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
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.
Who’s Afraid of the Bomb?: The Euromissiles Crisis and Nuclear Weapons in Europe, Past and Present
Michael John Williams
International Studies Review, February 2024
Not since the 1980s has the specter of nuclear weapons cast such a long shadow over international politics as it has since the start of Russia’s second illegal invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Dmitry Medvedev, former Prime Minister and President of Russia, a man with whom in 2010 President Obama marked a successful “reset” of relations with Russia over burgers and fries, is now Putin's nuclear barking dog.
In January 2023, now deputy chairman of Putin’s security council, Medvedev, posted on a social media service that “nuclear powers have never lost major conflicts on which their fate depends”. He went on to expound that “the defeat of a nuclear power in a conventional war may trigger a nuclear war.”
Just about a month later, Putin suspended participation in the New START nuclear arms treaty—the last remaining bilateral nuclear arms treaty between the United States and Russia—and cautioned the United States and allies that new strategic systems had been put on combat duty and that nuclear tests might resume.
In March 2023, Putin announced he would be stationing Russian tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus—not unexpected, but also not welcome.
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