SIPA: School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University

Capstone Workshops

Capstone workshops serve as the culminating educational experience for students in the Master of Public Administration (MPA), Master of Public Administration in Environmental Science and Policy (PESP), and several concentrations in the Master of International Affairs (MIA).  Workshops apply the practical skills and analytical knowledge learned at SIPA to a real-world issue. Students are organized into small consulting teams and assigned a substantive, policy-oriented project with an external client.  Clients include public agencies (from the local to national level), international NGOs and multi-national organizations, and major firms in the private sector.  Student teams, working under the supervision of a faculty expert, answer a carefully defined problem posed by the client.  Each team produces an actionable report at the close of the workshop that is designed to translate into real change on the ground.  Essentially, capstone workshops give students not only a chance to further refine their skills and knowledge, but to make a positive contribution to the world around them.  And capstone projects provide valuable experience and contacts for post-graduate employment. 

Capstone workshops are required for completion of the MPA and the MPA in Environmental Science and Policy.  Workshops are required for students in three concentrations within the MIA degree:  Economic and Political Development (EPD), Energy and Environment, and Urban/Social Policy.  

For more information regarding workshops in the Master of Public Administration in Environmental Science, please click here.

For more information regarding workshops in the Economic and Political Development Concentration (EPD), please click here.

For more information about the core MIA or MPA workshops (except EPD Concentration), follow the links on the right above.