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take undergraduate or graduate courses while working in D.C.

learn from practitioners and scholars who advise on and drive international and national policy

Academic Programs

Learn while you work in the nation’s capital. Our headquarters at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), in midtown Washington, D.C., is the perfect launching point for your academic and career goals.

Experiential learning in Washington, D.C.

From condensed intersessions and semester-length programs to a complete master’s degree, Maxwell offers undergraduate and graduate programs with experience-building connections in Washington, D.C.

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Maxwell’s partnership with the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C., provides unique opportunities for Maxwell students, including instruction from fellows, top practitioners and, recently, U.S. Army General Mark Milley. 

Lincoln memorial

Maxwell has partnered with the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications to launch the Syracuse University Democracy, Journalism and Citizenship Institute in Washington, D.C., with veteran journalist Margaret Talev as its founding director.

Robert Daly being interviewed on CNN
Robert Daly, adjunct professor in the Maxwell-in-Washington program and director of the Wilson Center’s Kissinger Institute on China and the United States, says China is moving from authoritarianism to techno-totalitarianism on CNN's "The Lead with Jake Tapper."
Heather Fischer in front of Capitol building
Heather Fischer is senior advisor for human rights crimes at Thomson Reuters Special Services, where she advises the company strategy to use data for good. 
Ashan Benedict, executive assistant chief of police for the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, D.C., is pursuing an executive master’s in international relations through the Maxwell-in-Washington program based at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
The Maxwell School’s partnership with CSIS places students in  midtown Washington—at the center of the nation’s capital. Take a tour of Maxwell’s D.C. campus in this short video.
Carolyn Bourdeaux

U.S. Rep. Carolyn Bourdeaux ’03 built a career analyzing and teaching public policy—and now she’s making policy. Bourdeaux won her seat in November 2020 following a close race in Georgia.

In the Mix: the Center for Strategic and International Studies


With offices for our faculty, leadership and academic and career advisors, as well as a dedicated student space, our D.C. headquarters at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) is also home to an array of lectures, alumni events, classrooms and a media lab.

CSIS is top-ranked, bipartisan, nonprofit policy research organization dedicated to advancing practical ideas to address the world’s greatest challenges. The Center hosts more than 500 speaking events annually, including foreign cabinet ministers, heads of state, civil society representatives, journalists and business executives.

CSIS presentation with panel discussion on stage
Roza Vasileva

I am Maxwell.

Maxwell gave me a push—especially through the internship at the World Bank—to explore ICT for development. I took classes in international programs and foreign affairs, all in the evening, while earning credit for the World Bank internship during the day.”

Roza Vasileva ’13 (M.P.A./M.A. in international relations)

ICT and open data consultant, The World Bank

Read more about Roza’s experience

The Maxwell Alumni Network

Maxwell has more than 12,000 graduate and 19,000 undergraduate alumni worldwide, with one of Maxwell’s largest communities being in Washington, D.C.

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Maxwell sponsors events in D.C. that bring students and alumni together, serves students and alumni seeking employment in public and international affairs, and connects students and alumni with peers in the Washington, D.C., area.

The Office of Alumni Relations is dedicated to inspiring and supporting the work of Maxwell alumni as citizens and public servants, to fostering their affinity for the school and to providing opportunities for professional and personal networking.

McFate Weighs In on the US Military’s Recruiting Problems in Boston Globe Article

July 9, 2024

The Boston Globe

Sean McFate

Sean McFate


In April, Ukraine lowered its minimum age for military mobilization from 27 to 25, hoping to replenish losses and create additional units. 

Yet even as Ukraine dips into its youth as a potential source for national defense, the U.S. military, shocked by recruiting shortfalls that have left its Army, Air Force and Navy branches tens of thousands of troops short of their authorized strength, has begun considering raising the maximum age for people seeking to join.

“Does everybody need to be a Ranger jumping out of airplanes?” asks Sean McFate, adjunct professor adjunct professor in Maxwell's Washington programs. “What about the hackers? What about drone pilots? Maybe the military should rethink the ‘warrior ethos’ for the 21st century.”

McFate, a former paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne Division, believes that the answer to America’s recruiting problems is a combination of additional focus on fitness and education, plus expanding the potential pool of recruits to fill jobs that cannot easily or wisely be met with contractors. “There was a time when people felt that the military didn’t need women, or certain racial minorities,” he says. “I think we need to be a lot more open-minded about our approach to age as a number.”

Read more in the Boston Globe article, “No army for young men.”

Maxwell in Washington, D.C.
1616 Rhode Island Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C., 20036