Master of Public Affairs (MPA)

Gain key professional skills for an impactful career in public affairs – in just one year.

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 for an impactful career in public affairs.

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

While funding gender and reproductive equity issues in the non-profit arena, 2020 Master of Public Affairs graduate Eesha Bhave's long-term career goal is to ensure that gender and race equity analyses are included in broader policy arenas as well.
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Alberto Morales, a 2016 graduate of Watson’s Master of Public Affairs program and first-generation college student, founded his own consulting firm two years ago with the goal of creating a more equitable philanthropic sector.
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