The Policy Center's interests are not only at home, but also abroad. The Peace Corps Fellows program brings students with strong international experience and interests. Students completing a course of study in the Policy Center receive a Master of Arts in Social and Public Policy or a certificate in Conflict Resolution and Peace Studies . The Master of Arts degree provides students with substantial skills and knowledge and a highly regarded credential. It is equally valuable as a terminal degree or as a stepping stone to a professional or research degree.
Students choose a faculty mentor who shares their policy interests.
Mentors help select courses from among a wide offering of policy-oriented electives that help students build the knowledge and skills they want to develop. Most courses will be in the Policy Center, but some may be in other graduate programs at Duquesne or even at other graduate schools in Pittsburgh. The faculty can also help identify an appropriate internship anywhere in the world, where students can experience the application of what they have learned in the classroom, and advise in the preparation of the thesis that provides students the opportunity for intensive research in their policy area. Whatever the arena in which you hope to make a difference in the formulation, analysis or implementation of policy, the Policy Center can help you prepare to succeed. Graduates of the Policy Center work in such organizations as Allegheny County Juvenile Court, Great Lakes Behavioral Institute, Federal Bureau of Investigation, St. Francis College, United Way, PA Department of Health, and Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership.