The Master of Arts in International Affairs and Public Policy (MPPA) combines the most challenging aspects of the disciplines presented in the Division of International Politics, Economics and Public Policy. It has been designed with several points in mind.

First, with increasing global interdependence, hard distinctions between foreign and domestic policy have become impertinent. Whether in the public or private sector, policy-makers need to be international and transnational in outlook and vision. A rigorous training both in international relations theory and practice and in the analytical and quantitative tools for policy-making is therefore pertinent to our globalizing world.

Second, the nature of political problems today requires disciplinary flexibility and imagination. The MPPA degree offers a multidisciplinary perspective on international politics and policy-making, foregrounding together economics, political science and international relations, political sociology and political theory, international law and ethics. This multidisciplinary framework provides a strong intellectual preparation for our globalizing world.

Third, profiting from the practical aspects of the MA in International Affairs and the Division's overall concerns with public policy, the program simultaneously provides ‘hands-on’ professional training, necessary for leaders in the international public policy or civil society sectors. The program thereby provides a rounded mix of theory and practice.

Graduates can expect to pursue careers in government, business, and international organizations (such as the United Nations, multilateral banks or institutions in the NGO sector), putting into effect a wide range of skills in order to solve complex international political and social problems.