This dual-degree program is offered jointly by the Maxwell School’s Department of Public Administration and International Affairs and the Newhouse School’s Department of Public Relations. It is designed to train professionals to assume public communications responsibilities for governments, non-governmental organizations, and the private sector.

Successful completion requires 58 credits of coursework. The program begins in early July with a summer-long gateway seminar, introducing students to the fields of public diplomacy, public communications, and their cross-disciplinary synthesis. During the fall and spring semesters, students take courses at the Maxwell and Newhouse Schools. The following summer, students complete an off-campus experience at one of several locations around the world. Students resume coursework in the second fall semester and finish the program that spring in Washington, D.C., where they complete a required internship and attend two special seminars addressing issues in public diplomacy and public communication at the Maxwell School’s home in Washington, DC, the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Exit requirements include demonstrating proficiency in a foreign language.