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Arts & Humanities

MPA Public Affairs at Princeton University

Princeton University, United States

Programme overview

The Master in Public Affairs (M.P.A.) is a two-year, full-time residential programme preparing students for international and domestic policy careers, with a commitment to public service. Students choose one of four fields: international relations, international development, domestic policy, or economics and public policy.

Faculty: Graduate School  |  Department: Princeton School of Public and International Affairs  |  Duration: 2 years (full-time)  |  Intake: Fall  |  Study mode: full-time  |  Location: Princeton, NJ, United States

What you will study

Students complete 16 full-term courses with an average of 80 or better, including seven required core courses in political analysis, quantitative methods, and economic and behavioural analysis, and take policy workshops. Certificates in health and health policy, STEP, and urban policy are available, as are joint degrees with law (M.P.A./J.D.) and business (M.P.A./M.B.A.).

Career pathways

Careers in international and domestic policy in the public and nonprofit sectors.

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

Public Affairs (M.P.A.): application deadline December 1 (Fall 2027 entry); GRE General Test required for M.P.A. applicants. Application fee $90. Course list, a four-page policy memo and a field selection are required; three letters of recommendation (preferably one professional, one academic, and one from a faculty member, administrator or professional who can speak to commitment to public service); Statement of Financial Resources. SINSI applicants add a one-page SINSI statement. Princeton Graduate School: transcripts for every institution attended and three letters of recommendation are required; English proficiency (TOEFL, IELTS or Duolingo) is required of applicants whose primary language is not English and whose degree instruction was not entirely in English, with no Graduate School minimum score. Application fee $90.

Intake: Fall

Duration: 2 years (full-time)

Apply through the official page: https://gradschool.princeton.edu/admission

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