Your School. In Our Nation’s Capital.
Graduate Programs in Washington, DC
Join us in the heart of midtown Washington, D.C., at our headquarters at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, where graduate professional students across programs and interests explore international dimensions of public affairs. M.A. students work toward their degree requirements while gaining valuable experience through our extensive network of internship opportunities.
In a typical year, our students complete approximately 130 internships at 82 different Washington organizations. Maxwell-in-Washington faculty expose students to over 150 public policy and international affairs experts representing government, NGOs, think tanks, the private sector, media, multilateral organizations and foreign embassies.
Semester-length programs are punctuated by intensive two-week short courses for added flexibility and efficiency.
Not a Maxwell student? Not a problem! We welcome graduate students from all schools and colleges at Syracuse University and three partner universities.
semester options and intensive 2-week courses enhance flexibility and efficiency
faculty experts with national and international policy-relevant experience
partner universities create a diverse cohort and expanded networking opportunities
Executive Master of International Relations (DC)
Tap into this unrivaled opportunity to 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.
Designed for working professionals with at least seven years of experience managing people and projects, this 30-credit mid-career program will prepare you with fundamental training in global leadership and foreign policy while you focus on the regional and career track of your choosing.
Global Security & Development Program
Each fall, we welcome graduate professional students from Maxwell and other schools at Syracuse University, the University of Pittsburgh's Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, and the University of Denver's Josef Korbel School of International Studies.
Students typically complete a full-time internship during the day and enroll in two evening seminars at our headquarters at CSIS related to the issues, institutions and procedures involved in international security and global development.
Syracuse Intersession Short Courses
Join us in Washington, D.C., for a two-week 3-credit course exploring an international dimension of public affairs, policy development or public administration. Open to all Syracuse University graduate students, recent course examples include Global Energy and Geopolitics, Illicit Finance, Public Management of Technology innovation, U.S.-Latin America Relation, and more.
Washington Public Diplomacy Program
Learn to communicate and build relationships in an international setting on behalf of governments, organizations and corporations to improve the public good.
The Master of Arts (M.A.) in public diplomacy and global communications combines international relations knowledge and skills from the #1-ranked Maxwell School with public relations know-how from the prestigious S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. The program is 43 credits over the course of 18 months. Integrated into the 43 credits is a required internship component and a semester in Washington, D.C.
Washington Summer Practicum
Ignite your future career in the nation’s capital as a public servant or serving the public good in a global non-profit. This six-week intensive summer program for select graduate students puts you in the middle of it all. Spend five days per week at a full-time internship and two nights per week in the classroom at our CSIS headquarters in midtown D.C. This professional involvement allows you to learn practical career skills while building the network of contacts vital to a successful career in Washington, D.C.
This program is open to students from Syracuse as well as from the University of Pittsburgh’s Graduate School of Public and International Affairs (GSPIA). Please email for more information.
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.
Mark Jacobson also has extensive work experience in federal government and international organizations and is a veteran of both the Army and Navy reserves.