The George Bush Presidential Library opened its doors in 1997 on 90 acres (36 ha; 0.14 sq mi) of land donated by Texas A&M at the western edge of the campus.

In 1995, Dr. Charles F. Hermann was hired as the Founding Director to build the Bush School; the first students started taking classes in Fall 1997.

He was involved in providing direction in the organization by helping bring noted professors and other individuals from the public and private sec to the campus.

Visitors have included Ban Ki-moon, Mikhail Gorbachev, Ted Kennedy, Barack Obama, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Helmut Kohl, Peter Orszag, Mitt Romney, Mike Krzyzewski, Dick Cheney, Colin Powell, Condoleezza Rice, Karl Rove, Andrew Card, Dan Quayle, Antonin Scalia, Ryan Crocker, Michael Mullen, Sean Hannity, Jeb Bush, Jiang Zemin.

At the doctoral level, the PhD in Political Science program emphasizes theoretical and methodological rigor and is designed to train applied social scientists for research careers.

[8] The Bush School of Government and Public Service and Texas A&M University's Departments of Economics and International Studies (in the politics/diplomacy track) offer two joint-degree programs that allow qualified majors to enter the Bush School at the beginning of their fourth year of study at Texas A&M University.

The two joint-degree programs offered by the Department of International Affairs are the following: The Bush School and the School of Public Health combined to offer students the ability to receive both a Master of International Affairs degree and a Master of Public Health degree in a three-year period.

The five joint-degree programs offered by the Department of Political Science are the following: - Political Science — MPSA The Department of Public Service & Administration offers two master's degree options as well as joint and collaborative degree programs with other Texas A&M University schools and colleges.

[15] The Department of Public Service and Administration joined with Texas A&M University's Departments of Political Science, Economics, Agricultural Economics, Sociology, and Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences to offer joint-degree programs that allow qualified majors to enter the MPSA program at the beginning of their fourth year of study at Texas A&M University.

The five joint-degree programs offered by the Department of Public Service and Administration are the following: The PSAA and EAHR Collaborative Degrees Program (CDP) is a collaboration of the Bush School and the College of Education and Human Development designed for those individuals who intend to build an academic career focused on conducting research in the multidisciplinary field of education policy.

[24] The Bush School offers educational opportunities to students and working professionals in various fields of state, local, and federal government; international affairs; law enforcement; military; homeland security; nonprofit; the private sector; and more.

[25] The Online Executive Master of Public Service and Administration and the online graduate Certificates in Advanced International Affairs, Homeland Security, Nonprofit Management, Public Management, and Geospatial Intelligence provide alternative options for professionals wishing to pursue graduate studies concurrent with their career obligations.

ISTPP's policy research aims to identify the public and stakeholders' acceptability parameters for science and technology applications.

ISTPP also provides interdisciplinary research experience for doctoral, master's, and undergraduate students to augment their training as future decision and policy-makers and university faculty.

[33] Its outreach activities include partnerships with Bank of America, United Way of the Brazos Valley, and the Cities of Bryan and College Station to operate programs on volunteerism and leadership in public service.

[36] The Center adopts a critical approach to grand strategy, taking the view that the United States should seek alternatives to global primacy.

The center offers opportunities for Bush School students to study and publish on grand strategy and is affiliated with the John Quincy Adams Society.

Today, the program is considered a top school for U.S. intelligence agencies and maintains practitioner expertise from the CIA, FBI, NSA, and U.S. military.

[41] The Program on Women, Peace, & Security (WPS) was established in November 2015 within the Department of International Affairs at the Bush School, with Professor Valerie M. Hudson serving as its first director.

[42] Its purpose is to provide a WPS node in the heartland of the United States, and its mission is three-fold: teaching, research, and outreach.

[52] In January 2021, the Bush School DC hosted its first classes in the Master of International Policy (MIP) program.

The degree is offered in residence at the Bush School DC with an option of taking up to 6 credit hours online.

Designed for early-career professionals with a desire to prepare themselves for a career in the Intelligence Community, the degree is offered in residence with the option of taking up to 6 credit hours online.

Students earning the Medal of Excellence receive two awards at a ceremony held in the spring of the year they graduate: In 2007, the dean instituted a formal Certificate in Leadership.

Earning a Dean's Certificate requires formal education and training (coursework and program workshops), self-study and assessments (personalized feedback and individualized leadership development planning), and experiential learning activities (involvement in extracurricular organizations, events, and service projects).