About the Department

The challenges before governments at all levels in the United States, and all over the globe, have never been greater. Dedicated professionals who share the vision of serving others — whether they do so in government organizations, the non-profit sector or private institutions — are needed to make the world a better place.

The Maxwell School offers an innovative and rewarding learning environment — rich in tradition, welcoming all who seek to study public management and policy. Here you acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to begin or enhance your career in public service, imbued with values which undergird a lifetime of civic involvement.

The Maxwell School offers three distinct graduate programs in public administration and policy:

• The Master of Public Administration (MPA),
• The Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) and
• The Executive Masters of Public Administration (EMPA) for midcareer executives.

The MPA and EMPA degrees emphasize professional development and prepare students for management and leadership positions in government and non-profit organizations. The PhD in Public Administration is an academic/research degree, designed to prepare the next generation of scholars and academicians.

Our three programs have earned world-wide reputations for their intellectual rigor, quality of students and faculty, and first-rate facilities. While each program has its own criteria for admissions and guidelines for application, the students in the MPA, EMPA and PhD programs study together and thereby create a unique environment that contributes to the Maxwell School’s distinctive character among graduate programs of public policy and management.

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