The Master of Arts in Public Policy and International Affairs (PPIA) program at the Department of Political Studies and Public Administration (PSPA) at the American University of Beirut is open to recent college graduates from various backgrounds who wish to pursue professional or academic careers in public affairs; as well as to mid-career professionals in Lebanon and the region who wish to deepe
n their knowledge of the field or acquire new ways of thinking and policy tools. It will (1) offer students the opportunity to deepen their conceptual, critical and practical knowledge of public policy and international affairs, with particular focus on the challenges facing the Arab region; and (2) provide them with the necessary professional skills, tools, and networks to lead careers in public affairs. The PPIA program also aims to develop and catalyze new experimental research through the interaction of current and new faculty members, graduate students, and organizations outside of AUB. In the courses offered, and with the people and organizations involved, existing theories can be critiqued and new ones based on regional and local specificities advanced. The PPIA program seeks to fill an important need in the region, namely to build capacity in public policy and international affairs while also linking this capacity building with the production and translation of knowledge in these fields. It can also build on a growing international and local demand to study the Arab world, as well as to influence and lead the policy agenda in the region and beyond through articulating policy visions and positions that are based on properly understood contexts and specificities. It will further strive to increase interaction and knowledge production within a South-South context, a dimension largely deficient in the Arab region. The program was approved by the AUB Board of Trustees in March 2014 and is registered with the Education Department of the State of New York.
