Our founder, George Holmes Maxwell, believed that good citizenship was key to creating a prosperous and just society. In 1924, he founded the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs with the mission of educating dedicated leaders who are committed to making meaningful, positive change in the world.
Today, that mission continues through our online executive public administration graduate program and the Maxwell community around the world. Our Maxwell network of more than 30,000 professionals are driving public service initiatives across the public, private, and nonprofit sectors.
#1
Ranked Best Public Affairs School by U.S. News & World Report in August 20241
#2
Ranked in Top 2 for 26 years by U.S. News & World Report for Graduate Education in Public Affairs2
Designed for professionals with demonstrated leadership experience, the online Executive Master of Public Administration program prepares you to create and implement policy, lead teams and organizations, and make a difference in your community.
Since 2017, our online EMPA program has enabled students to build upon their leadership skills and bring lessons learned from the classroom to their roles in real time.
In the program you will attend live, online classes hosted via Zoom where you can collaborate with classmates and faculty to build genuine connections and discuss ways to solve challenges. In addition, you will complete self-paced multimedia coursework that features high-quality videos, interactive content, quizzes, guest lectures and case studies.
Our Maxwell faculty bring years of experience and public service success to the classroom and are committed to supporting your public service journey. Visit our faculty and leadership page to learn more about how our professors work each day to build a better world through leadership, ethics and citizenship.
“The culture was highly collaborative, and there were purposeful programming and assignments—during which you learned from not only the amazing professors, but also leaders in the field and your awesome classmates. Your classmates are a wealth of knowledge, each bringing diverse experiences to every interaction, assignment and conversation.”
Jonathan Leon
Georgia Director at Leadership for Educational Equity, EMPA 2019
As a student in the Maxwell School’s online Executive MPA program you will join a diverse community of experienced public service professionals. As you learn from your classmates’ unique perspectives, you can develop new solutions to the public service challenges that face your own communities through leadership, management and analysis.
To learn more about our diverse student body, visit our student profile page to read about their unique stories or check out our student Q&A page to see video interviews.
53%
Female
47%
Male
40
Average Age
27%
Military
14
Average years of experience
The self-reported data above reflect all-time enrolled students as of January 2022. The circle graph shows percentage breakdown of race: 7% Asian, 20% Black or African-American, 10% Hispanic, 58% White or Caucasian. One percent of students chose not to report their race. One percent of students chose not to report their gender.
At the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, we are invested in the success of our students and offer a wealth of career development resources, guidance and opportunities.
Throughout the online program you will have access to a variety of career resources that include:
The Palmer Career Center offers career strategy sessions, employer information sessions and career-related workshops.
OrangeLink is an online portal which regularly displays job, internship and fellowship opportunities in federal, state and local government agencies, nonprofit organizations, private organizations and international agencies.
Each year, you have the opportunity to attend an optional immersion on Syracuse University’s campus. At the immersion, you will network with fellow classmates, alumni and faculty; work directly with our career services team; and learn from public service leaders. For students preparing for their final term, a live incubator session will take place during which they will meet with the course creator and discuss the program’s capstone project.
Gain the public administration skills you need to make a positive impact on your
community and join a global network of Orange leaders.
Ready to advance your career with Syracuse University? Take the next step today.
1 U.S. News & World Report, Best Public Affairs Schools (Accessed August 2024)arrow_upwardReturn to footnote reference
2 Syracuse University, Maxwell School Ranks #1, with Five Specialties Rated in the Top Five. (Accessed April 2021)arrow_upwardReturn to footnote reference
