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complete master’s degree options in as few as 12 months

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Explore Master’s Degrees

Public Administration

Master of Public Administration


Prepare to lead positive change through a rigorous yet efficient array of skills-building courses.

  • On campus, in Syracuse, N.Y.
  • 40 credits plus optional internships
  • Complete full-time in 12 to 18 months

Executive Master of Public Administration—On Campus or Online


Fill gaps in your knowledge with a program tailored to your career goals—five to seven years of experience required. An online option for working professionals provides added flexibility.

  • Online or on campus in Syracuse, N.Y., options (separate programs)
  • 30 credits
  • Complete part- or full-time in as few as 12 to 15 months

International Relations

Master of Arts in International Relations


Satisfy your curiosity about the world, and develop skills and knowledge to change it for the better.

  • On campus, in Syracuse, N.Y.
  • 40 credits with a required global internship
  • Required career track selection to focus your studies
  • Complete full-time in 18 months

Master of Arts in Public Diplomacy and Global Communications


Prepare to drive change in a range of international contexts through effective public and interpersonal communications. One powerful degree, two schools: the Maxwell School and the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications.

  • On campus, in Syracuse, N.Y., and Washington, D.C.
  • 43 credits with a required global internship
  • Complete full-time in 18 months

Executive Master's in International Relations


Improve your leadership and management skills and global affairs knowledge—seven years of experience required.

  • On campus, in Syracuse, N.Y.
  • 30 credits
  • Complete on a part- or full-time basis

Executive Master’s in International Relations in D.C.


Leverage the combined experience, knowledge and networks of two top-ranked institutions—the Maxwell School and the Center for Strategic and International Studies—and earn your degree while you work in D.C. Seven years of experience required.

  • On campus, in Washington, D.C.
  • 30 credits
  • Complete part-time in as few as 18 to 20 months
Not sure which master’s degree is right for you? Take our Public Service Careers Quiz and find your best-fit program.

Doctoral Program

PhD in Public Administration


Educate the next generation of public service leaders and conduct research that moves the field of public administration and policy analysis forward.

  • On campus, in Syracuse, N.Y.
  • 72 credits (36 credits beyond the M.A.)
  • Full-time residential program, typically completed in 4.5 years

Department Admission Events

We offer a range of in-person and virtual opportunities to learn more about the Maxwell School and degree programs offered by the Public Administration and International Affairs Department, answer questions about the application process, and help you work toward your goals.

See All Department Admission Events

Schedule a One-on-One Meeting

to ask more in-depth questions not covered in the group information sessions. These individual meetings are informational in nature and are not admission interviews.  

Request a Meeting

Study in Washington, D.C.

Our D.C. headquarters at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, top-ranked by the Global Go To Think Tank Index, gives students access to leading minds in the world of policy and international affairs, competitive internships, employment opportunities and a deeply engaged network of D.C.-based alumni.

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Need a midcareer boost? Explore our Certificates of Advanced Study


We offer a variety of regional, topical and skills-based Certificates of Advanced Study (CAS) to help you focus and refine your expertise. Some CAS can be earned as part of a master's program while others can be earned independent of a degree. Learn to use data to formulate and analyze policy, deepen your knowledge of effective public management practices, develop techniques to promote collaboration and resolve conflicts, broaden your expertise in a specific region of the world, and more.

PAIA students gathered in conference room

9 Projects Awarded MetLife Foundation-Lender Center Racial Wealth Gap Grants

March 13, 2024

SU News

Leonard Lopoo headshot

Leonard M. Lopoo


Hannah Patnaik headshot

Hannah Patnaik


Robert A. Rubinstein

Robert A. Rubinstein


The Lender Center for Social Justice has awarded nine grants for new faculty research projects that study issues contributing to or helping alleviate the racial wealth gap in the United States.

The awards are funded by a 2022 MetLife Foundation grant that supports research and community programming over three years to examine the racial wealth gap’s root causes and ideas that may resolve its economic and social inequalities, says Kendall Phillips, Lender Center interim director. The awards are part of the Lender Center for Social Justice initiative led by the Office of Strategic Initiatives.

The racial wealth gap is an ongoing issue that undermines potential economic and social progress and opportunities for members of underserved and underrepresented communities, according to Kira Reed, Lender Center senior research associate and associate professor in the Whitman School of Management.

“These research projects are noteworthy because of their unique courses of inquiry, their highly inter-disciplinary and inter-institutional nature and their close engagements with Syracuse community members and organizations,” says Phillips.

Two projects involve Maxwell School faculty and staff:

“Addressing the Racial Wealth Gap Through Increasing Decennial Census Self-Response Rates in Marginalized Communities”

This project will test mechanisms to try to increase self-response rates for the 2030 federal census in undercounted communities in New York State. Successful efforts could offset census undercounts that might otherwise reduce federal funding for education, health care, housing, infrastructure and other vital services.

Leonard Lopoo, Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, principal investigator

Hannah Patnaik, Maxwell X Lab

“Does Military Service Mitigate the U.S. Racial Wealth Gap? Overlooked Pathways for Underrepresented Minorities in Public Service”

This project explores how military service intersects with racial wealth disparities. Researchers will look at military service as a means of economic advancement and a way to overcome social barriers that may hinder underrepresented minorities who are pursuing post-service career advancement and entrepreneurship.

Corri Zoli, College of Arts and Sciences, and Arielle Newman, Whitman School, principal investigators

Linda R. Euto, D’Aniello Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF)

Charisse L’Pree Corsbie-Massay, Newhouse School of Public Communications

Robert A. Rubinstein, Maxwell School

Rosalinda Vasquez Maury, IVMF

Mauricio Mercado, Lender Center for Social Justice

Ashley Gomez, University of Pittsburgh

Read the full article via the SU News website.

By Diane Stirling

Public Administration and International Affairs Department
215 Eggers Hall