Elevate your passion for public service with Suffolk’s Master of Arts in Applied Politics (MAAP). This immersive program will enhance your fluency of party politics, campaign management, and lobbying, so you can become a leader who drives positive change. Suffolk’s location at the intersection of Boston’s local, state, and federal government institutions places you right where the action is, giving you singular access to the inner workings of the American political system. Through the Suffolk MAAP, you will:

Develop the skills to drive positive change.

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Office of Graduate Admission 73 Tremont Street, 6th Floor Boston, MA 02108

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Schedule time with one of our admission advisors.

You've got what it takes to shape campaign strategy that works.

Conduct research on campaigns and elections, voting behavior, and political parties

Learn from a distinguished faculty of academics and practitioners

Grow your skills in policy writing, including background memos, white papers, one-pagers, and legislative histories

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Examine how political strategies can be used to improve policy-making processes and outcomes

Interdisciplinary dual degree

Full-time study

Suffolk offers a wide variety of paths to reach your goals.

You have options.

Hands-on political training to build a better future

Suffolk’s Master of Arts in Applied Politics

Advance your career through an internship in Boston, on Capitol Hill, or abroad

Part-time study

Meet an Alum

Suffolk MAAP grads are on the rise and on the move. Here’s a sampling of recent graduates’ current job titles and employers.

Going to work for the greater good.

The internship requirement gives you valuable hands-on experience in the political sphere. We’ll work closely with you to design an individual internship that reflects your career goals. To fulfill the requirement, you must complete at least 200 hours (remote or in person), write a report on your experience, and present the report before a faculty panel. Past internship sites have included:

Internship Requirement

NGOs (OxFam, Corporate Accountability)

Congressional District Offices

Office of the Attorney General

Massachusetts State House

Office of the Governor

Boston City Hall

Rae’Niqua Victorine, MPA/MAAP ’23 Assistant Director, Moakley Center for Public Engagement

I hope I have the opportunity to really make a change in my community. Professor Paleologos’s political survey research class gave me the motivation to go out there to keep fighting for my passions. It really just ignited that fire in me again, and now I'm ready to take the world by storm.”

“

Male student in suit with a soft smile in front of The White House.

Network with Suffolk alumni working in elected office, international diplomacy, business consultancies, and lobbying firms

Program Fundraising Coordinator Greater Boston Young Democrats

Assistant, Affirmative Marketing Program City of Boston

Campaign Manager Angie Camacho, Boston City Council, District 7

Campaigns and Fellowship Manager Environmental League of Massachusetts

Treasurer and Public Affairs Officer U.S. Department of Health & Human Services

This intensive summer course combines academic study, site visits, and guest speakers to train the next generation of campaign leaders. Here, you will gain the ability to channel your passion about issues into practical, successful campaigns that have a real impact on society.

Campaign Lab

The Washington Center The SUPRC Suffolk Votes GBH and Ford Hall Forum

Male teacher standing in front of a screen teaching a group of students.

Experiential Learning

Campaign Lab

Get in on the conversation with leading voices in policy, law, media, and academia as they discuss some of today’s biggest issues in this “open classroom” event series, developed in partnership with the GBH Forum Network, Ford Hall Forum at Suffolk University, and The Washington Center.

GBH and Ford Hall Forum

The Washington Center The SUPRC Suffolk Votes Campaign Lab

GBH and Ford Hall Forum

Female student speaking into a microphone in an audience to ask a question.

The Suffolk University Political Research Center (SUPRC), our nationally ranked polling organization, conducts surveys, examines races, and analyzes voters' opinions. Not only will you craft a real poll, but you will also contribute questions to national polls conducted by SUPRC.

The Suffolk University Political Research Center

The Washington Center Suffolk Votes GBH and Ford Hall Forum Campaign Lab

The SUPRC

A male and female professor speaking on a panel about politics in a well lit room.

Head straight to the epicenter of American politics to engage face-to-face with leaders in government, news outlets, embassies, and think tanks, while networking with D.C.-area Suffolk alumni, in this unique career-building experience in the nation’s capital.

The Washington Center

The SUPRC Suffolk Votes GBH and Ford Hall Forum Campaign Lab

The Washington Center

Suffolk Votes is a non-partisan, University-wide effort to get students registered, educated, and out to vote in local, state, and national elections. As a Suffolk Votes Ambassador, you will organize voter walks to help others find their polling places, and staff the polls themselves, to keep democracy functioning.

Suffolk Votes

The Washington Center The SUPRC GBH and Ford Hall Forum Campaign Lab

Suffolk Votes

Diverse male student signing up to vote and signing a paper.