GSPM was founded in 1987 as an independent graduate school chartered by the New York State Board of Regents, with the understanding that proper politics requires training.

[2] In 1991, the school opened a degree program on the urban campus of the George Washington University, in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood, just a few blocks from the White House, Capitol Hill, both major political parties and many of the top consulting, lobbying and public relations firms in the country.

The current master's programs are Political Management, Legislative Affairs, Strategic Public Relations and Comunicación Política y Gobernanza.

It focuses on public opinion survey data through the Society of Presidential Pollsters, as well as the George Washington University Battleground Poll.

[14][15][16] GSPM is also home to the Battleground Poll, a project of national surveys conducted by pollsters Ed Goeas and Celinda Lake and the big data computational and analytic Shenkman Initiative.