M.A. in American Government

Tired of political polarization? Join Georgetown University’s Master of Arts in American Government, and be part of the solution! You will gain the academic background and professional skills to be the change you want to see in Washington. Our practicum gives you hands-on, real-world professional experience. We seek to engage highly motivated students who want to make positive change by pursuing careers in public service and related fields.

The Practicum: A Unique OpportunityThe program’s required experiential learning component, an 8 month practicum, is an opportunity for professional development, networking, and resume building within the nation’s capital. The practicum is designed to prepare students for future careers in their chosen field.
Competitive EdgeThe signature feature of the program is that it enables students to combine the academic excellence of Georgetown University with practical experience within the political and policy communities of Washington, D.C. in a small and highly supportive environment.
Accelerated Pathway to Your FutureOur accelerated program is designed to fast track student careers in the public sector, government consulting, electoral politics, or further academic study.

Access Advantage

Georgetown’s Master of Arts Program in American Government offers its students a rich, stimulating environment in which to understand the nature of American politics, to see it in action and to participate in the political and/or governmental system. Drawing on its setting in the nation’s capital and the strengths of Georgetown University’s Department of Government, the program provides students with proximity and access to the rich opportunities of the nation’s capital, one of the world’s most important and dynamic cities. More than the global center of political power, Washington, DC, is also a vibrant and diverse city.

Accelerated, 12-Month Program

Combining theoretical insight with practical application, the accelerated, 12-month program, offers students the opportunity for professional development while earning their degree. Students work at their required practicums in the Spring and Summer semesters while attending classes. In these positions, students gain hands-on and real experience in the nation’s capitol.

Admissions Information View the Curriculum Alumni Employment

Strength of the Faculty

The program benefits from the strength of the faculty of the American Government subfield. Through courses on institutions of government (Congress, the presidency, the bureaucracy and the judiciary), electoral politics, political behavior, public opinion, media studies, political parties, public policy, psychology and politics and quantitative methods, students gain the substantive knowledge and theoretical frameworks needed to understand and to become involved in the operations of American government and politics.

Meet Our Faculty: Leaders in the Field

All Program Faculty
Dr. Cammisa

“Anne Marie Cammisa is the director of the M.A. Program in American Government and a teaching professor in the Department of Government and in the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University. Her primary research interest is in the congressional legislative process.”

Dr. Cammisa’s Profile
Dr. Bailey

“Michael A. Bailey is the Colonel William J. Walsh Professor of American Government in the Department of Government and McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University. His research focuses on applying statistical techniques to answering questions at the intersection of political science, policy, law, and economics.”

Dr. Bailey’s Profile
Dr. Brown

“Nadia E. Brown is a Professor of Government, chair of the Women’s and Gender Studies Program and affiliate in the Black Studies program at Georgetown University. Dr. Brown’s research interests lie broadly in identity politics, legislative studies, and Black women’s studies. While trained as a political scientist, her scholarship on intersectionality seeks to push beyond disciplinary constraints to think more holistically about the politics of identity.”

Dr. Brown’s Profile

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