ASU in Washington D.C.
Education Opportunities
ASU students have a wide range of opportunities and resources available to empower them to think big, collaborate across disciplines, and strive to make a positive impact on the world.
ASU’s presence in Washington, D.C. provides opportunities and experiences that broaden students’ understanding of national and international issues through interactions with thought leaders and policy makers in our nation’s capital. In addition to opportunities for current and recent ASU students, ASU also offers individual continuing-education courses for learners at any stage of life and leadership training programs for mid- to senior-level career professionals.
The Academy for Innovative Higher Education Leadership, a partnership between ASU and Georgetown University, is the premier training ground for those who aspire to senior leadership positions in higher education and those who want to lead organizational change at colleges and universities in the future. The nine-month, design-based program focuses on bringing ideas to practice; linking theory to relevant applications; and scaling innovations in teaching and learning, leadership, finance and technology that can transform higher education institutions today and in the future.
ASU for You is an approach to education that supports Universal Learners® with resources from a national research university recognizing that to meet the needs of a rapidly changing, technology-driven world, people will need to access education and learning platforms throughout their lives. Whether you are a learner or an educator, ASU for You provides a flexible and growing set of digital educational assets. The program is designed for people of all ages and at all stages of their educational, career or lifelong learning journey — wherever in the world they may be.
ASU Local is located in the heart of downtown Washington, D.C., providing students access to flexible class schedules, hands-on projects and internships as they work alongside industry professionals in more than 100+ degree programs. ASU Local recognizes every career path looks different, which is why the program offers students one-on-one time with coaches who help create a personalized college and career plan to help students prepare for the jobs of the future.
ASU Online provides access, without constraints, to the educational opportunities of a world-class research university and its faculty. The result is a community of students, learning from across the globe, who are an integral part of the New American University. Students connect online with the full ASU experience: interaction with internationally recognized faculty, access to collections from ASU's eight award-winning libraries, an alumni network tens of thousands of members strong, and membership in a community of thousands of students pursuing their degrees.
The Business and Public Policy Residency program in Washington, D.C., is a week-long opportunity for graduate and MBA students in ASU’s W. P. Carey School of Business. The program is designed to enrich students’ understanding of the public policy process, with a focus on those policy issues that are most likely to impact business outcomes, as well as the strategies that busy corporate executives can utilize to ethically and effectively share information and influence public-policy outcomes.
The ASU Capital Scholars program develops future leaders by providing undergraduate students with hands-on training in the public policymaking process in Washington, D.C. Each year since 1998, ASU has provided an opportunity for up to 25 undergraduate students to spend a summer in Washington, D.C., interning with Congress, federal agencies, advocacy groups, the media, nonprofit organizations, think tanks and policy research groups. Interns also participate in activities organized just for them, including tours, career panels, cultural events and lectures. The primary goal of the Capital Scholars program is to help students develop leadership skills that will enable them to be successful in their career, active in the community and involved in policymaking.
ASU CareerCatalyst provides job-relevant skills education and talent transformation that empowers learners and employers to thrive in the future of work.
Choose from over 250 programs to develop in-demand job skills and capabilities. Programs are designed to be accessible to working adults and to contextualize learning in real-work scenarios. Our programs serve learners at every career stage - from entry-level to executive - and across industries and job roles.
Cronkite News in Washington, D.C., is an intensive professional reporting experience for advanced Cronkite School students in the journalism degree program. Graduate and undergraduate students work from ASU’s Ambassador Barbara Barrett and Justice Sandra Day O’Connor Washington Center located three blocks from the White House. From a state-of-the-art newsroom, students cover public policy issues in Congress, the White House, U.S. Supreme Court and many other federal agencies that affect Arizona. Student reporters and producers generate breaking news and investigative stories and packages that appear in print and online news outlets across the state. Cronkite News is the largest Arizona-based news operation in the nation's capital, and its award-winning weekday newscast reaches 1.9 million homes across Arizona.
ASU's Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law offers a unique program for second- and third-year law students who seek legal experience with a federal agency or nonprofit organization in Washington, D.C. The Legal Externship Program helps students acquire expertise in important legal areas, develop an informed insider perspective on policy developments on Capitol Hill and in federal agencies, and foster relationships and experiences that are invaluable assets to new attorneys when they enter a legal practice anywhere in the world.
Ranked nationally in the top 5% by U.S. News & World Report, the ASU School of Public Affairs (part of Watts College) now offers an Executive Master of Public Administration degree created for public sector and public policy managers. The 19-month program, combines an online curriculum with three-day executive sessions in Washington, D.C. designed to expand the breadth and depth of students’ professional networks. Executive MPA students are selected based on their ability to demonstrate the value they would add to the learning experience of the entire class.
Today’s world needs future-ready global leaders and managers more than ever. The global economy is becoming increasingly complex and dynamic as the Fourth Industrial Revolution accelerates, reshaping how we create value, work, live – indeed who we are. In this new era of rapid change, transnational organizations demand entrepreneurial innovators who can create sustainable global futures across geographies, cultures, and sectors.
Thunderbird’s one-year Executive Master of Arts in Global Affairs and Management provides a digital global mindset and a unique combination of 21st-century hard and soft skills. Students build expertise in leading systems and new enterprises, managing complexity, disruptive innovation, digital transformation, and collaborative problem-solving.
Futurography combines the storytelling techniques of journalism and the instructive capacity of a massive open online course, or MOOC, in an effort to educate readers about the technologies that will define tomorrow. Futurography focused on a new technology, providing a citizen's guide to how it might shape the future.
Learn more about these Futurography topics:
geoengineering, algorithms, cyberwar, artificial intelligence, drones, self-driving cars, nanotechnology, ownership, internet governance, Frankenstein, cybersecurity, space exploration and synthetic biology.
Futurography was created by Future Tense – a partnership between Arizona State University, New America and Slate magazine that explores emerging technologies and their transformative effects on society and public policy.
The International Rule of Law and Security Program, a joint effort between ASU Law and the McCain Institute, teaches students about the development of rule of law and good governance in transitional and post-conflict states. Led by Distinguished Professor of Practice Ambassador Clint Williamson, this training prepares graduates for international development and policy jobs in the public and private sectors. Topics include institution-building, transitional justice mechanisms, judicial and prosecutorial capacity building, and business aspects involved with international development projects, among others.
The Leadership, Diplomacy and National Security Lab (LDNS Lab) advances character-driven leadership, diplomacy, and national security education and training in support of the full range of university enterprises. Led by diplomatic and national security professionals, The Lab dedicates itself to learner-centered solutions and thought leadership through a global network of partners employing state of the art learning tools.
Led by the College of Public Service and Community Solutions, ASU annually hosts 25 accomplished young professionals for a six-week civic leadership institute. The program is oriented to young leaders from sub-Saharan Africa who serve the public through non-governmental organizations, community-based nonprofits or volunteerism.
President Obama launched the Young African Leaders Initiative in 2010. Through this initiative, emerging leaders are gaining the skills and connections they need to accelerate their own career trajectories and contribute more robustly to strengthening democratic institutions, spurring economic growth and enhancing the peace and security in Africa.
The Master of Arts in International Affairs and Leadership (MA IAL), offered by the School of Politics and Global Studies, establishes a dynamic and active learning environment led by international affairs practitioners such as former ambassadors and military general officers who developed US policies and programs around the globe and managed strategic and “grass roots diplomacy” efforts throughout their careers”. This unique MA program blends the art of diplomacy with developing leadership and draws on ASU’s extensive academic capacity, all which provides students a distinctive edge to succeed.
The program will prepare graduates for the complex international environment through extensive exposure to topics such as character-driven leadership, national security, human rights and democracy issues, foreign policy and global and international economics.
The McCain Institute offers undergraduate students and recent graduates the opportunity to engage directly in program development and execution, research global issues in order to explore ideas and policy surrounding character-driven leadership, human rights and democracy. The Institute’s Junior Fellowships places a special emphasis on professional development offering students an opportunity to network with senior leaders at the Institute and throughout Washington, DC.
The Institute hosts students for the fall, spring and summer in Washington, D.C. and virtually.
Each year, the McCain Institute selects up to 20 emerging leaders to be a part of its Global Leaders Program. They are individuals from around the world, from every walk of life, who have demonstrated extraordinary character, commitment to core human values, and capacity for future leadership. Those selected are offered a unique program that blends professional development, exposure to top-level policymakers, and formal training in leadership and communications. Participants build reserves of personal capital and support networks that will last a lifetime.