Meeting the Challenge
Promoting a just and peaceful world through research and teaching on the world’s most pressing economic, political and social policy challenges.
Watson Policy Labs experience busy, productive first year
Ieva Jusionyte wins multiple awards for latest book ‘Exit Wounds’
John Friedman Testifies on Social Mobility Before UK House of Lords
The Illicit Global Economy: What Everyone Needs To Know
The Watson School launches with ambitious plans for the coming year and beyond
Brown's first new school in over a decade, the Thomas J. Watson Jr. School of International and Public Affairs, launches on July 1. Plans for the new School include broadening the scope of research, expanding the faculty, and breaking down traditional barriers between disciplines to address the world's most pressing economic, political, social and policy challenges.
Academics and Research
Home to a rigorous Master of Public Affairs (MPA) program, a thriving undergraduate concentration and a Military Fellows program, the Watson School is driven by the conviction that policy solutions informed by rigorous research can change systems and societies for the better.
Master of Public Affairs
The Watson School is home to a rigorous Master of Public Affairs program, which prepares students to be public policy leaders, analysts and advocates in government, politics, and the nonprofit, and private sectors, both in the U.S. and abroad.
Student Experience
The Watson School houses several undergraduate and graduate programs that take an interdisciplinary, comparative approach to policy-relevant learning in the social sciences. Our programs are designed to inspire today's engaged scholars and creative thinkers to become tomorrow's leaders in international and public affairs.
“ Living outside of Washington, D.C., in Northern Virginia, where I grew up, I saw the wheels of politics turn and I always wanted to either hold the pen that wrote policy or write about who did. ”
Centers, Initiatives and Programs
The Watson School is home to several region or topic-focused centers, initiatives and projects that are dedicated to research, teaching and outreach. These entities also serve as conveners, sponsoring informative events that inspire dialogue among scholars, students and the public.
learn more about our centersDiscover Our Research
The Watson School serves as a home for faculty who conduct research in a global, comparative context with expertise in vital areas, including global security, growing geopolitical competition, international economic development, border security, humanitarianism and development, economic and social inequality, democratic institutions, and energy and climate policy.