complete master’s degree options in as few as 12 months
award-winning faculty of national and international renown
global professional network 37,000 strong
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
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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 EventsSchedule 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 MeetingStudy 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.
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](/images/default-source/callouts-1-1/cas-students-library560.jpg?Status=Master&sfvrsn=7a7cc755_3)
Dean’s Office, CPR fund summer project assistantships
June 24, 2020
Eleven faculty members recently received awards from the Maxwell School to support emerging research projects this summer.
The awards, granted in two separate programs by the Dean’s Office and by the Center for Policy Research (CPR), each fund a graduate assistant to work on preliminary research that will enable the faculty member to submit a related proposal for external funding.
These five faculty members received awards from the Dean’s Office:
- Kristy Buzard (Economics), for a project related to lobbying and legislative uncertainty;
- Peng Gao (Geography), for a study of morphological changes of braided rivers in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau using UAV, multispectral, and SAR remote sensing;
- Yingyi Ma (Sociology), for a project titled “Chinese Students Amidst COVID-19: Double Binds and Difficult Choices”;
- Gretchen Purser (Sociology), for a “Freedom Commons: Entanglements of Social and Penal Policy in Housing Provision for the Poor”; and
- Emily Wiemers (PAIA), for “The Strength of the Family Safety Net during the Coronavirus Pandemic”
The Center for Policy Research also supported assistantships for five projects, involving these six faculty members:
- Madonna Harrington Meyer (Sociology), for “Policy-Making with Carrots and Sticks: Social Security Early Retirement Deduction vs. Delayed Retirement Credit”;
- Colleen Heflin and Micah Rothbart (both PAIA), for “Statewide, Longitudinal Analysis of Malleable Factors Related to High School Completion Outcomes for Students with High Incidence Disabilities”;
- Jan Ondrich (Economics), for “Equivalence Scaling for Disability in the United States and Germany”;
- Alex Rothenberg (Economics), for “The Consequences of Urban Sprawl in Developing Countries: Economic, Environmental, and Social Outcomes”; and
- Johnny Yinger (Economics/PAIA), for “The Cause of Household Sorting Across Communities: Zoning or Competition?”
For information about research support available to faculty members, email Jill Ferguson, Maxwell’s director of research development, at jsfergus@.syr.edu.
06/24/20
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