for the greater good' everywhere at SPEA. I know it's a slogan, but it's real. It's me.
00:13
It's why I wanted to start here.
00:15
[Chuck Bonser] We started the School of Public and Environmental Affairs because we saw a need.
00:19
It was 1972. The nation was in an era of social and political turmoil.
00:24
We needed civic leaders and public servants who could be entrusted to make sound decisions.
00:30
We needed champions for the environment who understood both science and how people interact with it.
00:35
SPEA was the right idea at the right time and it still is.
00:40
[Oday] The world is changing rapidly, and I wanted to study in a place that could prepare me for that.
00:45
I'm interested in cybersecurity.
00:47
I know I have a lot to learn about how policy works, about how governments interact with technology and with each other, so
00:55
I was attracted to SPEA because it's so interdisciplinary.
00:58
I can customize my studies to my interest, but also know I'm building a solid skill base.
00:59
[Bonser]
01:05
I don't think anyone could have anticipated the way that SPEA has grown.
01:08
We're consistently ranked as one of the top places in the country to study public and environmental affairs.
01:14
We have over 32,000 alumni around the world
01:16
and they're all doing big things. Our current students are going to do the same. They'll be financial managers and policymakers in the U.S. and
01:25
Internationally. They'll run not-for-profits that change people's lives.
01:28
There'll be environmental advocates changing the way that we approach sustainability and energy. They'll be leaders for the greater good.
01:35
They're preparing for careers that they can't even imagine at a school that's focused on tomorrow.
01:42
[Oday] In a way, we're all just getting started.