American University - School of Public Affairs

About this program

The School of Public Affairs (SPA) at American University is regarded as one of the nation’s top public affairs schools. SPA is positioned in Washington, D.C.—a location that is widely recognized as the epicenter of the public affairs field—and has set itself apart as a progressive and leading school committed to training leaders for our next generation as they pursue professions of purpose.

SPA offers:

• Exceptional career outcomes for all of its master’s degrees detailed at “We Know Success”;
  
• Distinguished faculty comprised of world-class scholar-teachers as well as practitioners who are experts in their fields;
  
• Flexible degree programs that cater to both full- and part-time enrollment and an evening class schedule that enables students to directly articulate their classroom learning to the workplace;
  
• Robust student services that include designated academic and career advisors; and
  
• A close-knit, collaborative, and supportive student community.
  

• Year partnership began: 2017
• Fellowships awarded per year (average): 5

Application requirements

Information regarding SPA’s application requirements and FAQs may be found here.

Admissions process

Degrees awarded

Master of Arts in Political Communication, Master of Arts in Political Science, Master of Public Administration (MPA), Master of Public Policy (MPP), Master of Science in Justice, Law & Criminology, Master of Science in Terrorism & Homeland Security Policy

Benefits and opportunities

Net cost is equal to tuition/fees minus fellowship value. For some universities, the fellowship value includes non-tuition/fee benefits such as health insurance or housing. See cost savings details for more.

Estimated annual cost of living: $24,000

Cost savings details

Coverdell Fellows at The School of Public Affairs (SPA) are selected post-admission as part of the merit aid allocation process. Fellows are distinguished via a competitive ranking process that leverages an array of indicators (including academic and professional profile) for the given terms’ (Fall or Spring) priority, admitted student pool. SPA Coverdell Fellows receive an attractive merit aid package primarily comprised of a tuition remission award totaling $7,500 a semester. This level of tuition remission can be adjusted to accommodate full- or part-time enrollment (9 or 6 credit hours per semester) for any given term as long as the recipient maintains good academic standing (3.0 cumulative G.P.A.). Coverdell Fellows are also eligible for additional merit aid in the form of assistantships and/or scholarships (The additional value may range from $5,000 to $15,000).

Internship

SPA’s internship requirement is extremely flexible. The Washington, D.C. location offers students abundant opportunities across all employment sectors. Coverdell Fellows will work with the coordinator of the Coverdell Program and SPA’s career services advisor in identifying an internship experience that aligns and supports the Fellow’s career interests. The internship may be pursued for academic credit by consulting with their academic advisor. Every SPA graduate student enjoys a class schedule that affords ample time to pursue professional opportunities throughout the day.

As a new Coverdell Fellows program, SPA looks forward to building a comprehensive list of internship examples. For now, prospective students may visit our “We Know Success” survey platform to review placement data as well as job and internship options pursued by our student community.

Other opportunities

Fellows may request consideration for a graduate assistantship that could amount to an additional $5,000 to $10,000 in hourly pay annually for an average of 10-20 hours of work a week. Coverdell Fellows may also be considered for donor based scholarships.

Jobs for alumni

The School of Public Affairs (SPA) offers exceptional career outcomes! With nearly 700 graduate students across our advanced degrees, over 100 full-time faculty supplemented by a range of practitioners, and 26,000 alumni that span the globe, our students are uniquely positioned to network and advantage career advice and opportunities from a robust peer and professional network. We invite all prospective students to visit “We Know Success” to survey our real-time outcome data that includes overall placement rate, placement percentages by employment sector, and sample employers.

With our range of master’s degree options that span the public administration, public policy, political science, political communication, justice, law and criminology, as well as terrorism, and homeland security policy fields, it is difficult to offer an abbreviated list. SPA alumni work at all levels of government, lead nonprofits of all sizes and scope—both domestic and abroad—serve and contribute in many of the world’s leading think tanks and excel in private industry including the range of top consulting firms.

Nontraditional options

Part-time degree program

Most SPA students leverage being positioned in the epicenter of the Public Affairs field, Washington, D.C., by engaging in internships and/or full-time positions while going to school. With this, SPA promotes and encourages flexibility for all students in designing their academic plans. SPA Coverdell Fellows are also encouraged to take advantage of this benefit. With this, a Fellow may alter their enrollment from full- (3 courses) to part-time (2 courses) over the course of their degree program. The Coverdell Fellow may retain partial tuition remission as a part-time student ($7500 full-time award is reduced to a $4000 part-time award).