Prepare to lead and make a difference in communities around the globe. At Maxwell, you’ll find faculty, students and alumni who are dedicated to the idea that well-trained public service-minded professionals can change the world.
Whether you are just starting out in your career or you are a seasoned professional, you’ll find a Maxwell program designed to help you:
- fill gaps in knowledge,
- build skills and confidence to take on a leadership role in your organization,
- prepare to move across sectors and,
- boost your ability to drive change.
Our Approach
We’ve situated a world-class team of public administration faculty among an equally accomplished faculty of the social sciences. This dynamic mix of educators and scholars creates a one-of-a-kind experience in which students immerse in interdisciplinary coursework and topical research at one of 14 research centers within the school.
You’ll reach your professional ambitions—fast. Our professional degrees provide exceptional preparation to advance your career in as few as 12 months, letting you get back to work more quickly than most other programs. And, if you have seven years of experience, you may qualify for one of our midcareer executive programs—with course options that are even more flexible and efficient.
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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
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.
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Our D.C. headquarters at the Syracuse University Center in DuPont Circle, 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.
Institutional Grammar: Foundations and Applications for Institutional Analysis
Saba Siddiki, Christopher K. Frantz
Palgrave Macmillan, January 2022
Saba Siddiki, associate professor of public administration and international affairs and Chapple Family Professor of Citizenship and Democracy, is author of a new book, “Institutional Grammar: Foundations and Applications for Institutional Analysis” (Palgrave Macmillan, 2022).
The book provides a general background on institutional analysis and institutional grammar (IG), both of which are approaches applied to understand the design and impact of institutions, or rules, used in governance. In addition to providing an introduction to these approaches, the book offers a comprehensive overview of a revised version of the IG developed by the authors, called the IG 2.0. The IG 2.0 is particularly well-suited for studying policy design drawing on diverse theoretical and analytical approaches, Siddiki says.
Siddiki joined the Maxwell School in 2017. Her research examines the designs of institutions that communities use to solve public problems and how governments engage non-governmental organizations and citizens in public problem solving, policy design and policy implementation.
She leads Maxwell’s master of public administration program and is the founding director of the new Center for Policy Design and Governance, the Computational Institutional Science Lab and the Institutional Grammar Initiative. She earned a Ph.D. in public affairs from the University of Colorado in 2011.
From the publisher:
This book provides a comprehensive introduction to the Institutional Grammar (IG), an approach for analysing the design of institutions. To lay the foundation for the application of the “Grammar” for different application areas, the book first provides a background of the IG, before motivating the introduction of an updated version of the Institutional Grammar, called the Institutional Grammar 2.0 that aims at representing institutions more comprehensively and with greater validity.
The book then turns to applications and introduces methodological guidance alongside expositions of emerging analytical applications of the “Grammar” that include presentations of current practice, as well as developing novel analytical opportunities that analysts of diverse disciplinary backgrounds and interest can apply or build upon for their application.
Published in the Fall 2022 issue of the Maxwell Perspective
