Princeton University
Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs
Snapshot
- Annual Enrollment:
- Approximately 100 new graduate students enroll per academic year
- Work experience (in years):
- 0-5+ years (MPA), 7-15+ years (MPP), 0-5+ years (Ph.D.)
- Employment sectors:
- public sector, private sector, nonprofit/non-governmental and foundation sector, further graduate study
- Degrees offered:
- Master in Public Affairs (MPA), Master in Public Policy (MPP), Ph.D. in Public Affairs
- Tuition:
- $51,250 (2018-19 academic year). All students receive 100% tuition coverage; most also receive a generous stipend for living expenses.
“In the Nation’s Service and the Service of Humanity.” Coined by the School’s namesake and later expanded, this phrase captures the essence of the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University.
What began in 1930 as a small interdisciplinary undergraduate program has become a major center of research and education, providing training in its graduate programs to master’s and doctoral students.
The School offers a rigorous academic experience in a tight-knit, intimate community. Admitted students will join an intellectually stimulating family that includes more than 4,000 alumni, faculty with high-level policy experience, and staff dedicated to helping students succeed.
With approximately 200 graduate students enrolled in our three graduate programs, students will be able to create meaningful connections and lifelong friendships with peers and professors. Generous financial aid packages allow students to pursue their passions in public service upon graduation without being encumbered by debt.
Our work is informed by a commitment to a multidisciplinary approach to policy issues, a global perspective, and an emphasis on top-quality research and teaching. Our faculty reflect the complexity of today’s policy issues; it currently includes economists, historians, political scientists, and sociologists, as well as scientists, engineers, psychologists, and legal scholars. Practitioners are an important part of students’ training and bring real-world policy experience to the classroom. And our distinguished guest speakers provide an extension of the learning experience.
Likewise, the School is home to 19 research centers and programs, which are organized around policy-relevant areas. They focus on research efforts, host seminars, and bring distinguished scholars and practitioners to campus throughout the academic year.
To receive information directly from the Admissions Department, click here.
In the Nation’s Service and the Service of Humanity
What’s unique about the Woodrow Wilson School’s approach to teaching policy?
Our distinctive multidisciplinary course of study strikes a balance between theory and practice. Ninety full-time faculty members teach at the School, almost all of whom have dual appointments with other departments. Approximately forty-five visiting professors, lecturers, and practitioners from the world of public and international affairs also teach at the School. Our faculty conduct innovative research; provide policymakers, nonprofit organizations, and research centers with expert, nonpartisan policy analysis; and provide Woodrow Wilson undergraduate and graduate students with the analytical tools and in-depth knowledge needed to tackle important policy issues.
How do students apply what they learn in the classroom to real-world policy challenges?
We believe that learning extends beyond the classroom. We enrich formal coursework with almost-daily public lectures and informal talks with policymakers and advocates working on the important issues of the day. We send students all over the world to learn in the field—summer work for graduate students, policy workshops to strategically engage and analyze a policy issue on behalf of a real client, or field work to supplement formal studies. The result: Students are able to learn about any given policy topic from various vantage points.
How does the School support students’ career goals and objectives?
Many schools take the approach that students should invest in their own educations. At the Woodrow Wilson School, we take a different view—that the School should invest in the students. We provide generous financial aid for MPA, MPP, and PhD students as well as financial support for travel to complement policy workshops; financial support for language training; and financial support for summer internships. We provide ongoing career coaching and guidance, and our career services team is dedicated to helping launch Woodrow Wilson School graduate students after graduation and throughout their careers.
How does the School engage in foreign affairs and foreign policy?
For a school our size, we offer remarkable range in this regard. Our faculty and practitioners study international relations, politics, and economics, and our nineteen centers and programs focus on policy issues ranging from climate change and forced migration to security studies, health, and finance. We are a home for the study and debate of national and international policy and support a variety of educational, research, enrichment, and outreach activities. Opportunities abound for our students to gain the skills necessary to become the next generation of strategic thinkers and decision-makers, including learning directly from accomplished individuals. In addition to our ninety full-time tenured faculty, we regularly host visiting leaders and diplomats. Ambassadors Daniel C. Kurtzer and Ryan Crocker are with us now, both of whom have led crisis decision- and policy-making processes and both of whom now teach our students and engage with our community.