Master of Public Affairs (MPA)

Cultivating and elevating future global leaders to address pressing societal challenges

The Ivy League’s only one-year residential master’s program in public affairs, the MPA 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.

Through our rigorous one-year program that runs from early June to May, students will sharpen their analytical, communication, and strategic leadership skills needed to address pressing societal challenges as future global leaders.

Graduate Admissions

The Brown Master of Public Affairs Program considers admitted students for a variety of scholarship opportunities, and all admitted MPA students receive some level of merit-based financial aid.
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Learn about the Brown MPA by registering for one of our upcoming Informaton Sessions! Information sessions are 45 minutes long, including Q+A in the final 15 minutes.
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100,000 +

Brown University alumni network across 152 countries

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Employers hired our 2021-2023 graduates

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Professional development events

Every day I have to effectively boil down complex policy topics into something brief and digestible...We spent a lot of time at Brown learning how to write impactful policy papers in as few pages as possible, and I have definitely carried that skill into my work.

Benjamin Lopez MPA ’22
 
Benjamin Lopez

Living in Providence

With its low cost of living, historic architecture, and nationally renowned dining scene, the capital city is a vibrant place to live and work.
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MPA Student Experience

Derrick Zantt earned his master's degree in public affairs from Brown in 2016. A fourth-generation service member, Zantt currently works as an analyst for the Department of Defense, where he puts his belief in open data and the knowledge he acquired at the Watson Institute to influence policy.
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Sonia Cuesta, who earned her Master of Public Affairs (MPA) degree from Brown in 2017, was happy to give back to the program that helped her establish a career in human rights and international relations. During the spring 2025 semester, Cuesta supervised a new generation of MPA students' Policy in Action project from her position at the United Nations.
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