The Association of Professional Schools of International Affairs (APSIA) welcomes Brown University’s Thomas J. Watson Jr. School of International and Public Affairs as an affiliate of its network of leading schools of international affairs and public policy.

Launched in July 2025, the Watson School is the university’s home for teaching, research, and public engagement on pressing policy challenges. It builds on more than four decades of work at Brown’s Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs and the Center for International Studies. 

“The Watson School pairs rigorous research across traditional academic boundaries with a clear focus on policy practice, and its strengths in security, governance, and development will enrich conversations across our network,” said Michelle Reddy, Executive Director of APSIA. “We’re especially pleased to welcome Watson at such an energizing moment in its growth, and we look forward to the collaboration ahead.”

As an APSIA affiliate, the Watson School joins an international community dedicated to strengthening professional education in international affairs, with opportunities to exchange perspectives and participate in selected APSIA learning events and programming.

“Preparing students to tackle complex policy challenges requires engagement with ideas and experiences from around the world. Joining APSIA connects Watson with a community of schools committed to that work. We look forward to exchanging ideas with our peers and contributing to our shared commitment to preparing students for leadership in international affairs,” said John N. Friedman, Vascellaro Family Dean of the Watson School. 

Brown University’s Thomas J. Watson Jr. School of International and Public Affairs seeks to promote a just, peaceful and prosperous world through research and teaching on the world’s most pressing economic, political, and social policy challenges. Launched in 2025 under inaugural Dean John N. Friedman, the school brings together scholars and policy practitioners across traditional academic boundaries, with jointly appointed faculty connecting policy scholarship and learning to expertise across Brown. The school’s academic programs include an undergraduate concentration in international and public affairs, a one-year residential Master of Public Affairs and a 16-month fully online Master of Public Policy for working professionals. The online MPP will welcome its first cohort in January 2027. Learn more at home.watson.brown.edu.