The Master of International Public Affairs (MIPA)Program provides education in public policy and global governance that prepares students from the United States andaround the world to work in government, in businessesengaged with the global economy, for non-governmentalorganizations, or with consulting firms analyzing internationalpolicies.
The award-winning La Follette School faculty includeseconomists, political scientists, sociologists, and publicaffairs scholars who teach the skills and tools needed fora career in public affairs. They are experts in social policy,health policy and management, public administration,public policy analysis, environmental policy, poverty, andtax policy and government finance.
Beyond campus, the city of Madison, as the state capital,provides a wealth of opportunities for La Follette Schoolstudents to participate in outreach and acquire practicalexperience as professional project assistants or internswith public and private entities. Students benefit from thestrong relationships that La Follette School faculty havewith these organizations, in keeping with the WisconsinIdea of public service. This includes the Family ImpactSeminar and Committee Connectopportunities thatuse evidence-based research to inform policymakers andimprove public policy.
International Public Affairs Double Degrees, Dual Degrees, and Certificate Programs
Some students earn additional credentials while theywork toward their public affairs degrees. Students must follow double degree and dual degree policies. The followingcombined degree and certificate programs are available, though students choose to do double-degrees and graduate certificates beyond those listed below:
- Law (Juris Doctorate)
- Master of Public Health
- Master of Science in Urban and Regional Planning
- Doctorate in Neuroscience
- Energy Analysis and Policy Certificatethrough the Nelson Institute in Environmental Studies
- Business, Environment, & Social Responsibility; Entrepreneurship; or Strategic Innovation offered through the Wisconsin School of Business.
- Certificates from area studies programs
Increasingly, careers in the federal, state and local governments, as well as nonprofit organizations and private sector businesses require an understanding of public administration, policy analysis, and public affairs, as well as law. Many students choose to pursue the dual law and public affairs degree because of their interest in employment in government agencies, government relations law practice, or in other policy-oriented firms and organizations.
For most students the dual degree program will add about a year of study to the three years it takes to complete law school, but will save approximately one year of study compared to doing the two programs separately.
The Master of International Public Affairs(MIPA) and Master of Public Health (MPH) dual-degree program prepares health policy professionals as policy analysts and public managers in the increasingly important area of health care. Dual-degree MIPA/MPH students develop a solid foundation in policy analysis and global governance offered by La Follette faculty and substantive knowledge in public health offered through the School of Medicine and Public Health.
The dual degree program generally takes between two and one-half years to three years to complete, including summers.
Advances in neuroscience have important policy implications for child welfare and education, community development, mental health and health care, bioethics and aging, environmental risks and national security. The Neuroscience and Public Policy Program (NPP) and the La Follette School of Public Affairs courses prepare students to work in the growing array of domestic or international policy jobs involved in the management of science and its integration into policy analysis and design. Students become good scientists and effective communicators, managers, and advocates of good public policy.
The double degree program typically takes five years to complete, including summers. Degree requirements are completed in the first three years. The focus of the fourth year is on research and thesis development, as well as completion of the Ph.D. Preliminary Exam. Students continue doing research and defend their thesis in the fifth year.
The La Follette School and theDepartment of Planning and Landscape Architectureoffer a three-year double-degree program in urban and regional planning and public affairs that culminates in two degrees: a Master of International Public Affairs degree anda Master of Science in Urban and Regional Planning

