The James W. Martin School of Public Policy and Administration is an academic, research, and service unit of the University of Kentucky Graduate School. It was named in honor of Dr. James W. Martin, a scholar, public servant, and teacher whose accomplishments have created a lasting legacy of scholarship and service.

The first class entered the James W. Martin Center in fall 1976. In 1984, the unit was named the James W. Martin School of Public Administration and was designated a "Center of Excellence" by the University of Kentucky in 1985. The name was changed again in 1994 to the James W. Martin School of Public Policy and Administration. This change was made to better reflect the research, public service, and academic activities of the school.

The master of public administration (MPA) was the first degree program in the Martin School. There are now over 300 graduates of this program. Graduates of the MPA program occupy positions as city and state finance officers, as city planning officers, as health services executives, and numerous other positions in the public and nonprofit sector in Kentucky and across the nation.

The Ph.D. program in public administration began in 1988. Ph.D. students have specialized in areas including welfare policy, education policy, environmental policy, human resources management, and public finance. Most graduates of this program hold academic positions.

The master of health administration (MHA) program began in 1989. The graduates of this program hold management and executive positions in hospitals, hospice organizations, long-term care organizations, and health policy government and nonprofit institutions.

When James W. Martin came to the University of Kentucky in 1928, he was already a recognized and respected scholar in the field of government finance. His employment with UK continued until his retirement as Distinguished Professor of Economics in 1964, although he continued a variety of professional and research activities with the university through the next two decades.

As director of UK's Bureau of Business Research, the forerunner of the Center for Business and Economic Research, he inspired and guided a large number of significant research programs, and he was skillful in mobilizing resources for their advancement.

As a consultant to governmental agencies in Kentucky and elsewhere, he brought to public policy the benefits of sound economic analysis and sophisticated research techniques. In Kentucky, Martin served at the Commissioner level in three divisions of the state government during leaves of absence from the university.