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Exterior of Maxwell in black and white when there was no Eggers building

We’re Turning 100!


To mark our centennial in the fall of 2024, the Maxwell School will hold special events and engagement opportunities to celebrate the many ways—across disciplines and borders—our community ever strives to, as the Oath says, “transmit this city not only not less, but greater, better and more beautiful than it was transmitted to us.”

Throughout the year leading up to the centennial, engagement opportunities will be held for our diverse, highly accomplished community that now boasts more than 38,500 alumni across the globe.

200

faculty across 11 highly regarded departments of social science and public policy

15

research centers generating policy-relevant insight into pressing issues

3,000

students enrolled in undergraduate, graduate and professional programs

Why We’re Different

The first school of its kind, Maxwell is known for a tradition of innovative excellence in teaching and research across the social sciences, public policy, public administration and international relations. 

Organized around 15 interdisciplinary research centers focused on addressing pressing societal issues, Maxwell’s unique structure cultivates an ecosystem for ideas sparked by the convergence of expertise across the social sciences and public policy. 

Enriched by Diversity

At the Maxwell School, diversity is both a core value and a distinguishing characteristic. We strive to create spaces that make every member of our community feel welcomed, supported, empowered and valued.

Time and again, we find that the most innovative ideas and comprehensive solutions arise when we bring together people representing different identities, backgrounds and experiences. In a complex, collaborative environment like the Maxwell School, diversity not only enriches us but also is essential for achieving our highest ambitions.

Working together to make the world a better place

Excellence in Undergraduate, Graduate and Continuing Professional Education

Maxwell offers a rich mix of undergraduate, graduate professional, and scholarly M.A. and Ph.D. programs that prepare new generations of leaders with an expansive foundation of knowledge and a socially responsible mindset. 

No major graduate school of public affairs mixes these diverse elements the way Maxwell does. It is one reason why the the school is  consistently ranked one of the nation's top schools of public affairs in surveys of peer-school faculty conducted by U.S. News & World Report.

The Maxwell School is one of 13 schools and colleges of Syracuse University, a private, international research university located in the geographic heart of New York State, offering a choice of more than 200 majors and 100 minors. The University’s global footprint includes nearly 15,000 undergraduates and 5,000 graduate students; more than a quarter of a million alumni in 160 countries; and a student population from all 50 U.S. states and 123 countries. For more information, please visit  www.syracuse.edu.

Distinctive Undergraduate Programs


Undergraduates who major or minor in the social sciences, public policy or citizenship and civic engagement at Syracuse University benefit from the same faculty who earn Maxwell its high rankings in research and graduate education, as well as opportunities to conduct research, spend a semester at Maxwell's headquarters in Washington, D.C., or study at more than 100 partner locations abroad.

In addition, a new accelerated bachelor’s/master’s program puts a Maxwell graduate professional degree in public administration or international affairs within reach for highly-qualified undergraduate applicants with just one additional year of study.


Top Ranked Graduate Programs


Maxwell offers highly regarded professional master's degrees alongside advanced scholarly degrees in the social sciences. Its top-ranked masters degrees in public administration and international relations provide campus-based cohort learning experiences. Midcareer executive master's degrees in these fields are available for full- or part-time study, on-campus, online, and at Maxwell’ s D.C.-based headquarters. The school also offers M.A. and Ph.D. programs in the social sciences  plus an innovative Social Science Ph.D. program for students with unique, cross-disciplinary interests.

Innovative, Flexible Professional Training Programs


Through partnerships with a range of domestic, foreign and international government agencies, organizations and private businesses, the Maxwell School provides a flexible array of professional training programs ranging from one-week intensive in-person courses, to longer hybrid part-time/online with in-person immersion. Our executive education team also develops online short-courses on topical issues that are open to the public by application.

Impactful, Policy-Relevant Research


Maxwell scholars and students conduct wide-ranging research through interdisciplinary centers, each focused on a topical area within public affairs, such as social and economic policy, conflict and collaboration, public wellness, aging, energy and environment, national security, and regional studies, among others.

Faculty are sought-after experts in their field who regularly provide testimony to Congress, participate in media interviews, receive prominent grant awards and fellowships, and advise a wide range of private, nonprofit and public agencies at every level of government.