Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy, Cornell University

About this program

Prepare for a career in public service at Cornell University, one of the oldest university partners of the Peace Corps in the country. Earn your Master of Public Administration (MPA) degree at the Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy —obtain foundational training in management, economic analysis, and quantitative techniques prior to specialization in one of eight concentration areas, including Economic and Financial Policy, Human Rights and Social Justice, International Development Studies, Public and Nonprofit Management, and Science, Technology, and Infrastructure Policy. Internship opportunities are available during the summer or academic year through one of our off-campus programs in Washington DC, New York City, and Albany, New York. Take advantage of our unique professional certificate offerings in Environmental Finance and Impact Investing or Infrastructure Project Management and Finance. Learn from a world-class faculty and alumni base spanning the globe. Apply what you learn in practice through our clinical programs, which have developed consulting projects with a wide range of domestic (US) and international organizations including the Environmental Protection Agency, Government Accountability Office, the Inter-American Development Bank, and the United States Department of State.

Year partnership began: 2015
Fellowships awarded per year (average): 1-2

Application requirements

Online application, GRE scores, transcripts, statement of purpose, writing sample, resume, online interview, three letters of recommendation

Admissions process

Applicants must indicate they are applying through the Coverdell Fellows Program in their Statement of Purpose.

Please contact us directly at [email protected] to notify us that you are a RPCV and receive an application fee waiver. You will be notified with your admission letter if you’ve been accepted as a Coverdell Fellow.

Applications are due on January 15. Decisions on admittance offers will be released no later than March 1.

Degrees awarded

Master of Public Administration (MPA)

Benefits and opportunities

	In-state	Out-of-state
Tuition and fees	$82,814	$82,814
Value of fellowship	$40,888	$40,888
Net cost	$41,926	$41,926

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: $27,404

Cost savings details

50% Tuition Fellowship. Net cost includes a student activity and student health fee. Student health insurance is not included in the tuition/fees and net cost.

Internship

Coverdell Fellows are required to work with an underserved American community. These opportunities are available during the summer, during the academic year through our off-campus study programs in New York City and Washington, DC, or through our clinical programs. Examples of placements include Change for Kids, CityScience, DC Central Kitchen, District of Columbia Public Schools, Habitat for Humanity, the New York State Centre for Rural Schools, the Tompkins County Youth Services Department. Internship placements are facilitated and monitored by the MPA Program’s Office of Career Services.

Other opportunities

Fellows are considered for summer internship funding to help support an unpaid internship.

Jobs for alumni

Consultant: Accenture, Bain, Booz Allen Hamilton, Community Counseling Services, Deloitte, Ernst and Young, International Monetary Fund, World Bank.

Financial/Program/Management Analyst: City of New Orleans, City of New York, Connecticut Green Bank, Credit Suisse, Fitch Ratings, Goldman Sachs, International Labour Organization, JP Morgan, McKinsey, RAND, US Department of State, US Government Accountability Office, US Securities and Exchange Commission.

Nonprofit Program Officer: American Civil Liberties Union, Anti-Defamation League, Brookings Institution, Center for Global Development, US Olympic Committee.

Nontraditional options

An online Executive Master of Public Administration (EMPA) is also available for prospects who have 8+ years of experience. Learn through faculty-led online courses and 3 on-campus residency weeks on Cornell’s campus in beautiful Ithaca, New York.