威斯康星大学麦迪逊分校

The Master of International Public Affairs (MIPA) Program prepares students from the United States and around the world to work in government, in businesses engaged with the global economy, for non-governmental organizations, or with consulting firms analyzing international policies.

The award-winning La Follette School faculty includes economists, political scientists, sociologists, and public affairs scholars who teach the skills and tools needed for a career in public affairs. They are experts in social policy, health policy and management, public administration, public policy analysis, environmental policy, poverty, and tax policy and government finance.

INTERNATIONAL PUBLIC AFFAIRS CAREERS

Career development is an integral part of the La Follette School experience, and data show extremely high percentages of employment three to six months post-graduation. The Career Services Office offers:

• Visits with local employers as well as regular trips to Washington, D.C., Chicago, and Milwaukee
• Networking opportunities
• Career development seminars with public affairs professionals
• Connections with alumni mentors

The career services coordinator works with students one-on-one to develop essential skills, such as interviewing, writing strong cover letters and resumes, and researching internships and permanent employment. During the first semester course Professional Development Workshop, students also create an individual plan and portfolio that help them proactively move toward their academic and career goals.

Learning outcomes

• (Knowledge) Students will demonstrate understanding of major current and past policy debates, research findings, and analytical methodologies in each of the following core areas: microeconomic policy analysis, macroeconomic policy analysis, quantitative tools for policy analysis, policy analysis, and international governance.
• (Knowledge) Students will demonstrate critical thinking skills. They will retrieve and examine the policy literature and evaluate evidence for and against hypotheses, identify knowledge gaps, strengths and weaknesses in existing literature, synthesize knowledge, and develop conclusions.
• (Applied research skills) Students will read, comprehend, and effectively summarize policy research and policy-relevant academic research.
• (Applied research skills) Students will effectively summarize data for a general (nonacademic) or policy audience.
• (Applied research skills) Students will demonstrate competency in methods of inferential statistics including those associated with multivariate regression models.
• (Professional and ethical conduct) Students will identify and appropriately respond to scenarios involving the ethical and professional responsibilities of public administration.
• (Professional and ethical conduct) Students will demonstrate the ability to maintain human subject’s protections when designing studies, collecting data and reporting results.
• (Professional and ethical conduct) Students will know and adhere to high levels of professional conduct, ethical decision-making and legal and regulatory compliance.
• (Professional and ethical conduct) Students will demonstrate the ability to maintain fidelity to objective social science-based research methods.
• (Communication) Students will communicate in clear written language: a real-world policy problem, relevant scholarly studies and practical applications, a policy-analytic method to investigate the problem, and client-oriented advice to mitigate the problem.