The nearly century-long history of the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs is defined by world-class scholarship and a deep commitment to service, convening the brightest minds for the greatest good.

Princeton University launched the School of Public and International Affairs as a small, interdisciplinary undergraduate program in 1930. The School added the two-year Master in Public Affairs program in 1948 and the one-year Master in Public Policy, for mid-career professionals, in 1997. The doctoral program launched in the 1960s.

While the MPA and MPP degrees are structured to include a broad range of policy interests, the Ph.D. requires a focus on Security Studies or Science, Technology, and Environmental Policy. The undergraduate major equips students with a deep appreciation of service and an ability to think about public policy issues in a broader ethical framework.

One of the seminal moments in Princeton SPIA’s history was the transformative gift made by Charles ’26 and Marie Robertson in 1961 to expand the graduate program and ramp up faculty hiring across multiple disciples. The Robertsons’ gift also supported the construction of a new home for the School: Robertson Hall, designed by the renowned architect Minoru Yamasaki, was built in 1965.

Robertson Hall gave the School a central space for classrooms and faculty and administrative offices. The building also houses Arthur Lewis Auditorium, named in 2018 after W. Arthur Lewis, the first Black full professor at Princeton and the first person of African descent to win a Nobel Prize in a field other than literature. A major renovation of Robertson Hall was completed in 2020.

We are home to approximately 95 tenure-track faculty members whose research produces knowledge that provides the basis for sound public policy. The vast majority hold dual appointments in the School and in another disciplinary department. More than 60 visiting professors, lecturers, and practitioners from around the world of public and international affairs serve as instructors. Many faculty members are affiliated with one or more of the School’s 20-plus research centers and programs.

The School counts among its nearly 10,000 alumni secretaries of state, defense, and the treasury; a U.S. Supreme Court justice; several U.S. representatives, senators, and governors; a chair of the Federal Reserve Board; U.S. and foreign government officials and ambassadors; leaders of nonprofit organizations; and other policy influencers. Princeton SPIA has alumni posted across federal governments in the U.S. and internationally, and is similarly represented in state and local offices and organizations throughout the country and world. This community is an invaluable source of mentorship and networking for current students.

Formerly the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, today’s Princeton SPIA is a forward-looking institution that leverages its impressive legacy in service to a better future.