The LBJ School offers two pathways to policy leadership in our nation’s capital: the first is a 15-month DC Concentration within the MPAff and MGPS degree programs, and the second is the option to study foreign policy in DC for one semester. Learn more about opportunities to live, study and work in Washington DC.
15-month DC Concentration for Master’s students
Both the Master of Public Affairs and Master of Global Policy Studies offer an immersive 15-month DC Concentration, a course of accelerated study and work focused on both domestic and international federal policymaking. Offered through the LBJ Washington Center, students take evening classes taught by experts and scholars working in Washington. By day, students work as policy professionals at a required policy apprenticeship. DC students spend their first year in Austin taking foundational coursework before they move to Washington DC for their final summer and fall semesters. The 15-month DC Concentration for MPAff and MGPS students is perfect for the aspiring policy professional who wants a career at the national or global level.
Learn more about the DC Concentration.
Foreign Policy Semester
The LBJ School of Public Affairs is proud to host an immersive spring semester program based in Washington, DC and managed by the LBJ Washington Center. The program is designed to provide participating students with an unparalleled exposure to how foreign policy is created and impacted by entities within the federal arena. Open to second and third year LBJ students as well as University of Texas at Austin juniors and seniors, this program is the perfect option for students who want to experience in our nation’s capital for an edge in their job search or to round out their policy experience.
Learn more about the LBJ School’s Foreign Policy Semester in DC:
LBJ Students
UT Undergraduate Students
What students say about the LBJ Washington Center
"I'm thriving," says LBJ DC student Da'Shon Carr
Carr isn’t new to Washington, but she’s having a new experience in the city she once called home thanks to a supportive network and courses that offer immediate real-world application.
"LBJ DC has been the best choice for me."
Sarah Morningred has long dreamt of working for the federal government. She says the LBJ Washington Center has been a front door to opportunities in the nation’s capital.
Federal policy immersion at LBJ's Washington Center
After a decade of experience in state and local government, government affairs professional Eric Bustos packed his bags to live, study and work in the nation’s capital.
2023 Policy Apprenticeships
The eighth cohort of graduate students in the LBJ School of Public Affairs's unique and accelerated DC Concentration have begun their Policy Apprenticeships in Washington, DC. While in DC, these Master of Public Affairs and Master of Global Policy Studies students take evening coursework as well as their required, simultaneous six-month (June–December 2023) Policy Apprenticeship at a public or private policy organization throughout the city, before graduating early in December 2023.
