Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs Programs

Founded in 1924 as the first U.S. school dedicated to preparing students for careers in public service, Maxwell is renowned for exceptional teaching, a challenging curriculum, cutting-edge faculty research, and the remarkable graduates who are advancing citizenship, scholarship, and leadership around the world.

While the Maxwell School has offered programs in Washington, DC, for many years, in 2013 it launched a far-reaching collaboration with the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) that is providing a host of new opportunities for students and faculty.

All Maxwell graduate and undergraduate classes are held at CSIS’s headquarters on Rhode Island Avenue NW. The facility also houses the Maxwell-in-Washington staff and visiting faculty from Syracuse, and provides enhanced opportunities to conduct symposia, workshops, meetings, and expanded executive education programs.

Maxwell-in-Washington

Maxwell-in-Washington provides a mix of policy relevant professional development courses and faculty-supervised internships that fulfill the Maxwell School's hallmark emphasis on experiential learning. Nearly 200 undergraduate and graduate students participate in the DC programs in a given year.

In the past year, students completed a total of 130 internships at 82 different Washington organizations. Maxwell-in-Washington faculty exposed students to over 150 public policy and international affairs experts representing government, NGOs, think tanks, the private sector, media, multilateral organizations, and foreign embassies.

The interaction between the spheres of international relations and public administration makes the joint master's degree program in PA/IR an invaluable experience for students seeking a career that values the combination of international expertise and public management skills. The joint program offers excellent preparation for professions in government, global consulting firms, NGOs, and international organizations.

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Undergraduate Semester in DC

The Maxwell School’s Washington Semester Program puts undergraduates in the midst of some of the most important institutions, processes, and policy makers in the world.

Students work as interns three or four days a week, getting firsthand experience in both international and domestic policy. They also meet for seminars with Maxwell professors who work in the Washington policymaking community. A gateway to careers in public service, public affairs, with NGOs, media and business, the 15-credit program can apply to many majors on campus or as electives.

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Executive Education Department

The Maxwell School’s Executive Education department has been preparing the next generation of leaders for a global community since 1964. People come to Maxwell and Executive Education to make a difference and transform their communities—large and small, global and local.

Each year, the department hosts several international groups. More than 10,000 people from all over the world—including groups from governments and universities in India, China, the Middle East, and Russia—have completed Maxwell graduate degrees and professional training programs. The students typically visit Syracuse, Washington, DC, and often New York City, learning about U.S. government and democracy.

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Institute for Democracy, Journalism and Citizenship

The Syracuse University Institute for Democracy, Journalism and Citizenship (IDJC) in Washington, D.C., engages in nonpartisan research, teaching and public dialogue aimed at strengthening trust in news media, governance and society.

As a joint initiative of the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, the institute brings together today’s leaders with the next generation of professionals, and leverages the University’s top resources, as well as its influential network of scholars, students, alumni and friends.

Under the direction of veteran journalist Margaret Talev, the inaugural Kramer Director of the institute, the IDJC is examining challenges across society—politics and news as well as sports, technology, entertainment, business, the military, religion, social change and geopolitics. 

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